This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Time flies for the sensational essential oils. Hey there, what's up? Welcome to Silence of School, Chris Guillebeau here. Excited to bring you a new episode, a new episode in the segment known as Throwback Thursday slash where are they now? We always like to go back and say, how has somebody changed how they evolved?
What has been difficult? What's been amazing? All that kind of stuff. Lots of variety in these updates. So there's always a different lesson or something we can take from it.
Maybe just a touch point of inspiration sometimes, just to be like, oh, it's pretty cool what this person's been able to do. Wonder what I'd be able to do. Wonder what I'm doing right now. What am I doing tomorrow? What am I gonna do to get closer to that thing that matters to me, that goal, the quest for economic empowerment, all those good things.
And in that spirit, last week we heard from an Indian born woman who moves to the US and starts a side hustle as a recruiter for biotech employees. And she's doing super well. After finishing grad school and building the business, she now does it full-time. I believe it's a six-figure income, maybe even higher. I'm not sure, but she's doing really well.
Today in our latest feature, we're gonna hear from Ebony Margolis, the owner of Ebony's Essential Oils. Now Ebony is gonna tell us about how she grew her side hustle to more than $2,000 a month while working full-time as an esthetician. I'm so glad I was able to say that word the first time. I was kind of worried about it, esthetician. Wow, got it twice.
All right, on a roll here, let's hear directly from Ebony. I'll come back at the end to wrap us up. [Music]
Hi, I'm Ebony, a full-time esthetician by day and the proud owner of Ebony Essential Oils by night and weekends and sometimes early mornings. My aromatic side hustle has blossomed into a sweet-smelling success where I'm currently making at least $2,000 extra a month. In this update, I'll take you on a fragrant journey with a few business insights sprinkled in like lavender on a pillow.
I've always been a sense-oriented person. In the skincare business, sense can be as important as the product itself. It was my client's love for the essential oils I used during treatments that sparked the idea for my side hustle. One day, a client sighed. I wish I could have this calming lavender scent at home and the proverbial light bulb went off in my head.
I realized I could create my own line of essential oils that my clients could enjoy outside of my work at the spa. My first lesson, validate your idea. I started by making small batches of lavender, eucalyptus and citrus bliss, my three favorite scents. I gave samples to my clients and their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They loved having a little piece of their spa experience at home.
Next, with the blessing of my boss, I began selling the oils in my esthetician practice, which turned out to be the perfect market. With clients already interested in wellness, I didn't need to convince them of the benefits of essential oils. I just had to provide a high quality product. Then came lesson number two, know your target audience and where to find them. For me, they were literally lying on my table.
I decided to take the plunge and open an online shop. I used Etsy because of its user-friendly interface and the market of buyers already interested in handmade, unique items. This was another lesson. Use platforms that make it easy for you and have an existing customer base. One unexpected twist came when a local yoga studio approached me to stock my oils.
The partnership was an opportunity that I hadn't even considered, leading to my next lesson. Be open to unexpected avenues of sales and growth. My business has grown steadily over the past year, but there have been challenges. The biggest was balancing my full-time job with my growing side hustle. This taught me the importance of time management and setting boundaries.
I had to learn when to say no and when to ask for help. Finally, I learned that passion fuels perseverance. There were late nights, tricky customer requests and the occasional spill. My kitchen smelled like a lemon grove for weeks, but my love for what I do carried me through. So there you have it.
The sweet-smelling journey of ebony essential oils. For anyone looking to start their own side hustle, remember to validate your idea, know your audience, use the right platforms, be open to opportunities, manage your time, and above all, love what you do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a batch of peppermint to blend. [Music]
Hey, thanks a lot to Ebony for sharing those updates with us. Ebony, congratulations.
Love to know what happens next and love to try that peppermint essential oil at some point. Listeners, let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than a thousand stories. You've got a question or an update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. That's all for today, but I'll be back tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
