914
8 min 31 sec

Online Tea Store Becomes Matcha-Made in Heaven

After trying Japanse matcha for the first time, a high school student has a tea-riffic idea that earns thousands of dollars each month.
Health & Wellness Product SEO Social Media Tea

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What It's About

Restaurant manager uses her creativi-tea to brew up a side hustle that's a matcha made in heaven.

Business Model
Product
Skills Required
Product Development & Marketing
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Luciana attributes keeping 3 Leaf Tea as a side hustle early on as a big factor in her success. She was able to keep herself paid and supported while she worked her way up to leaving the restaurant.

This is the way of the side hustle … build a bridge to the future you want. Start where you are, and accept that there will be challenges!

Fun Fact

Matcha tea, while still somewhat obscure in the USA, is extremely popular around the world. What started out as a Japanese tradition has grown into a 3 billion dollar industry. The main consumers of matcha are the US, Canada, Germany, the UK, France, and Australia. [Source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 914

Luciana Torous is a lover of all things tea. This mild obsession started during her high school days, where she often struggled with anxiety and OCD. She had trouble quieting her mind and found it difficult to switch off and become present in the moment.

That all changed the day she visited a tea house with some friends. It was the first time she’d experienced properly brewed tea, and she instantly adored it. The aromas, flavors and ritualistic process of properly brewed tea resonated with her. The experience calmed her down and helped alleviate the symptoms of her anxiety.

Shortly after the trip to the tea house, a childhood friend returned from a student exchange in Japan. As a souvenir, she brought Luciana some matcha tea. Matcha is a traditional Japanese green tea. Taken from tea leaves and ground into a fine powder; it’s commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies.

For Luciana, it was a matcha-made in heaven, the beginning of a brew-tea-ful friendship. The tea became a part of her daily ritual. After drinking a cup, she felt calm, alert and mentally clear.

She became interested in the health benefits that matcha provided and felt like this relatively unknown tea from Japan needed to hit the mainstream. So, Luciana decided she’d start a business selling matcha tea.

The only issue was, Luciana had no business experience and no idea where to start. On top of that, she already had a full-time job. By now it was 2014, Luciana had graduated high school and was working as a manager at a local Mexican restaurant. Although she was busy working, it was also time to get busy learning.

She read articles and books on starting a business. She asked her mom for a loan of three thousand dollars to get started. The money was spent mostly on importing matcha tea from Japan—as well as other herbs and blends to mix in to create different flavors.

Because the money didn’t go far, Luciana took advantage of the kitchen at the restaurant after hours. There, she used her creativi-tea and ran experiments on different blends of teas, which tasted the best, worked to give clarity of mind and had the nicest aromas. When she was confident in her creations, she tried some of them on her co-workers.

After a few months of positive feedback, she decided to build a website and start selling online. She chose the name 3 Leaf Tea. Namely, because tea often grows in 3 leaf combinations along with the bud. Plus, 3LT incorporated her initials.

Now, a few years later, Luciana is not looking back. Her physical store is doing well, and sales from her online store continue to grow: so much so that she is now profiting thousands of dollars per month, all while only a few years out of high school.

So, when the path to success seems far away, remember that you can start small. With consistent work, your idea will eventually hit the boiling point!



MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • 3 Leaf Tea: Drink up more about this side hustle over on Luciana's website!
  • Shopify: Luciana used Shopify to set up her site for 3 Leaf Tea, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!

Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time.


Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Start small—use the resources you have, and work your way up! There's always a way to start something, even if you think you don't have time. I would use my one hour break to work on my business, which doesn't seem like much, but it added up.​"
—Luciana Torous #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.


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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau