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In this Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A, we feature Owner and Founder Kirstie Wang. Pickle jar, The stationery, accessories and gift brand launched on Etsy and is now a six-figure seller.
Image courtesy of A Jar of Pickles, Kirstie Wang.
What was your day job (or other source of income) when you started your side hustle?
I started a side hustle during college and it grew as I worked for some amazing companies and teams around the Bay Area doing graphic design, UX design, and brand marketing. It was a great way for me to learn business practices and corporate strategy at the same time.
When did you start your side hustle and what inspired you to start one?
During college, I struggled to pay attention in class, so instead I taught myself Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. You know those guys at the back of the classroom who are clearly not listening to the lecture and are doing something else? That was me. I found designing logos and flyers for student organizations much more interesting than concentrating on what the professor was saying (and I definitely paid the price the week before exams). I was designing casual birthday cards for friends when my roommate gave me the idea to start an Etsy shop. And so A Jar of Pickles was born.
I posted some card designs on Etsy, expecting to sell one or two that year, but to my surprise, I had my first orders within a few weeks. I had no inventory or system. I used recycled campus newspapers for packaging and took the bus down College Avenue to a local print shop to have cards printed as orders came in.
After graduation, most of my peers and I got our first full-time jobs while our little Etsy shop quietly thrived. In my free time, I’d list card designs here and there, motivated by the random orders that would come in. The cycle of orders and hard work continued. The more orders I got, the more I wanted to put more effort into Pickles, and it snowballed into a full-fledged side business.
What was the first step you took to start your side hustle?
From the beginning, marketing has been essential to attract customers. Initially, they focused on in-person craft fairs, but as their business grew, they began to focus more on online efforts, which allowed them to reach a wider audience, primarily through social media marketing. Instagram My business has changed a lot in the last few years. reel By connecting with people all over the world, they were able to establish their own brand voice on Instagram, which resulted in sustained reorder rates above 50% and built brand loyalty that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in starting your side hustle and how did you overcome it?
Being a small business owner can be overwhelming with 5 million different things to do in a day, but I was always crazy about making to-do lists and planning my time minutely. As Pickles’ list grew longer, I pushed myself to find more efficient ways to get it all done without sacrificing my livelihood. I created workflows and process improvements for product listing, order packing, and Instagram content creation, speeding up logistical tasks that initially took up a lot of my time. Incorporating Instagram Reels and Story posting into my daily operations allowed me to provide a raw, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to run a business and helped me consistently connect with my customers in an authentic way. From there, I gained an incredibly loyal customer base that is the core of what keeps my business going.
How long did it take you to start earning a steady income each month? How much did you make from your side hustle?
A Jar of Pickles was just a hobby I did in my spare time until I had enough steady orders that it was making six figures a year after a few years. I never expected Pickles to grow as much as it did, but in the meantime, I was working full time in design and marketing for a company I loved and had a fulfilling personal life.
But the growth to that point was definitely incremental. I never dreamed of hitting six figures in sales when I was in college printing as orders came in. Every week, every month, every year I grew a little bit, and pushed myself to plan for something a little bigger. It was that little, consistent growth that got me to that point while still working full time.
I set achievable goals in my spare time during my time as an office worker. If someone asks me how to do a side hustle, I think this is the best advice I can give: set small goals continuously and follow through on them. Even if you have an idea, it’s easy to encounter countless obstacles, such as social events, unexpected living circumstances, stress at work, and personal doubts. Pickles would not have grown if I hadn’t completed even the smallest tasks on my to-do list. And those small tasks have grown into big accomplishments that I’m really proud of. Working in the fast-paced technology world of Silicon Valley has taught me a lot: go fast and completion is more important than perfection.
Image courtesy of A Jar of Pickles
Why did you decide to take your side hustle and pursue it full time? How is your growth and revenue looking so far?
After 8 years, when I could no longer juggle both my business and my corporate job, I started a side hustle full time. Eventually, I found myself spending more and more time on my side hustle and I didn’t want to sacrifice my weekends instead of spending time with my loved ones. With my side hustle growing well and already making a steady profit, I made the difficult decision to give up the career I was so passionate about.
In fact, I advise my coaching clients and small business owners to balance their side business alongside their corporate careers for as long as possible. The learnings you gain from observing and participating in how a company operates, strategizes, and grows are invaluable to running your own business. However, I have to say that now that I work for myself, I don’t think I could go back to corporate, given the flexibility and freedom to determine my own work schedule. So, you should stay in a full-time job for as long as you can, learn as much as you can, and then enjoy the freedom of working for yourself.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
There’s always something new to explore and tackle. New opportunities arise in business, and it’s exciting to learn different skills, build new systems, and dream about the future of the business. I love that I have a completely personal creative outlet and can decide the pace, product, and mission.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a side hustle or their own successful business?
As entrepreneurs, we dream about what new products we can offer, what our dream product packaging would be, and what our marketing plan should aim to be. It’s great to have a list of fresh ideas to pursue, but it’s more important to make sure you finish what you’re currently working on. Don’t let “shiny object syndrome” distract you and complete only 10% of 10 projects instead of completing one project 100%. My rule is to devote 20% of my time to “shiny object syndrome” projects and 80% to projects where you already have goals and tasks set. Any time is a good time to narrow your focus and set specific goals for your shop.
This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series, showcasing the stories, challenges and successes of running a business as a woman.