Most creators sell other people's products. Very few sell their own.
By John Brown, Founder & CEO, Be Fulfilled ·
A 2026 survey from the creator marketplace #paid found that 81% of creators earn money from brand deals. Physical products made up 2% of their income.
I look at that gap every day, and I think it's the biggest opportunity in the creator economy.
A brand deal pays you once. When the campaign ends, the income ends, and the brand keeps the customer. Your own product works differently. Every sale adds someone to a customer list that belongs to you, and the product keeps selling long after the post stops getting views.
Creators are starting to notice. The Influencer Marketing Factory surveyed 1,000 U.S. creators for its 2026 report and found that product and merch sales plus affiliate income now make up 21.2% of creator income combined. People want income they control.
So why don't more creators launch a product?
We've helped launch more than 100 brands since 2019, and the idea is almost never the problem. What stops people is everything after the idea. Finding a factory. Approving samples. Figuring out minimums. Storing inventory, shipping orders, handling returns. Most creators have never done any of it, and it's a lot to learn while you're also making content every day.
That's the part we take off your plate. You bring the audience and the idea. We handle design support, factory connections, sampling, production and fulfillment, so you can keep creating while your brand gets built.
You don't have to give up brand deals. Think of your own product as the income that keeps working when the deals slow down.
If you've had a product idea sitting in your notes app, start a free Product Design Board at befulfilled.io and see it take shape, or book a call with our team and talk it through.
John Brown Founder & CEO, Be Fulfilled