I am planning to launch a Shopify store, which revolves around a unique and innovative approach to merchandise customization. Without revealing too much, I envision a platform where customers can input specific information, leading to the dynamic creation of personalized designs (using Shopify Liquid) on a range of print-on-demand/drop shipping products. The idea is to combine user creativity with the ease of an online store, offering a distinct shopping experience.

Questions:
- Exploring Suppliers: I've noticed many people seeking dropshipping suppliers on this sub. Is there a particular advantage to this over using established POD platforms like Printful?
- Dynamic Merchandise on Shopify: Has anyone come across a Shopify store that offers dynamically created merchandise? Insights or examples would be greatly appreciated. I've only ever found this one
- Budgeting for Startup Success: I plan to start with a modest advertising budget of $1000, spread across Google and Facebook ads, and maybe collaborations with micro-influencers. Is this a sufficient amount to gain traction, or should I anticipate significant additional expenses?
- Realistic Expectations: Am I crazy? Am I underestimating the challenges of starting and scaling an e-commerce business? Any advice from those who've walked this path would be invaluable.

I know this won't be "easy"... But it seems to me that with POD and Drop Shipping... once my store is set up, I have ZERO costs other than marketing. So I can just keep my marketing budget in check with how my sales are going? Still I kind of feel like I am missing something and am going to do a lot of work and then find out this whole setup is fools gold? Again - I do really believe my "concept" is strong and marketable, but I wanted to get this communities insights! Thanks!