Inventing dog gnomes
After a few years of marketing other peoples' products & services, I set out to create my own.
Through SEO research, I discovered an intersection of demand for 'Garden Gnome' and "Dog Statue" keywords, then designed the first ever dog gnome: Doodle Gnome.
The first year earned $100,000 in gross sales on amazon.com, then year two earning ~$112,000. In year 3, I have completed my vision of one gnome for each color of the rainbow
🟥🟧🟨🟩🟦🟪
As of 2025, it looks like tariffs and its fallout may cause the end of this business. We'll see!
Design
I designed the gnomes in photoshop, first creating rough drafts, then editing images of samples I received from the factory.
The Chinese company I worked with from Zhejiang province was very generous, especially with revisions, often not charging for them at all. This relationship was key to early success, and the business couldn't survive without it.
It's been a fun process that I'm lucky to have experienced, given I had no professional design or engineering background before.
PHOTOGRAPHY
For photography, I used my older brother's DSLR and ordered some equipment from amazon.
Surprisingly, the photos I took myself did just as well as those from the expensive photographer I hired early on. Learning basic photography saved me $1000's of dollars.
It also goes to show—expensive marketing does not mean more ROI.
Marketing and Advertising
Building a Shopify site, Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Amazon Ads didn't take me long, as I had already worked as a full-time marketer for years.
The best results came from Amazon SEO with Meta Ads
Most customers preferred to purchase from Amazon bc of Prime 1 or 2-day delivery and free shipping. I could not possibly achieve that myself, so I was at the mercy of Amazon—more on that below.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I marketed on IG and Tik Tok, but did not want to show my face or use my personality. I believe that drastically limited my success.
While I was pleased with the design and engagement, I found the ROI was not there. Ultimately my sales still came through messaging in online groups and amazon SEO.
To learn more about marketing, check out the Marketing page.
📦 The mercy of AMAZON (& Trump) 📦
Nearly 50% or more of our revenue was given taken by Amazon for fulfillment, advertising, and other fees. We had to use their fulfillment to maintain ranking, which made for an unsustainable business model given our shrinking margins.
In 2025, Amazon increased fees for fulfillment & marketing, while capping our inventory to 1/2 of what we sold at the same time last year. This surprise cap hurt badly, as I had invested in new SKUs which I was I am now not able to send in for a real launch. And worse, I couldn't even send in our top SKUs which drove most of the revenue.
This was undoubtedly the result of tariffs which caused our shipment to arrive late, then caused me to raise prices as I was not sure if the business was dead. When I lowered prices after the Trump removed the tariffs, it was too late. Our rank plummeted and could not send in the necessary inventory to maintain profitability for the year.
A.I.
A.I.
It has become shockingly easy to develop new product designs with A.I. I can create entirely new gnome designs, essentially for free.
It has become shockingly easy to develop new product designs with A.I. I can create entirely new gnome designs, essentially for free.
For me, these A.I. implications are a double-edged sword. My IP is essentially up-for-grabs, as anyone can now generate their own gnomes in minutes.
Once manufacturing in the U.S. catches up, then creative products could be very easy to create at home. However, that's still a far-off concept.
TRADE WAR CONSEQUENCES
Doodle Gnome will miss its biggest season in 2025 due due to the trade war.
Doodle Gnome will miss its biggest season in 2025 due due to the trade war.
Amazon has now increased their seller fees and limited inventory. This resulted in excess inventory at my US warehouse, which forced me to drive a 20-ft U-Haul full of gnomes to a storage unit in Dallas, where I now ship gnomes out myself. This is not sustainable for me, so I fear this is the end.
Profitability
Even when the business grossed $100,000/year, the work was not even a suitable replacement for a job as a bartender.
It was a valuable side-hustle when I could rely on Amazon fulfillment and low foreign costs, but now I cannot.
U.S. MANUFACTURING
When the Chinese tariff hit 125%, I ordered a 3D scanner from, ironically, a Chinese brand.
When the Chinese tariff hit 125%, I ordered a 3D scanner from, ironically, a Chinese brand.
It turned out to be an interesting waste of time, as the scanner is best for auto parts and still requires a CAD or 3D modeler to complete.
The issue then is still creating molds. This requires machinery and expertise that I simply don't have access to.
Obviously, there is no clear, profitable path to doing this in the U.S. Energy, equipment, zoning, regulation, labor costs, lack of education, tariffs being paid by me (not China), industrial space, air conditioning, and more!
Solo Trip to China
I had planned to visit the Chinese company about 6 months before tariffs were introduced, and decided to go anyways during June 2025. It was pretty scary and intimidating to go during the heat of tariffs, but at least hotels were cheap.
I was able to witness China's manufacturing capabilities and meet the exceptional and normal people who I had emailed gnome designs for the past few years.
It was a very interesting experience. I don't think people understand how high-tech China has become.
When arriving to the small, unimpressive office, they handed me a tea from Starbucks and a bottle of water. They were normal people, living normal lives.
They were a bit confused that I was visiting, given the global conflict, my low order quantity and the ridiculous gnome product.
IS THIS THE END?
Probably! But at least you can still buy a gnome! For now...
Probably! But at least you can still buy a gnome! For now...