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What It's About
A side hustle that's no sweat!
Business Model
Product
Skills Required
Research & Experimentation
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
High
Words of Wisdom
Rebecca suggests working with a reputable chemist if you want to get a beauty or skincare product off the ground. They’ll help you with fine-tuning your formula, making sure you’re FDA compliant and have product testing done. Having a chemist is a one-time investment but might save you the additional costs from trial and error.
Fun Fact
Everyone needs a deodorant that works, but Rebecca was on the hunt for one that also doesn't leave any residue. At one particular CPA networking event, she went over to give a friend a hug. She was wearing a sleeveless dress at the time and left an armpit print on his black suit. She was mortified! That’s when she became gung-ho about creating a deodorant that works AND doesn't leave any residue.
Notes from Chris
Episode 566
Rebecca So struggled her entire adult life looking for a deodorant that worked. Her dream was to find a product that didn’t just help with body odor, but also left no residue or white marks. Her hunt for this elusive product came to a head one day at a networking event for her industry. Rebecca is a CPA at a firm in Los Angeles. Accounting is traditionally a corporate industry where everyone dresses in professional clothing. At the event, she bumped into a good friend of hers and gave him a big hug. She was wearing a sleeveless dress at the time and, when she let go, was mortified! She’d left a white armpit stain on his expensive black suit. It was an embarrassing and emotionally taxing moment. That was the day she’s had enough. She knew there must be deodorant out there that solved this problem. She tried everything she could find. Even resorting to aluminum-based deodorants that would leave her underarms stinging for hours. On the odd occasion where she found a product that worked, it would stop doing so after a few weeks of use. She was fed up! With nothing available on the market, Rebecca decided to work up a sweat creating her own deodorant brand. She knew she already had one customer, herself! What perspired from that initial thought became SWAY Detox Deodorant. Her very first side hustle! She experimented with a range of natural products over her kitchen sink. However, it wasn’t until a small adult acne breakout that she had her eureka moment. It came in the form of apple cider vinegar! Using vinegar to treat acne is a well known natural remedy. One day while applying some to her face, she thought, “why not splash a little on my underarms too.” To her surprise, it actually worked. No odor and no unsightly white marks under her arms. She’d accidentally stumbled onto the main ingredient for her deodorant brand. From humble beginnings in her kitchen sink just 7 months ago to a successful business. SWAY Detox Deodorant is now generating 10K/month in sales. While that sounds like a lot, Rebecca is still working for sweat equity at the moment. Every extra dollar has been put back into the business to build the brand and help the product grow. With all that money coming in, it’s a good thing Rebecca knows a good accountant… that would be… herself!MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- SWAY: Ditch the metal and try a more natural solution! If you're interested in making the switch, visit Rebecca's website
- Shopify: Rebecca used Shopify to set up her site for SWAY, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
- Natural Deodorant That Actually Works Brings In $5,500/Month: A former venture capitalist starts a scent-sational side hustle selling her own natural, floral-based deodorant
- Itchy Honeymoon Shaves Way To $100k Pubic Oil Income: Three friends embrace the reality of pubic area discomfort and build a skincare business from scratch, turning it into a six-figure side hustle despite the skepticism of literally every person they talked to
- Holiday Body Butters Become $1,000/Month Side Hustle: An entertainment industry professional transforms her body butter holiday gifts into a quickly growing Etsy store and craft show side hustle
Quote of the Day
"Definitely validate your idea, but I'd caution against discussing your idea with family members or even certain friends because they might not always be the most objective. And many times they might even talk you out of your ideas, whether good or not!"
—Rebecca So #SideHustleSchool
