This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Side Hustle School would like to wish you a happy Independence Day. Today is the 4th of July where America is celebrating its independence. Naturally, we have a global audience. So if this is not your holiday today, well, you are welcome to join us in thinking about independence because independence is a theme of Side Hustle School pretty much every day of the year. And I always encourage you to think about creating your own independence, your own freedom, security for yourself, even if you love your job, even if you're so happy and would never make a change there, just the ability to be independent is powerful.
And that's why I make this show for you trying to tell you different stories, different perspectives, viewpoints, experiences of people who create independence in one way or another. Naturally, there is a story about independence for you today. It's actually about a few things, small town hospitality, heritage, the desire for a slower paced life, all wrapped up in an episode of less than 10 minutes long. And we'll jump right into that in just a moment. [Music]
30-year-old Melissa Doman grew up in a small town in Northeast Nebraska called Plainfield.
This town has zero stoplights, one fast food restaurant, and if you're counting a few people twice, maybe 1300 residents. Most of these residents are farmers, including Melissa's parents, who grew corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. Her tradition on the farm, dinner, not to be confused with supper, was the one time a day Melissa's family sat down together for a meal. Her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins also lived nearby and would gather for special holiday meals. It was also common for farmwives, that's what they were called, to feed the village when everybody rallied to help with the harvest.
And Melissa recalls her mother ladling up her famous chicken noodle soup to the crowds. From a young age, Melissa remembers loving the ritual of setting the table, a chore assigned to her by her mother. She liked placing every utensil, cup, and plate in its proper place, as well as making decisions over which china should be used to prepare for the company and catch-ups the meal would bring. As she grew older, Melissa, like most people, got sucked into a more frenzied lifestyle, eating breakfast at her desk, lunch on the go, and dinner in front of the 21st century tractor, also known as the laptop computer. She dreamed about finding a way to inspire people, including herself, to get back to gathering around the dinner table.
She considered herself a creative person with an eye for decor and home design. She wanted to combine these things to create a side business for herself, but she wasn't quite sure how to go about it. She had thought about it for years, gone back and forth, but had never made the leap. Then in 2016, she took a drastic break from her normal life to go on a year-long road trip with her fiance. She figured that since she was already throwing caution to the wind, she had a PR job back at home she hoped to return to, but wasn't sure what was gonna happen, what better time to give the hustle a try?
So in the middle of a campground in Kentucky, from their 1960s travel trailer, Melissa officially launched Tabled, a handmade seasonal tableware shop. Melissa stayed up for 24 hours straight finalizing the website, using her cell phone reception to access wifi. After going live, she emerged from the trailer, walked her dog, and went for a celebratory drink with her fiance at a nearby bar in Lexington. When she came back, she had made $20,000. Just kidding, but she did get her first sale from a friend that same day.
She says it was an amazing feeling. The offerings of Tabled now include napkins, table runners, tea towels, potholders, decorated wooden spoons, trays, trivets, coasters, salt and pepper shakers. And the list goes on, really that was an abbreviated one. If it belongs on a table, chances are that Melissa has it. But to get there, she had to teach herself to sew, weave, and paint, mostly through a lot of googling and even more experimenting.
She said sometimes it worked, often it didn't, but it was still fun to try. She also thought about outsourcing some of her custom products to other producers, but she decided that wasn't a great idea. So now with some help from her parents, she designs and makes all the products herself. Melissa came back from the road trip, returned to her day job, and kept building the side hustle, well, on the side. She says she's reinvesting her profits for about $1,000 a month, doesn't yet pay herself, and she's the first to admit she hasn't fully cracked the code, but she says it's getting more profitable all the time, and she's hoping to find new ways to push sales.
The 20 hours a week she spends on the side hustle goes into designing, making, packing, and shipping, as well as writing content and managing social media. She now has about 2,500 followers on Facebook, about 1,000 on Instagram, but she says she focuses on engagement over followers since more followers doesn't always equal more sales. Though tabled isn't yet paying the bills, Melissa says that starting this hustle has meant overall she feels more creative, innovative, happy, and fulfilled. She is working toward her independence, and she still has that long ago ritual in her life of setting the table. [Music]
Once again, happy Independence Day.
No matter what country you're from or where you live, independence and freedom are good values. At least that's what I believe on Side Hustle School. Just like everyday, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is so much better. Today's show notes are at sidehustleschool.com/185. That is 185.
And remember, all week I'm asking you who has helped you along your side hustle journey? Whether you're just beginning or you've been doing this for a while, we'd love to do some shout outs for people next week. Give me your quick answer. 30 second response, just call 844-9HUSTLE. That is in fact the Hustle Hotline, also known as 844-948-7853.
Or you can make a voice memo with your phone and email that to podcast@sidehustleschool.com. I would love to shine a spotlight on some people who have helped us along the way. I hope this is helpful to you. I'll be back tomorrow and every day. I'm Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School.
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