Her side business turned into a multi-million dollar business

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Gara Post, co-founder and creative director NOW massage boutiquewhich offers an “affordable yet sublime” massage experience. Learn how a serial entrepreneur began with one other creative business and then leveraged the opportunity to build a multi-million dollar franchise. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What was your day job or predominant occupation when you began your first side business, Gara Danielle Jewelry?
After graduating from Arizona State University, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a profession in the entertainment industry. I used to be fortunate to land a job as an executive assistant to the president of Universal Television Group, where I spent most of my days working on reality shows. While my time at Universal improved my leadership skills and opened doors to invaluable networking opportunities, I got interested in one other passion: jewelry design. I often made beaded jewelry at my desk, and in the evenings I visited stores in the jewelry district of Los Angeles to restock my supplies. My creativity, marketing skills, and the connections I built in the entertainment industry helped me start my first side business, Gara Danielle Jewelry.