Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to have an online side hustle. In fact, I own an Etsy shop myself, but I didn’t open it as a side hustle.
Back in 2020, when we were all bored during quarantine, learning how to make bread and iced coffee, I fell back into a niche hobby: making ribbon headbands. Overnight (quite literally), I decided to remember how to do something I learned when I was 10. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, I got the hang of it.
I made at least one every day for a few days and ultimately decided to set up an Etsy shop. Within 10 days of re-learning how to make headbands, I had set up my store. This isn’t something I would recommend, since I did very little research on how to successfully sell there, but I was too eager to start.
But, while I was setting up my store, and hoping I’d get sales— even though I had really bad marketing efforts— there was something bigger looming in the background: I was about to start college in the middle of the pandemic.
So while I was buying three-eighths-inch grosgrain ribbon and plastic headbands, I was also looking for textbooks and deciding whether or not I would move to my dorm. In the end, I stayed home for my first semester of college, which was a tough decision.
I never imagined my first day of college would take place at my mom’s desk in our living room, or that I would “show up” to class 20 minutes late because I couldn’t figure out the Zoom login, but that was just the beginning of it. My first semester was hard, and I kept wondering if this was the right decision. In the midst of an overwhelming semester, I was still trying to get sales, but I was so busy and defeated I was very close to shutting it down.
Until I got an order. Out of nowhere, a guest customer purchased one of my humble little headbands. I never heard back from them: no review, no questions on their package. Nothing. Sometimes I like to think it was an angel nudging me to keep going. And I’m so glad I did.
Over my first semester, my sales record was abysmal, but my store gave me a sense of purpose. Making headbands, taking pictures, and making social media posts during my limited spare time fueled me with joy. The reality is that I went four months without a single sale, but while I was going through some really dark times, I could sit at my parent’s dining table and just weave, weave, weave.
As I started my second year, I finally moved to the Central Florida area, but that was a rough change too. I don’t want to make this sound like every semester was a struggle, but the adjustment was tough on me. However, I was finally making sales. I was happy I had this small joy in my life, my humble headband (and bracelet) shop was thriving! Every order I packaged made me happy and I could forget about my life changes for a second.
Eventually, again, life got a bit happier once I made some changes, but my store is still a priority for me. Even if I have to play business owner, social media manager, content creator, photographer, and copywriter, I would not change this part of my life. My Etsy shop still gives me joy, even in the slowest months.
From making zodiac bracelets to making silly Halloween headbands, my store has accompanied me through some of college’s hardest times. It might be weird to be this attached to an online store, but it’s so much more than that to me. Even if it’s taken more of a backseat, I’m still very dedicated to creating lovely products for every girl out there!
Now if you excuse me, I have to go. A business won’t run itself during the holiday season!