How Much Does It Really Cost to Run a Profitable Digital Product Business?
Seriously, cheaper than open a bubble tea shop.
Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room.
What's does it really costs to run a digital product business?
It depends on where you’re at—whether you’re just starting or ready to scale. I began with free resources, upgrading as my business grew.
Here’s a breakdown of typical expenses and my personal recommendations for tools that make life easier:
1️⃣ E-commerce Platforms:
Tools like Beacons, Stan Store, or Systeme.io start FREE, with Pro plans around $20-$90/month.
Payment Processing: Platforms like Stripe or PayPal take 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
My Pick:
Beacons e-Store is my all-in-one hub for payments, creating sleek e-store, website, running email campaigns, and even handling traffic analytics and invoices.
Free Plan: $0/month
Pro Plan: $20/month (use my referral link to sign up and enjoy automatic free $20 credit when you upgrade).
2️⃣ Domain & Hosting
Domain Name: $10-$20/year (GoDaddy).
Hosting: Included if you use Beacons, Stan, Systeme.io
My Pick: $0 included in Beacons pro plan.
3️⃣ Aesthetic Content Creation
Forefolk Stock: Affordable subscription with stunning visuals. Use my referral link for discount.
Pexels: Free library for professional-quality stock.
My Tip: I remix my own b-roll content to save on costs. You can check my curated albums that don't break your bank 👉 Check it out.
4️⃣ Social Media Accounts
Instagram, Tik Tok and Threads creator accounts are $0/month and offer incredible organic reach.
5️⃣ Marketing
Email Marketing: Most platforms, like Mailchimp or ConvertKit, cost $10-$50/month, depending on subscribers.
Paid Ads: You can start small with $50/month,
My Hack: I use Beacons, which includes email campaigns in its Pro Plan, for $20/month. I don't run ads- I rely 100% on organic traffic with good content strategy.
6️⃣ Products to Sell
You don’t need to create your own! Here’s what I recommend:
Affiliate Products: Earn up to 85% commission Ultimate Branding Course Catalyst Collective, Spark).
Master Resell Rights: Keep 100% profit
7️⃣ Productivity Tools
Notion: Free for organising content calendars and social media content planning.
ChatGPT: Free for brainstorming, product creation. email writing and social media content.
Quick Math: Your Operating Cost
Starting Cost: $0/month (using free tools).
Pro Cost: $20-$50/month for advanced features.
This gig is more affordable than starting a food truck or bubble tea shop—and with far less risk!
But the scalability? Ha! Unlimited.
No stock inventory.
No manpower.
No rental.
No shipping fee.
What are you waiting for? Don’t sleep on this and another year of meeeeh….
Start small, stay consistent, and watch that extra cash roll in.
Maybe upgrading your coffee order to oat milk lattes and biz-class !
Let today be the Day 1!
If you’re ready to dive in or have questions, I’m just a reply down below the comment, or DM Instagram @moneymelonlab
By joining Ultimate Branding Course, you'll also get my 1:1 Mentorship, 1 hour strategy call, guiding you through every step.
Plus 18 products bundle that you can resell for 100% profit (MRR) too.
Now $499 (original price $1100) Instalment Plan 3 months available.
