She Strengthens

From Hobby to Profit: How One Woman Turned Her Passion into a Lucrative Side Hustle

Arianna O’Dell, a 28-year-old founder of a PR and marketing agency in New York City, never thought that her creative outlet would turn into a reliable stream of passive income. Two years ago, she started selling quirky, one-of-a-kind gifts on Etsy, and so far, she’s earned around $30,000 on top of her 9-to-5 income.

Follow Your Passion

Arianna’s love for puns and cute illustrations led her to create crowd-pleasing gifts, such as a coffee mug that reads “Livin’ la vida mocha.” She started by ordering custom items for family and friends, and eventually listed a mug on Etsy for $15. To her surprise, it sold quickly, and she realized she had stumbled upon a worthwhile side hustle. The key to her success lies in working on something she truly enjoys, which motivates her to go the extra mile without burning out.

Outsource Tasks You Can’t Do (or Hate)

As Arianna’s Etsy store grew, she researched cost-effective ways to produce other punny items she couldn’t easily make by hand. She discovered print-on-demand companies that ship on behalf of sellers, taking a cut of each sale. This allowed her to focus on other areas of her business. She also found graphic designers through marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork, who could help bring her ideas to life for $10 to $30 per design. By outsourcing tasks she couldn’t do or hated, Arianna was able to create a wide range of products, from funny doormats to wine labels, without getting overwhelmed.

Understand Your Costs

Arianna learned a valuable lesson when she lost hundreds of dollars in her first quarter due to forgetting to take taxes and Etsy’s seller fees into account. She wishes she had done a simple break-even analysis from the outset. Now, she understands her margins better and has upped her prices to $33.50, still attracting customers. Her advice is to have a clear understanding of your costs to avoid making costly mistakes.

Be Intentional with Your Time

Arianna hasn’t sacrificed much time to grow her business. She works on her side hustle for about 30 minutes a day, usually in the morning, before getting distracted or tired from other work. She’s careful to spend that time productively, completing at least one task, like fulfilling an order or implementing a new marketing tactic.

Optimize Your Process

Arianna’s sales have been steady, with a significant boost during holidays. She’s sold over 300 products in three months alone, earning $9,000. To optimize her process, she’s started selling on her own site, diversifying where customers can discover and purchase her products. Her next goal is to learn more about securing licensing deals to get her products into bigger retailers. She’s also repurposing old designs instead of creating new ones, which will help keep her costs low as she looks toward the future.