This Hustle Spotlight Q&An internet site accommodates Kelly Bozigian, 32, from Boston, Massachusetts. She and her husband, Colt Bozigian, run Coastal caviarHandmade jewelry company containing necklaces, bracelets and many others. The answers were edited in terms of length and clarity.
Picture Credit: coastal caviar. Kelly Bozigian.
What was your every day work or basic occupation when you began your lateral hustle and bustle?
Before leaving work full -time, in February last yr I worked as a deputy creative director in corporations TJX for the TJ Maxx brand. Colt is still full of hours in the sale of software.
When did you begin your side hustle and bustle and where did you discover inspiration for it?
Initially, I got here up with the idea for a coastal caviar in June 2023. We were on the beach and scrolled the phone, trying to search out the charm of the necklace for the upcoming vacation. I told my family how crazy is that I am unable to find any principal retail sellers selling charms – a style that I had a feeling could be one other great madness.
I ended up on order from a woman on Etsy – from the screen and the circulation of the charms I liked, sending a message with her back and back to finalize the project. It was a fairly tedious process. Then I had a revelation: it have to be a higher way. I said: “I have a business idea – we have to build an interactive website where you can drag and drop the charms and see your work in real time.” At that moment, coastal caviar was born.
People at all times say that the best corporations arise after solving the problem. Entrepreneurship in the spirit I at all times waited for this moment “aha”, when I noticed that in my life there is a need to unravel with a product or service. That day in the brain on the beach there was light and I knew it was it. The key to our activity was not necessarily the necklace itself, but online experience and what we now call our “charm constructor”.
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar. Kelly and Colt Bozigian.
What were some of the first steps you took to gather your site from the ground?
Believe or not, before we returned home from the beach, I purchased the domain name and began designing the website. I think that for many people taking motion behind the idea is the most difficult part and all the things seems too discouraging. I’ve at all times been a bit impulsive (good and bad thing!) And I have a mentality “just, it was done”, which definitely helped us break it quickly.
Are there any free or paid resources that were particularly helpful for you to begin and run this business?
Upwork is your friend! We were in a position to develop a complex, interactive website with our “Builder Charm Builder” at a relatively low price, finding the right partners in Zapwork. It requires trials and errors, but talented people use the platform.
In the case of paid resources, I’m also a member of an independent group called Freelance Founders. I joined in 2022, when I freelance in digital marketing and social media space in the hope of customer landing. Ironically, I exploit it more to rent talent for coastal caviar. If you are not an expert in something, it’s going to commission it.
If you can return to your corporation trip and change one process or approach, what would it not be and how do you regret that you’ll not do it in a different way?
I regret that I didn’t imagine in the success of coastal caviar. Although we began working on business, when we got here up with an idea in June 2023, we moved in in January 2024. I never expected that the level of success we’d see this first month and they’d no supplies or any processes. At that point, I made every necklace with insufficient inventory to fulfill the orders manually. We continued to make the company operate. Three months later we were configured with the producer on Rhode Island, and life became a bit easier, but I might do all the things to go back in time to arrange for what was to return.
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Image loan: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar
Do you remember a specific case when something went very flawed? How did you fix it?
Along the way, we definitely made mistakes. In January last yr, he contacted a large influential with us, asking if we sold the sacks because she desired to share them in the upcoming Tiktok film in the same week. In fact, we developed the charms of the bag as a recent product, but they weren’t ready. We hurried the premiere to coincide with the influential post, and the charms of the bags began overnight.
Unfortunately, because we accelerated the product development process, we realized that the rings we used to get charms weren’t strong enough. This resulted in a huge headache in terms of customer support, but also damaged the trust that we have in a very loyal customer base. Since then, we have repaired the product, but I value relationships with our consumers greater than the rest and I would love us to spend more time.
How long did it take you with a coherent monthly revenues? How much did the lateral hustle and bustle earn?
The month in which we began the audience in January 2024, we achieved immediate success, which, as I recognized, is a rare and huge blessing. I began the Tiktok series, in which I used to be hanging around, making a charm a necklace for a specific influential. My first film was about one of my favorite influential, Alix Earle, and she saw the video and asked me to send her necklace. Colt pulled out the phone to film that I reacted to her, sending me a direct message, and we published my response to Tiktok.
My reactionary film received over 2 million views, and Alix’s video received over 9 million views. During the first month, we revamped $ 100,000 sales only from coverage to Tiktok.
What does growth and revenues seem like now?
We have seen a fairly fast growth and we assign a lot of it to the Tiktok platform. Within six months we reached $ 1 million sales without any paid promoting. Now, just over a yr from our release date, we have revamped $ 2 million in sale.
Image loan: Courtesy of Coastal Caviar
How much time do you spend at work in your organization every day, every day or every month?
Basically, I work for a 12-hour day, almost seven days a week. This is definitely Grind and was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life. Considering this when your child, you’ll do absolutely all the things to see the way it goes, so I do not mind.
What do you want best about running this business?
I really like to share our journey into Tiktok and connect with our community through social media. Although we work continually, it really doesn’t seem lonely because we have hundreds of people cheering us online. Given the personal nature of the product, women shared their difficulties and stories with me and expressed jewelry for them.
Our social media document many behind -the -scenes development of this business, and many women have sent me that I told me that I also inspired them to begin my very own business. It brought me the best joy!
What is your best, useful business advice?
Don’t hesitate when you begin and just stand there. I think that individuals often refrain from starting the company because they overload it and feel that they need every detail of the marketing strategy he got here up with before starting. My best advice is simply to put your product or service and see what’s going to occur. I used to be lucky to find the matching to the product almost immediately due to the range that Tiktok has. One post immediately verified our business idea, and all other logistics may be invented as developed and scalp.