🤑 Funny T-Shirts to $1.2M Empire

Plus Trump's Tariffs to Close Chinese Online Loophole & Cracking the Facebook Ads Code Hacks for 2025

Author

Grant Parker
February 04, 2025

👋 It’s Monday, and today we’re breaking down how Bryson Oppermann turned funny T-shirts into a $1.2 million print-on-demand empire—without printing or shipping a single order himself. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs are set to close a major Chinese online loophole, shaking up global e-commerce, and we’re revealing the latest Facebook Ads hacks for 2025. Let’s get into it!


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Rejection

Funny T-Shirts to $1.2M – How Bryson Oppermann Built Got Funny Without Ads

What if I told you that a solo entrepreneur turned a simple T-shirt idea into a $1.2 million brand—without spending a single dollar on ads? Meet Bryson Oppermann, the founder of Got Funny, a print-on-demand business that skyrocketed from 17 sales a month to over 800+ orders overnight—all thanks to viral marketing and an audience-first approach.

Bryson’s journey is not just another success story—it’s a blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to build a thriving online business without burning money on ads. From a random TikTok video blowing up before his store was even live to running a seven-figure brand, his strategy proves that understanding your audience and delivering what they want is far more powerful than any ad campaign.

His rise from graphic design hobbyist to a full-time eCommerce entrepreneur is packed with lessons on branding, community building, and leveraging social media to scale fast. If you’ve ever dreamed of launching your own brand but felt held back by a lack of funds or experience, Bryson’s story is proof that starting with zero dollars and going viral is still possible in 2025.

Let’s break down how Bryson went from side hustle to a million-dollar business in just two years.

📊 The Numbers

📅 Brand Launched: April 2022
💰 First-Year Sales: $800,000
🔥 Biggest Sales Month: 800+ orders in 30 days
📈 Total Revenue: $1.2 million+ in two years
📱 Marketing Budget: $0 (100% organic social media growth)
🎥 Most Viral Post: 7M+ views on Instagram Reels

Step 1: Using Viral Marketing to Validate a Business

Bryson didn’t start Got Funny with a detailed business plan or a big investment. He was simply a creative guy with a passion for design who started posting his T-shirt ideas on TikTok and Instagram.

His breakthrough moment came before his website was even live. One of his funny, relatable designs went viral, and people started flooding his comments:
👉 “I need this NOW. Where can I buy it?”
👉 “Shut up and take my money!”

Seeing the immediate demand, Bryson rushed to launch his Shopify store—and sales started rolling in before he had even officially launched.

💡 Key Takeaway:

Before investing in inventory, test demand with social media. Bryson validated his idea before spending a dime.

Step 2: Scaling Without Ads

Unlike most entrepreneurs who immediately turn to Facebook and Instagram ads, Bryson doubled down on organic marketing. His growth strategy included:

✔️ TikTok & Instagram Reels – Short, engaging videos featuring his shirts in everyday situations.
✔️ Community Engagement – He responded to comments, took design requests, and turned fan ideas into real products.
✔️ Reposting Viral Hits – If a video performed well, he remixed it, reposted it, and squeezed more sales out of every viral moment.

🎥 Viral Success Story:

Bryson’s most popular Instagram Reel hit 7M+ views, making one design an instant bestseller. Within months, he had sold over 2,000 units of that single T-shirt.

💡 What He Learned:

👉 Organic marketing works when you engage with your audience.
👉 Trendy, relatable designs spread faster than generic ones.
👉 Leverage what’s already working instead of chasing expensive ads.

Step 3: Turning a One-Man Show into a Well-Oiled Machine

Bryson runs his entire business solo, but he doesn’t touch inventory, shipping, or printing. Instead, he uses Printful, a print-on-demand platform that handles all fulfillment and logistics.

By keeping operations lean and automated, he focuses 100% of his time on content and community building—the two things that drive sales.

🚀 The Smartest Moves He Made:

✅ Zero upfront investment – No need to buy inventory before sales.
✅ Instant product testing – He can launch a new design in minutes.
✅ More time for marketing – Instead of packing boxes, he focuses on selling.

💡 Takeaway:

The best way to scale an eCommerce business is to automate everything except content and sales.

Step 4: Hitting $1.2M and Beyond

After just two years, Got Funny has crossed $1.2 million in revenue, and profit margins have increased from 35% to nearly 50%.

Bryson is now focused on:
✔️ Launching new viral designs inspired by customer feedback.
✔️ Building a community-driven brand with loyal repeat buyers.
✔️ Continuing to grow without ads, proving that social media and engagement are the most powerful tools in eCommerce today.

💡 Lessons from Bryson’s Success:

🔥 Test before you invest – Use social media to gauge interest before launching a product.
🎥 Lean into video content – TikTok and Instagram Reels drive insane growth.
👥 Engage with your audience – The more you interact, the more they buy.
🚀 Automate & scale smartly – Focus on marketing, let tools handle the rest.

The Takeaway

Bryson Stubbins’ journey proves that you don’t need a huge budget or a fancy strategy to win in eCommerce. If you can create something people love, build a community, and leverage social media effectively, you can scale a brand to $1M+ without spending a dime on ads.

Want to dive deeper into Bryson’s story? Check out on the Up Flip YouTube channel here

Recommended Resources

🌐 Free Dropship Community: Join Now

🎙️ Ecommerce Podcast - Dropshipp - Listen Here

💻 Build Your Ecom Store - Shopify: Start Free

🚚 Dropship Suppliers - Spocket: Discover More

🤖 Ai Advertising Tools - Ad Creative - Begin Now

✉️ Ecom Email Provider - GetResponse: Learn More

💰 Sales Funnels - ClickFunnels: Explore Here

Facebook

🔥Cracking the Facebook Ads Code: Must-Know Hacks for 2025

Facebook ads have evolved, and if you’re not adapting, you’re wasting ad spend. AI-driven automation, Advantage+ targeting, and creative enhancements are changing the game. While Meta’s AI optimizes ads, smart advertisers know balancing automation with manual control is key to maximizing performance.

Advantage+ dominates in 2025, from audience targeting to dynamic ad placements. AI-generated text and creative enhancements boost engagement, but blindly trusting automation can drain budgets. Scaling is now easier—budget increases no longer reset the learning phase, allowing advertisers to grow campaigns faster without disruption.

With improved tracking tools like Hyros, data accuracy is sharper than ever, helping businesses optimize spend for real results. Those who embrace these changes will thrive, while outdated strategies will fade. Ready to stay ahead? Let’s dive in. 🚀

1. Embrace Advantage+ – Meta’s AI-Powered Campaigns

If you’re still manually tweaking audience targeting, placements, and bidding, you’re leaving money on the table.Advantage+ uses AI to optimize ads in real-time, finding the best audiences and placements to drive results.

Meta’s automation tools, including Advantage+ Shopping and Advantage+ Audience, allow advertisers to provide broad targeting suggestions rather than rigid rules. This gives Facebook’s algorithm the flexibility to find high-converting customers—even in areas you might not have considered.

🚀 Pro Tip: Test Advantage+ first before defaulting to manual setup. Most advertisers are seeing better results with this automation, and as Meta’s AI improves, the gap between manual and automated campaigns will only grow.

2. Use Creative Enhancements (But Be Selective)

Facebook’s AI now offers automatic creative enhancements, such as adjusting backgrounds, adding text overlays, and enhancing images. While this can improve engagement, it’s not a one-size-fits-all tool.

✅ When to use it:

  • Adding text overlays to simple product images.

  • Enhancing the background of an eCommerce product shot.

❌ When to skip it:

  • If your ad already includes important branding or text.

  • If Facebook alters images in a way that changes their original intent (e.g., making a model in a lifestyle ad unrecognizable).

💡 Pro Tip: Always review suggested enhancements before publishing. While AI can improve performance, human oversight is key.

3. Don’t Lose Sight of What Matters – Offers & Ad Creatives

It’s easy to get lost in Facebook’s endless ad settings, but the two things that truly impact performance are:

✅ Your Offer: Is your price competitive? Are you offering an exclusive deal? Make sure your offer stands out.
✅ Your Ad Creative: Does your ad grab attention within the first three seconds? If not, you’re wasting your budget.

Meta Ads continue to get more complex, but obsessing over small tweaks like placements and settings won’t drive massive growth. Instead, focus on crafting high-impact creatives and irresistible offers.

4. Increase Your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

Winning in Facebook ads isn’t just about lowering your cost per purchase—it’s about increasing the value of every customer you acquire (LTV).

🔹 Subscription models: More brands are switching to subscriptions because recurring revenue boosts LTV.
🔹 Upsells & bundles: Offer complementary products after purchase to maximize order value.
🔹 Retention strategies: Use email marketing and retargeting ads to keep customers engaged and coming back.

💡 Pro Tip: If you focus only on cutting ad costs instead of increasing customer value, you’re limiting your long-term profits.

5. Simplify Your Campaign Structure

Gone are the days of overly complicated ad setups. Today’s best-performing Facebook advertisers are reducing the number of ad sets and relying on AI-driven audience targeting.

🎯 What works now:

  • Fewer ad sets with broader targeting.

  • Leveraging Advantage+ Audience instead of manually creating lookalikes.

  • Consolidating warm and cold audiences in a single ad set if the creative applies to both.

💡 Pro Tip: Less complexity = better optimization. Let Facebook’s AI handle targeting while you focus on creative and offers.

6. Use AI Text Generation (But Edit Wisely)

Meta now offers AI-powered ad copy suggestions based on your existing content. While this can save time, it’s crucial to review the AI-generated text to ensure it aligns with your brand’s voice and message.

✅ Best way to use AI text generation:

  • Write one strong version of your ad copy manually.

  • Use AI-generated variations to A/B test different angles.

  • Edit AI-generated suggestions to make them more persuasive.

7. Scale More Aggressively Without Resetting Learning Phase

For years, advertisers were told not to increase budgets more than 10-20% at a time to avoid disrupting campaign performance. That’s no longer the case.

Meta now allows for bigger budget increases without re-entering the learning phase. Some advertisers are doubling their budget at once with no negative impact.

📈 Pro Tip:

  • For time-sensitive offers (e.g., Black Friday), scale faster to capitalize on peak sales.

  • For evergreen campaigns, scale gradually to maintain stable performance.

Final Thoughts

Facebook Ads are evolving rapidly, and advertisers who adapt will win. By embracing Advantage+ automation, improving ad creatives, simplifying campaign structures, and focusing on LTV, you can scale profitably in 2025.

🚀 Want to level up your Facebook ads? Check out Ben Heath’s Youtube channel for a deeper dive here

Crypto Order Sparks National Digital Asset Focus

A newly signed executive order aims to build a national digital asset stockpile, highlighting the strategic potential of blockchain. DeFi Technologies Inc. (US: DEFTF & CAD: DEFI.NE) stands at the forefront by offering regulated exchange traded products that simplify digital asset access. As the U.S. takes strides in crypto policy, discover how DeFi’s approach may align with this emerging infrastructure.

That's it for this week, hope you got some value out of it.

Cheers,

The Dropshipp.com team

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