ARTICLE AD BOX
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Gia Mezz, 28, who is based successful Los Angeles. Mezz taught herself schematic creation and started mode marque LEAU arsenic a broadside hustle. Now a full-fledged business, LEAU boasts astir $10 cardinal successful life sales. Responses personification been edited for magnitude and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of LEAU
What was your clip business aliases superior business erstwhile you started your broadside hustle?
When I first moved to LA, I began moving astatine a mini accelerated manner institution wherever I shipped orders and counted inventory.
Related: 'Hustling Since Middle School': She Started a Side Hustle connected Facebook Marketplace — Then a 'Game-Changer' Grew It to $25,000 a Month
When did you commencement your broadside hustle, and wherever did you find nan inspiration for it?
After moving successful mode for galore years, I grew progressively disappointment pinch really prevalent accelerated mode was becoming owed to nan emergence of societal media.
I launched LEAU successful June 2020, successful nan mediate of nan pandemic, pinch small, constricted batches of thoughtfully designed pieces.
Image Credit: Courtesy of LEAU
What were immoderate of nan first steps you took to get your broadside hustle disconnected nan ground?
In my free clip and disconnected nights, I taught myself schematic creation to commencement drafting my dream wardrobe. But I couldn't walk nan costs of sampling and bulk accumulation connected my nett alone, truthful I started utilizing my newfound creation skills arsenic a freelancer for different companies. I would thief pinch designing trading materials aliases packaging assets.
Every cent of my broadside income went into backing my business, covering everything from sampling and bulk accumulation to trading my very first launch.
Related: This Juilliard Grad Musician Started a 6-Figure Side Hustle That Has Nothing to Do With Music — and Sold Out With Word of Mouth: 'Couldn't Ask for More'
What were immoderate of nan biggest challenges you faced while building your broadside hustle, and really did you navigate them?
Launching my business successful nan mediate of nan pandemic was 1 of nan astir challenging experiences of my life. Factories were shutting down, proviso chains were disrupted, and timelines that were already tight became astir intolerable to predict. I had to perpetually pivot my strategy to support things moving — peculiarly astatine specified an early style of nan business.
In nan beginning, I tested everything, from different creation concepts to trading strategies and various ways of connecting pinch my audience. Some ideas failed, but erstwhile I recovered point that worked, I doubled down and focused each my powerfulness connected building disconnected that momentum.
Image Credit: Courtesy of LEAU
How agelong did it return you to spot accordant monthly revenue? How overmuch did nan broadside hustle earn?
Our first play aft launch, we generated $10,000 successful revenue, which I instantly reinvested backmost into nan brand. From there, we knowledgeable accelerated growth, expanding by 50% aliases overmuch successful nan pursuing months. After six months, I was tin to discontinue my full-time business aft earning overmuch successful a azygous play than my afloat yearly salary.
Within our first twelvemonth and a half successful business, we generated $2 cardinal successful revenue, and it still feels surreal erstwhile I look backmost connected really it each started.
Related: After an Eye-Opening Trip to Home Depot, This Grandfather Started a Side Hustle connected Amazon — and Did About $500,000 successful Sales Last Year
Do you activity full-time connected nan marque these days? What does maturation and gross look for illustration now?
Yes, I've been moving connected my marque full-time, though "full-time" hardly originates to image it. Running this business has been a changeless commitment, but I wouldn't discarded and acquisition it for point different successful nan world. It's a existent labour of love. Every piece, determination and precocious nighttime has been driven by my passion and imagination for what this marque represents.
By nan extremity of 2025, we're connected measurement to execute $10 cardinal successful life sales. I ain 100% of nan business, which has been wholly self-funded pinch nary debts aliases investors. We've bootstrapped each measurement of nan measurement and intend to proceed doing truthful successful nan future.
What do you bask astir astir moving this business?
Turning my passion into my occupation has been a dream recreation true, but what's been astir fulfilling is encouraging overmuch thoughtful depletion astir fashion.
Image Credit: Courtesy of LEAU
Clothing tin and should beryllium an investment: pieces that are thoughtfully designed, well-made and timeless tin to beryllium cherished for years to come. My extremity is to redefine really group deliberation astir their wardrobes, inspiring them to move distant from nan wastefulness of accelerated mode and clasp nan thought of worth complete quantity.
Related: Dry January, Anyone? He Started a Side Hustle After a 'Scary' Night of Drinking — and It's Exceeded $50 Million Revenue With 0 Outside Investment.
What's your connection for others hoping to commencement successful broadside hustles aliases full-time businesses of their own?
Take inspired action. Your thoughts tin spell things, but only if you enactment connected them. Dreams and ideas are conscionable nan beginning; what genuinely brings them to life is nan effort and powerfulness you put down them. One of my favourite quotes is, "Done is amended than perfect." You don't petition to personification it each figured out. Launch pinch what you personification and clasp nan process. Invest successful yourself, spot your imagination and beryllium consenting to adapt. My afloat life changed successful nether a twelvemonth — and yours can, too, if you return action and judge successful yourself.
This article is information of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® bid highlighting nan stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.