On this page, Hustle Spotlight Q&A presents Michael SATTERLEE, 17, with Clifton Park, New York. SATTERLEE is full -time student and founder OnlyIN A six -digit company that designs and 3D prints unique Crocs accessories. The answers were edited in terms of length and clarity.
Image loan: Courtesy only. Michael Satterlee.
What was your day by day work or basic occupation when you began your lateral hustle and bustle?
When I began my side hustle and bustle, I worked as a dishwasher, in addition to a full -time highschool student. I balanced work, school and business.
When did you begin your side hustle and bustle and where did you discover inspiration for it?
I began in 2023 after learning to print 3D in my project and drawing to production (DDP) Class. I made a decision to purchase a 3D printer and began to check ideas for products. I got here across a story that somebody earns a lot of money, selling the symptoms of snow plows for Crocs and I spotted that there was a great likelihood. I jumped on him and built the whole store around this area of interest.
What were some of the first steps you took to gather your site from the ground?
The first thing I did was to seek out a winning product. This required many research; The winning product have to be easy to do or buy, easy to sell and not saturated on the market. Then I focused on the content. I published three creative threads and reels on Instagram a day. It was about consistency. Even when the growth was initially slow, it would remain coherent. The movement rose and the orders soon started to appear.
Are there any free or paid resources that were particularly helpful for you to begin and run this business?
The best tools in business are free. Tiktok and Instagram were the whole lot to me – all my marketing is happening there. On average, about 50 million monthly impressions and it is 100% ecological. I have never made paid promoting, only consistent, creative content.
Image loan: Courtesy only
If you possibly can return to your enterprise trip and change one process or approach, what wouldn’t it be and how do you regret that you’re going to not do it otherwise?
I would love to maneuver to the warehouse earlier. For some time the company completely took over my whole house. In my bedroom there have been printers, boxes in the corridor and packaging materials in the kitchen. It was chaotic and hindered the behavior of organizing or focusing. When I entered a dedicated warehouse, the whole lot became more efficient. I used to be more productive, more concentrated and finally I had room for proper scaling. If I did this move earlier, I’d save a lot of stress.
As for this specific business, what you think is particularly difficult and/or surprising that individuals who enter this type of work needs to be prepared, but probably are not?
It is really difficult to build a presence on social media. People think that one viral video is enough, but the truth is that your first 100 movies can arrange. These are a lot of trials and mistakes. You have to proceed testing the content, throw things into the wall and remain consistent, even if no person seems to observe.
Image loan: Courtesy only
Do you remember a specific case when something went very incorrect? How did you fix it?
Once upon a time, the video Tiktok Wmoła from daily and brought more orders than I used to be prepared for service. At that point I used to be still printing the whole lot from my house, without any real systems. I lacked a filament, packaging materials and I barely kept up with customer messages. Some orders were delayed and people began to send E -Mail with the query of where their things are. For several days I printed, printed without interruption, supplemented materials as soon as I could and personally answered every customer. Then I learned the importance of preparing for viral moments. I built higher systems, bought before the premieres, and even brought help, so I would not be surprised again.
How long did it take you with a coherent monthly revenues? How much did the lateral hustle and bustle earn?
About a yr has passed to see coherent monthly revenues. But now we earn about USD 20,000 per month on all platforms.
What does growth and revenues seem like now?
The height is slow but consistent. I used to be not in a hurry with it. I build brick brick, ensuring the whole lot is scalable and solid. Last yr, we sold USD 250,000, and this yr we are on the right track for USD 300,000.
Image loan: Courtesy only
What do you want best about running this business?
I really like creative freedom. I can come up with a crazy idea for a product, model it, print and publish video in one day. I also like to see how people react to something I have done, regardless of whether or not they laugh, mark friends or place an order. This is the most satisfying thing.
What is your best, useful business advice?
Start with the content, not only the product. Before you invest a lot of money in improving the project or building a brand, publish content to see if people care at all. If you may’t get rid of strangers to stop scrolling, you do not have the product market yet. Use free platforms, comparable to Tiktok and Instagram to check quickly, failure quickly and double down, which works.
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