How people are making money on Canva and turning their graphic-design side hustles into full-time gigs

• Canva's popularity is exploding, bringing with it a boom in creators selling digital products.

• Some have turned creating templates, images, or files to sell into a full-time gig.

• The entrepreneurs tell Insider the benefits are wide-ranging despite varying financial success.

After a tech startup fired 31-year-old Shruti Pangtey from her product marketing manager gig, she took the opportunity to start her own digital-products business — and she said she has no regrets.

Her online business, Digital Empires, sells digital-marketing courses for entrepreneurs made on Canva, a popular graphic-design platform known for being easy to use. Pangtey earns between $95,000 and $120,000 a year working at least 20 hours a week.

"I never want to go back to a nine-to-five," Pangtey told Insider.

And she's not alone. Canva's popularity is exploding, bringing with it a boom in creators who are making real money by selling digital products — templates, images, or files for others to use — with some taking it from side hustle to full-time gig. It gives the creators the opportunity to work fewer hours, spend more time with friends and family, and for some, make more money.

By putting in anywhere from three to 84 hours per week, creators can earn between $1,000 and $10,000 a month, four Canva business owners told Insider. One creator made a total of $1.4 million in sales in about three years.

But "it's not a get-rich-quick scheme," Meranda Dysart, an Arkansas-based Canva creator, said.

Dysart built a business that brings in approximately $3,300 each month. It allowed her to quit a full-time marketing position and become a stay-at-home parent. For her and other creators, starting a Canva-based business goes far beyond design.

Creators spend time on behind-the-scenes work like marketing, writing copy for sales landing pages, and sending emails to potential clients. The digital products creators sell include Instagram and Pinterest post templates, custom YouTube profile banners, wedding invitations, and printable daily planners.