Side Hustle Pro

This week in the guest chair we have ​Kimberly Waters, founder of Modern Urban Sensory Experiences, or MUSE​, a luxury boutique fragrance house based in Harlem, NY. When Kimberly realized her role in corporate America was not providing her room to grow into her potential, she launched MUSE out of the parlor floor of a friend’s brownstone on Convent Ave in Harlem and has been growing ever since.​Why tapping into her community of mentors and entrepreneurs was the right direction How she has self-funded her business since 2017 with no outside capital How she has partnered with hard-to-find global brands, become a sought-after destination for emerging brandsHighlights Include: 00:00 Intro04:19 Gathering expertise in fragrance09:50 Challenges in corporate America13:46 Small-scale beginnings22:46 Self-financing her side hustle 28:03 The unique customer experience 35:26 Revenue streams39:18 Target audience and marketing 51:13 Tips for entrepreneurs Check out episode 401 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: ShopifyGo to shopify.com/hustlepro for a free fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.Links mentioned in this episodeKimberly’s Website: https://www.museexperiences.com/ Kimberly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muse_experiences/ By Killian: https://www.bykilian.com/ Myleik Teele’s SHP Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtJgMJXpUPY Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoKimberly’s Website: https://www.museexperiences.com/ Kimberly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muse_experiences/ 

This week in the guest chair we have Germanee Gerald, founder of GG&Co Styling Firm, a brand and image styling company. Getting her start in the fashion corporate world, Germanee realized she thrived in offering her talents as a personal stylist and started side hustling. In this episode she shares:How she went from living with family and driving DoorDash to make end’s meet to hiring a team for her styling firmHow to leverage opportunities like internships and a personal brand for business growthHow diversifying her services, hiring a team, and seasonal planning led to scaling her business Highlights include:00:00 Introduction4:08 From biochem to fashion6:22 The world of corporate fashion 11:35 Transitioning into personal styling17:49 Strategizing finances to go full time 22:36 Nomad life and gigs to meet ends meet29:14 Working with a celebrity stylist36:58 Launching GG Styling Firm39:53 Maximizing cash flow42:34 Tips for entrepreneursCheck out episode 399 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeGermanee’s Website: https://germaneeg.com/gg-co/ Germanee’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanee_g Germanee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ggandco/ LinkedIn Premium: https://premium.linkedin.com/ Apuje Kalu: https://www.instagram.com/apuje/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoGermanee’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanee_g Germanee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ggandco/ 

This week in the guest chair we have Robiar Smith, CEO of R.B. Pest Solutions. In a male-dominated field, she is trailblazing her way to the top and building a legacy business for her family and community. Juggling two rapidly growing companies in an unexpected industry, she's redefining success and breaking barriers.In this episode she shares:How she developed an exclusive retail deal with Home DepotWhat skills from her background in corporate America and MBA program she applied to being an entrepreneur Her transition into scaling a product-based business into a multi-million dollar company Highlights include:00:00 Intro2:30 Following the pest control legacy 6:34 How an MBA helped launch the business12:57 Acquiring customers and making them long time clients21:34 Phases of scaling a business25:41 Developing and testing retail products29:37 Difference in service-based and product-based business32:44 Maintaining profitability 35:48 Tips for entrepreneurs  Check out episode 399 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeLinks mentioned in this episodeRobiar’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.b.pestsolutions/ Robiar’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rbpestsolution Robiar’s Website: https://therbpremiumproducts.com/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoRobiar’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.b.pestsolutions/ Robiar’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rbpestsolution

Today we have in the guest chair Selina Howard, founder and CEO of Vanglorious Brides. Getting her start as a teacher and side hustling as a wedding planner, Selina found her passion and niche in dressing brides. Today, Vainglorious Brides offers custom bridal shopping experiences, day of dressing services, bridal fashion event production, and more. In this episode she shares:How she went from working for free and building her network to booking celebrity clientsHow fostering strong relationships in the industry gave her the upper handHow she pioneered bridal styling and created her own nicheHighlights Include: 00:00 Intro5:08 Becoming a bridal stylist11:22 The business of working with brides18:58 Building relationships in the industry26:07 Creating a niche in the market33:20 Recovering from COVID impact39:38 Scaling A Team43:02 Booking clients from social media 47:17 Expanding Black bridal market’s reach53:48 Advice for entrepreneursCheck out episode 398 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeSelina’s Website: https://www.vaingloriousbrides.com/ Selina’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaingloriousbrides/Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoSelina’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaingloriousbrides/

This week in the guest chair we have DeNeitra Burnett, the Founder and CEO of Savvy Events, a Los-Angeles based event production and creative agency. DeNeitra has used her creativity and grit to climb to the top of the events industry, working closely with entertainment titans and Fortune 500 companies like HBO, Netflix, and Hulu, among others.DeNeitra shares how when the events business was shut down during the Pandemic, she pivoted her business to custom mailers, leading to her scaling Savvy Events to a 7-Figure Business.In this episode DeNeitra shares:How she made her first custom mailer during the pandemic and created a whole new division in her businessHow she structures her pricing to make sure she is fairly compensatedHow she’s expanding her business and team to incorporate both event production and creative mailer productionHighlights Include:00:00 Intro04:16 Event planning09:22 Work-life balance18:10 Percentage-based pricing23:57 Pivoting to mailers31:13 Adapting staffing structure34:50 Tips for entrepreneursCheck out episode 397 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at https://gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeWebsite: https://savvycreativeagency.com/ Savvy’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savvycreativeagency_/ Savvy’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavvyCreativeAgency Savvy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savvycreativeagency/about/ Dubsado: https://www.dubsado.com/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

This week in the guest chair we have Alexis Barber, a lifestyle influencer and founder of Too Collective, a modern wellness and loungewear brand. At just 25 years old, Alexis is the host of the top-rated Too Smart For This Podcast and has worked with brands like Lululemon, Rare Beauty, Microsoft, and Miss Dior as a content creator. In this episode she shares: How growing up low-income provided the foundation for having confidence and an ambitious mindset to overcome the limitations of her pastHer transformative experience as an MBA candidate at The Wharton School at UPennHow she makes a living off of content creation and the opportunities being an influencer has providedHighlights Include:00:00 Intro 03:00 Confidence and putting yourself out there09:55 Becoming a lifestyle influencer12:04 Navigating side hustling and a corporate role19:27 Collaboration with Rare Beauty 20:48 Launching a robe company 29:09 MBA program at Wharton39:20 Transparency in content creation44:07 The importance of building a teamCheck out episode 396 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by:Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeToo Collective Website: https://toocollective.com/  MLT Program: https://mlt.org/Harvard Summer Program: https://www.hbs.edu/svmp/Pages/default.aspx Pietra: https://www.pietrastudio.com/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssGuest Social Media InfoToo Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toocollective/ Alexis’ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisbarber_ Alexis’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisbarber/ Alexis’ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexis_barber 

This week in the guest chair we have Reyna Noriega, a multifaceted visual artist. Being encouraged to pursue her talents by her parents, she was led to become an art teacher. It was there she discovered her true passion for art and a confidence in herself that would lead her to becoming a full-time artist. With her newfound belief in herself, she began manifesting dream projects and securing brand partnerships with big names like Apple, American Express, and Warby Parker.In this episode she shares:How she determined she can pursue art as a viable career path How staying consistent and continually reevaluating her skill set allows her to be price herself and her art accordingly Her ability to fully commit to side hustling and successfully overcoming financial obstacles that come with that pathHighlights include: 2:45 Figuring out a career path6:57 Juggling multiple side hustles14:32 Brand partnerships 16:40 Trusting your intuition and having confidence 23:56 leveraging social media37:56 Handling the costs of entrepreneurship Check out episode 395 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeLinks mentioned in this episodeReyna’s Website: https://www.reynanoriega.com/ Reyna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reynanoriega_ Reyna’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0DqVRxteqWQk4L14HKlfgA Ipsy/Boxycharm: https://www.ipsy.com/ The War of Art: https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/reynanoriega_?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsfshop_aipsfreynanoriega__Q9YJEH8VQZYBZ2D9JQS0&language=en_US Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoReyna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reynanoriega_ Reyna’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0DqVRxteqWQk4L14HKlfgA 

This week we are back with Wilglory Tanjong, the Founder and CEO of Anima Iris, a technology-driven luxury bag brand that is industrializing Africa through retail. Starting with a personal investment of $5K, in under two years Wilglory has scaled Anima Iris into a multimillion-dollar valued company. In this episode she shares:How she worked alongside artisans in Dakar, Senegal for their craftsmanship and ended up supporting their livelihoods and familiesHer advice on keeping the faith and betting on yourself and your business every timeHow she got Beyoncé to rock an Anima Iris bag and post about it on InstagramHighlights Include:4:39 Establishing business in Senegal12:19 Financial readiness and having a mentor 19:31 Juggling grad school and launching a business24:35 Building a reliable team in Senegal35:54 Paying yourself in your business43:06 Standing out through marketing 47:34 Working with Beyoncé59:05 Meeting growing fulfillment needs1:04:13 Top tips for entrepreneursCheck out episode 394 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeAnima Iris Website: https://animairis.com/ Anima Iris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anima.iris/ Wilglory’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilgloryy/ College Prep Program:https://ledascholars.org/Wharton/Lauder MBA Program: https://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/lauder-program/ Brandon Blackwood: https://brandonblackwood.com/ Topicals Skincare:https://www.instagram.com/topicals/ Canva: https://www.canva.com/ Brandon Blackwood: https://www.instagram.com/brandonblackwoodnyc/?hl=en Beyonce’s Stylist: https://www.instagram.com/kjmoody/?hl=en 

This week in the guest chair we have Ashley Reynolds, Founder of Cloth & Paper. After Ashley left her corporate finance job of 9 years, she decided to take a chance on herself. She started designing planner inserts from scratch with no previous background or education in graphic design. Shortly after, a stationery business blossomed and the line grew to offer leather planners, luxury pens, and more quintessential styles. Today Cloth & Paper is a brand with over 40 employees, over 130K Instagram followers, and thousands of passionate customers. In this episode she shares:How she discovered a gap in her niche and built her business around filling it Her journey from creating her first planner on Microsoft Word to becoming a high-end, sought-after brand How her organic approach to marketing supported the growth of her business & so much moreHighlights Include:4:15 Transitioning to entrepreneurship9:35 Authenticity in marketing16:55 The manufacturing process20:39 Maintaining low margins25:54 Mastering the hiring process28:43 Navigating competitors32:01 Creating a product line34:06 Tips for entrepreneursCheck out episode 393 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Links mentioned in this episodeCloth and Paper Website: https://www.clothandpaper.com/ Cloth and Paper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cloth_and_paper/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebookGuest Social Media InfoCloth and Paper Instagram- @Cloth_and_PaperAshley’s Instagram: @ashley_reynolds_ar