In 2009, 18-year-old Amanda Zuckerman was shopping for college dorm room supplies with her mother Karen when “[they] were really surprised to find that stylish twin XL bedding and everything that you need for outfitting and organizing a small space was practically non-existent, and was not sold in one place,” she says. So, in the...
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Christy Dawn, founder of the regenerative fashion brand Christy Dawn. The brand’s new customer acquisition is up 20% year over year, and more than half (56%) of people who purchased its Dawn Dress (its initial and most popular design, also worn by Taylor Swift) are repeat customers in 2024,...
At 20 years old, Voyo Popovic, now the founder and CEO of Piece of Cake Moving & Storage, immigrated to the U.S. from Montenegro and took a job at a McDonald’s to make ends meet. However, just a few months in, Popovic was already looking for his next opportunity, one that would allow him to...
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kirstie Wang, owner and founder of A Jar of Pickles, the stationery, accessory and gift brand that launched on Etsy and is now a six-figure business. Image Credit: Courtesy of A Jar of Pickles. Kirstie Wang. What was your day job (or other sources of income) when you started...
In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.) Jeni Castro is the founder of Coffee Dose, an eclectic cafe with five locations in Orange County, California. Read on to learn...
From a young age, Zac’s Sweet Shop founder Zac Coughlin had a passion for art, food and business. “I always say, I went to the mall not for toys or clothes, but I went straight to the food court, and I would study the food business,” he says. “I would go to places like Dairy...
“All good stories start with your grandmother,” Jenefer Palmer, founder of Malibu-based skincare and body care brand OSEA, tells Entrepreneur. The story of how her business came to be begins with her own grandmother, who turned to the ocean for healing after an accident left her bedridden with a torn ligament in her leg. After...
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features mother and daughter Elisabeth and Gina Galvin, the duo behind artisanal snacking company Stellar Snacks. Elisabeth Galvin is also the founder of snack brand Delyse, which began as a side hustle in an old CVS before growing into a leading supplier of gourmet snack products. Today, Delyse services national...
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Darpan Munjal, founder and CEO of Atom, the AI-powered startup ecosystem “on its way to becoming the go-to naming and branding destination.” Image Credit: Courtesy of Atom. Darpan Munjal. When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it? The inspiration for my...
Branch Basics founders Marilee Nelson, Allison Evans and Kelly Love “never set out to sell soap,” let alone launch a cleaning brand that would generate tens of millions in annual sales. But the company’s “mission to create healthy homes” while keeping cleaning routines simple continues to resonate with customers — 50% of whom are returning,...