Why Cricut Machines Exploit Women with False Hopes of Being an entrepreneur

In recent years, Cricut machines have surged in popularity, marketed as the ultimate tool for creative entrepreneurs, particularly women, to turn their crafting hobbies into thriving businesses. Promising empowerment, flexibility, and the allure of becoming a "boss babe"—a term popularized by multi-level marketing (MLM) culture—these cutting machines are pitched as gateways to financial independence. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are flooded with influencers showcasing personalized mugs, custom T-shirts, and vinyl decals, all made with a Cricut, accompanied by hashtags like #BossBabe and #CraftYourDreams. Yet, this narrative is a mirage, exploiting women’s aspirations by overselling the ease of profitability while ignoring the economic realities, time sinks, and systemic barriers of the crafting industry. This article explores why Cricut’s marketing preys on women’s dreams, drawing parallels to MLM schemes and highlighting the gap between hype and reality.

The Entrepreneur Fantasy: A Targeted Marketing Ploy

Cricut’s branding heavily targets women, tapping into a cultural moment where entrepreneurship is romanticized as empowerment. The company’s website and ads feature smiling women creating bespoke products, suggesting anyone with a Cricut can monetize their creativity. Blog posts, like one from The Penny Hoarder, tout how to make money with a Cricut by selling on Etsy or at craft fairs, with headlines promising quick profits. Influencers amplify this, sharing stories of turning side hustles into full-time gigs, often glossing over start-up costs and labor.

This rhetoric mirrors MLM schemes like LuLaRoe or Pampered Chef, which also target women—especially stay-at-home moms—with promises of financial freedom through minimal effort. A 2023 Reddit thread on r/antiMLM calls Cricut a “soft MLM,” noting how the brand encourages users to buy expensive machines and accessories while promoting a lifestyle that’s unattainable for most. The #BossBabe aesthetic—glamorous, independent, and profitable—obscures the reality: only 3-5% of Etsy sellers (a common Cricut sales platform) earn a sustainable income, per a 2024 study on gig economy platforms.

High Costs, Low Returns: The Financial Trap

A Cricut machine isn’t cheap. The Cricut Maker 3 retails for around $400, with bundles pushing costs to $600 or more. Add in accessories—cutting mats, tools, and premium materials like heat-transfer vinyl—and start-up costs easily hit $1,000. Design Space, Cricut’s software, requires a subscription for full access, adding $10-$15 monthly. Blogs like Cricut and Leap of Faith Crafting list “must-have” supplies, creating a cycle of continuous spending.

The promise of profit ignores market saturation. Etsy, with over 7 million sellers in 2025, is a crowded space where Cricut-made goods like decals and mugs face fierce competition. A Craft Industry Alliance report notes that handmade sellers often earn below minimum wage after accounting for time and materials. For example, a custom T-shirt might sell for $20, but material costs ($5-$10), labor (2-3 hours), and platform fees (20% on Etsy) leave slim margins. A TikTok creator, @CraftyMomHustle, shared in 2024 that she spent $2,000 on her Cricut setup but earned only $300 in six months.

Time and Skill: The Hidden Labor Costs

Cricut’s marketing downplays the steep learning curve and time investment. Mastering Design Space and crafting techniques takes weeks, if not months. Tutorials on All Things Target and Hey, Let’s Make Stuff emphasize the need for practice, yet Cricut ads imply instant success. Crafting, pricing, photographing, listing, and shipping products demand hours—often 20-30 per week for minimal sales. A 2025 Forbes article on side hustles notes that creative ventures like Cricut businesses have high burnout rates due to underestimated workloads.

Women, who make up 80% of Cricut’s user base per industry estimates, often juggle these ventures with caregiving or full-time jobs, amplifying stress. The “boss babe” narrative frames this labor as empowering, but it’s exploitative, guilting women into believing failure stems from not hustling hard enough. A Medium post critiquing the gig economy calls this “toxic positivity,” where systemic barriers are repackaged as personal shortcomings.

Exploiting Gendered Expectations

Cricut’s appeal hinges on gendered stereotypes: crafting as women’s work, tied to domesticity and creativity. The “boss babe” label co-opts feminist language, promising liberation through entrepreneurship while reinforcing traditional roles. A 2024 Gender & Society study on gendered marketing notes that brands like Cricut exploit women’s desire for autonomy in a patriarchal economy, offering a false sense of control. The company’s community forums and social media groups foster a cult-like enthusiasm, encouraging women to “invest in themselves” by buying more tools, echoing MLM tactics.

This exploitation is starkest for low-income women, who are lured by the low entry barrier compared to traditional businesses. Yet, as a Business Insider piece on side hustles points out, these ventures rarely scale without significant capital or marketing skills, leaving vulnerable women in debt. The dream of being a “boss babe” becomes a financial and emotional trap.

The Reality of Success: A Privileged Few

Success stories exist, but they’re outliers, often requiring pre-existing advantages. Top Etsy sellers using Cricut typically have graphic design skills, marketing budgets, or established followings. A Craft Professional article notes that profitable sellers spend on ads and SEO, areas Cricut’s tutorials barely address. The average user, lacking these resources, struggles to break even.

Compare this to Cricut’s corporate gains. In 2024, Cricut reported $1.2 billion in revenue, driven by machine sales and subscriptions, not user success. The company profits regardless of whether users sell a single sticker, much like MLMs profit from recruits’ inventory purchases.

Counterarguments: Is There Any Merit?

Defenders argue Cricut offers creative fulfillment and viable side income for some. Blogs like Cricut share success stories of women earning $500-$1,000 monthly. It’s true that crafting can be therapeutic, and niche markets (e.g., custom wedding decor) can yield profits. But these cases are exceptions, not norms, and rely on skills or networks most users don’t have. The broader narrative—that anyone can become an “entrepreneur”—is misleading, ignoring structural hurdles like market saturation and time constraints.

Alternatives to the Cricut Hustle

Instead of chasing Cricut’s false promises, women can explore sustainable paths. Learning digital skills like graphic design or leveraging platforms like Upwork for freelance work offers better returns. Community-based cooperatives, where crafters share resources, bypass corporate traps. Policy changes, like better support for small businesses, would help more than machine purchases.

Conclusion: Ditch the Myth

Cricut machines aren’t inherently evil—they’re tools. But their marketing exploits women’s dreams, peddling a fantasy that’s as hollow as MLM promises. High costs, low returns, and gendered manipulation make the Cricut hustle a losing game for most. In 2025, with economic pressures easing but inequality persistent, women deserve better than false hopes. Skip the machine, invest in skills, and demand systemic change over sparkly decals.

This article is our opinion only.  Do your own research.