24-Year-Old’s Creative Side Hustle Sees Over $1M in Sales

This Facet Hustle Highlight Q&A options content material creator and actor Alyssa McKay, 24. McKay co-founded Beyond Lost, a streetwear model providing sweat units with distinctive embroidery and rhinestone designs, in December 2021 and has since grown the enterprise past $1 million in gross sales. Responses have been edited for size and readability.

^{Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Past Misplaced. Alyssa McKay.}

What was your day job or main occupation once you began your side hustle?
Whereas rising up in Portland, I labored at a neighborhood yogurt store and paid my approach by means of school at Portland State College, the place I earned my BA in communications. For the previous 5 years, I’ve been a full-time content material creator and actress.

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When did you begin your side hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
Three years in the past (nearly to the day), we launched the streetwear model Past Misplaced alongside my administration crew at The Community Impact. My crew and I are large streetwear followers and knew there was room for innovation. We wished to ascertain a model that was each high-quality and accessible. We additionally wished to open the road of communication between my viewers on social platforms and contain them in all of the on a regular basis processes.

What had been a number of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the bottom?
Even earlier than our first unique “drop,” I requested my viewers (particularly on Snapchat) what they preferred and disliked: colours, design, match, and many others. We wanted to verify our intestine instincts earlier than we put our first design into manufacturing. On Snapchat, I submit someplace between 150-300 items of content material on daily basis. A part of this narrative is bringing this particular group on a behind-the-scenes journey from inception to design completion to supply to launch.

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What had been a number of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing your aspect hustle, and the way did you navigate them?
What has been most essential to our enterprise is what we name “proudly owning the method.” As a substitute of outsourcing facets or components of our enterprise to 3rd events or businesses, we personal and function ourselves. All of us contribute to the designs, work instantly with the producers, guarantee high quality management, manage relationships with our creator ambassadors, analyze all backend analytics and funds and work with the social platforms instantly on greatest practices and optimizations (simply to call just a few). Whereas it was difficult to construct this infrastructure, it has been a blessing to know the ins and outs of constructing a modern-day “creator-led enterprise.”

^{Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Past Misplaced}

How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the side hustle earn?
We bought out our first drop in just a few hours. From there, we’ve been off to the races. As we shut out 2024, we’re excited to report that we’ve now seen over $1 million in gross income (with top quality and low portions in thoughts), all with out spending a greenback on advertising and marketing or paid social.

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What does progress and income appear like now?
Extra frequent drops will increase our revenue. However we’ve been very cautious to make it possible for we pattern all the things not less than two to 5 instances till the standard is true. That being stated, we want to double the variety of new objects in 2025. We’ve been extraordinarily tactical since launch on constructing an genuine model with the proper high quality that speaks with and to the viewers.

What do you take pleasure in most about this aspect hustle?
Working a enterprise like that is very fulfilling on so many ranges. What I take pleasure in probably the most is the direct optimistic suggestions we obtain. Our month-to-month returning customer fee ranges from 40% to as excessive as 70% month to month. It is vitally satisfying that individuals are not simply shopping for one in every of our items however coming again to buy once more. It means we’re positively doing one thing proper.

^{Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Past Misplaced}

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What’s your recommendation for others hoping to start out profitable side hustles of their very own?
I’ve realized a lot from constructing Past Misplaced. Listed here are just a few vital takeaways: First, be sure you companion with the proper individuals. I’ve been working with my crew at The Community Impact for the previous 5 years, and we’ve superb ranges of collaboration and belief. Second, take a second to benefit from the trip and have fun wins (each large and small). Lastly, concepts are simply concepts till they’re executed.

This text is a part of our ongoing Younger Entrepreneur® collection highlighting the tales, challenges and triumphs of being a younger enterprise proprietor.