An intelligent Glasgow mum has shared how she managed to make over £90,000 a year after quitting her regular 9-5 job and setting up her own business.
It is a dream for many to become their own boss and control their finances, for Anastasia Visnakova that has become a reality after she quit her retail job at Debenhams to start selling handmade phone covers on Etsy.
The 33-year-old mum decided to use her passion for art and design to set up the Happy Avocado store on the e-commerce website, alongside her husband, Robert Henson, 31.
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Based out of their living room - cutting out the cost of renting an office - the savvy mum explained that she now earns thousands of pounds a year through the side hustle, despite not making huge profits in its first year, writes the Daily Record.
Sharing her story with LatestDeals.co.uk, Anastasia revealed that her upstart only made £413 in its first year, but has seen sales grow up to almost £100k a year through loyal customers all over the world.
The businesswoman - who studied both art and design at college and photography at university- said that she was inspired to start her own business after watching tutorials on YouTube.
She revealed: "I watched some YouTube videos on making and selling phone cases and I was inspired to try it for myself. That’s how Happy Avocado Store was born.
"I started in 2016 reselling phone cases. Realising that the quality wasn’t up to the standard I wanted them to be, and wanting more artistic freedom, I started making my own cases.
"The first thing I did to start this process was research. Back then there wasn’t as much information about how to make phone cases as there is now. YouTube and forums were my best friends. I had to find all the machines, programs and supplies and learn how to use them."
When opening her first Etsy shop in 2017 she was faced with a major obstacle, balancing her work/personal life after having her daughter.
In a bid to help keep their costs low, the creative Scots mum and her husband make all the products themselves, as well as making their own packaging labels which has helped during the cost of living crisis.
Anastasia said: "We are very lucky as people still buy our products during the cost of living crisis, but we are starting to see some quiet periods and are still worried about what the future holds. We have returning customers every day, we know our product is good quality and we are not planning on raising the prices so we hope this will keep us going.
"My advice for those looking to start their own business is quite simple. Firstly, do your research. There is so much free information and there are a lot of helpful tools online. Secondly, make sure you’re doing something you actually enjoy. If you don’t like what you do you will give up sooner or later.
"Thirdly, just do it! It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just starting is the most important part. You will see what works and what doesn’t. Later you will evolve and get better. Put in the time and effort, and you’ll get there."
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