This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Kelly Bozigian, 32, of Boston, Massachusetts. She and her husband, Colt Bozigian, run Coastal Caviar, a hand-crafted jewellery firm that includes attraction necklaces, bracelets and extra. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Coastal Caviar. Kelly Bozigian.
What was your day job or main occupation while you began your aspect hustle?Previous to leaving my full-time job this previous February, I labored as an affiliate artistic director on the TJX Firms for the TJ Maxx model. Colt nonetheless works full-time in software program gross sales.
When did you begin your aspect hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?I initially had the concept for Coastal Caviar in June 2023. We have been truly on the seaside, and I used to be scrolling by way of my telephone looking for a attraction necklace for an upcoming trip. I used to be telling my household how loopy it’s that I can’t discover any mainstream retailers promoting attraction necklaces — a mode I had a intestine feeling could be the subsequent huge craze.
I ended up ordering from a lady on Etsy — screenshotting and circling the charms I favored, messaging forwards and backwards along with her to finalize the design. It was a reasonably tedious course of. That is once I had the epiphany: There needs to be a greater means. I stated, “I’ve a enterprise concept — we have to construct an interactive web site the place you possibly can drag and drop the charms and see your creation in actual time.” In that second, Coastal Caviar was born.
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Individuals all the time say that one of the best companies come up out of fixing an issue. Entrepreneurial in spirit, I’ve all the time been ready to have that “aha” second once I realized there was a necessity in my very own life I might remedy with a services or products. A light-weight went off in my mind on the seaside that day, and I knew that this was it. The important thing to our enterprise was not essentially the necklace itself, however the on-line expertise and what we now discuss with as our “attraction builder.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar. Kelly and Colt Bozigian.
What have been a number of the first steps you took to get your aspect hustle off the bottom?Consider it or not, by the point we acquired dwelling from the seaside, I might bought a website title and began designing the web site. I discover that for lots of people, taking motion behind an concept is the toughest half, and all of it feels too daunting. I’ve all the time been a bit impulsive (a superb and unhealthy factor!) and have a “simply get it accomplished” mentality, which undoubtedly helped us get this off the bottom rapidly.
Are there any free or paid assets which have been particularly useful for you in beginning and operating this enterprise? Upwork is your good friend! We have been capable of develop a fancy, interactive web site with our “attraction builder” at a comparatively low price by discovering the correct companions on Upwork. It takes trial and error, however proficient individuals are utilizing the platform.
For paid assets, I am additionally a member of a contract group referred to as Freelance Founders. I joined in 2022 once I was freelancing within the digital advertising and marketing and social media house in hopes of touchdown purchasers. Sarcastically, I now use it far more to rent expertise myself for Coastal Caviar. In the event you’re not an skilled in one thing, outsource it.
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In the event you might return in your small business journey and alter one course of or strategy, what would it not be, and the way do you would like you’d accomplished it in a different way?I want I had extra religion in Coastal Caviar being profitable. Though we began engaged on the enterprise once we had the concept in June 2023, we launched in January 2024. I by no means anticipated the extent of success we’d see that first month, and did not have the stock or any processes in place. On the time, I used to be hand-making each single necklace with not sufficient stock to satisfy orders. We have been pulling all-nighters to maintain the enterprise operating. Three months later, we have been arrange with a producer in Rhode Island, and life acquired a bit simpler, however I’d do something to return in time to be ready for what was to return.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar
Are you able to recall a selected occasion when one thing went very improper? How did you repair it?We have undoubtedly made errors alongside the way in which. This previous January, a big influencer reached out to us asking if we offered bag charms as a result of she wished to share them in an upcoming TikTok video that very same week. We have been truly creating bag charms as a brand new product, however they weren’t prepared. We rushed the launch to coincide with the influencer’s submit, and the bag charms took off in a single day.
Sadly, as a result of we rushed the product improvement course of, we realized the rings we have been utilizing to affix charms weren’t sturdy sufficient. It resulted in an enormous headache by way of customer support, but it surely additionally broken the belief we have now with a really loyal buyer base. We have since fastened the product, however I worth the connection we have now with our customers greater than something and want we had taken extra time to get it proper.
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How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the aspect hustle earn?The month we launched to the general public in January 2024, we had fairly prompt success, which I acknowledge is uncommon and an enormous blessing. I began a TikTok sequence the place I’d movie myself making a attraction necklace for a selected influencer. My first video was for considered one of my favourite influencers, Alix Earle, and he or she noticed the video and requested me to ship her the necklace. Colt whipped out his telephone to movie me reacting to her sending me a direct message, and we posted my response on TikTok.
My response video acquired over 2 million views, and Alix’s video acquired over 9 million views. Inside our first month, we had accomplished over $100,000 in gross sales simply from the attain on TikTok.
What does development and income appear to be now? We have seen fairly fast development, and we credit score a whole lot of that to the TikTok platform. Inside six months, we had hit $1 million in gross sales with none paid promoting. Now simply over a 12 months from our launch date, we have accomplished over $2 million in gross sales.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar
How a lot time do you spend engaged on your small business on a day by day, weekly or month-to-month foundation? I am typically working a 12-hour day, nearly seven days every week. It is undoubtedly a grind and has been the toughest factor I’ve ever accomplished in my life. That being stated, when it is your child, you’ll do completely something to see it succeed, so I do not thoughts it.
What do you get pleasure from most about operating this enterprise?I really like sharing our journey on TikTok and connecting with our group by way of social media. Though we’re working continuously, it actually does not really feel lonely as a result of we have now hundreds of individuals cheering us on on-line. Given the non-public nature of the product, girls have shared their hardships and tales with me and expressed how a lot the jewellery means to them.
Our social media paperwork a whole lot of the behind-the-scenes of rising this enterprise, and many ladies have messaged me to inform me that I’ve impressed them to start out their very own enterprise as properly. That is introduced me probably the most pleasure!
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What’s your finest piece of particular, actionable enterprise recommendation?Do not overthink it while you’re getting began and simply put your self on the market. I feel that folks typically maintain themselves again from launching a enterprise as a result of they overthink it and really feel they want each element of the marketing strategy found out earlier than launching. My finest recommendation is simply to place your services or products on the market and see what occurs. I used to be lucky to find product-market match nearly instantaneously due to the attain that TikTok has. One submit instantly validated our enterprise concept, and all the opposite logistics will be found out as you develop and scale.
