Handkerchief Side Hustle Becomes Million-Dollar Blowout

Notes from Chris

Episode 928

When Steve and Jennifer Chou were expecting their first child, they both agreed that parenting would be their #1 priority. That’s why Jennifer chose to quit her job, and be a stay at home mom.

But it wasn’t an easy decision. Jennifer was well on track for a lucrative career in finance. She’d been working as an analyst for a Fortune 500 company for ten years and was bringing in a six-figure salary. Furthermore, the Chous lived in Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is ridiculously high. Making it on one income would be tough, even though Steven had a well-paying job of his own as an engineer.

Jennifer didn’t want her lack of income to be a hindrance on their lifestyle or finances. So, together they brainstormed ways to make extra money. One thing stood out that took them back to their wedding preparations.

Wanting to give their bridal party some personalized handkerchiefs, they’d ended up importing twenty dozen of them … even though they only needed six! It was the only cost-effective way to get the ones they wanted. After their wedding, they listed the extras on eBay, and all of them sold within a week.

The quick turnover of those handkerchiefs stuck in their minds. If there was such a demand back then, maybe they’d be able to start an online store selling them now. They got in touch with the same supplier they used for their wedding and spent just under $2,000 on handkerchiefs. They also built a website, calling it Bumblebee Linens.

At first, the linen shop wasn’t exactly a hive of activity. They’d bought a whole range of different handkerchiefs, without actually testing the market. But eventually, some product started to move and they made sales. As the first orders came in, they had to quickly figure out a way to pack and ship them.

Before long, more and more people were ordering from Bumblebee Linens. To increase sales further, they decided to focus on personalization as a point of difference from other companies. They encouraged potential customers to purchase personalized add-ons like initials or a few special words printed on the handkerchiefs as part of their custom orders.

And it worked! Before their daughter’s first birthday, BumbleBee Linens had become a six-figure business—completely replacing the lost income from Jennifer's day job without the necessity of her having to leave her daughter during the day.

One thing was for certain—the journey was not nearly as smooth as their linens. Although the business was growing, it wasn’t without problems. They had issues with suppliers where the samples they received didn’t match the final product. This meant that they had to ship their order back to the suppliers and re-order, which left them feeling dreadfully understocked.

It also felt like a lonely process at times—working in isolation with no one to bounce ideas off. But still… those things didn’t stop the store from growing into a seven-figure business over the next few years.

Regardless, these busy bees would agree that it's all been worth it when they get to spend their time on what matters most to them—their family.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Bumblebee Linens: Learn more about this million-dollar side hustle over on Steve and Jennifer's website!
• My Wife Quit Her Job: If you're interested in learning more about what it takes to build something like this into a seven-figure business, head on over to their blog!

SEE ALSO:

• Frustrated Mom Grows Hair Brush Hustle to Seven Figures: Hoping to work the tangles out of her kids’ morning routine, a Colorado mom creates her own solution to the struggles that come with having curly hair
• Beard Oil Behemoth Expands to 35 Countries: How one man grew his $46 idea into a six-figure monthly sales machine selling beard oil
• Physical Therapist Sells 57,000 "Neck Hammocks": In trying to remedy his own workout injuries, this physical therapist invents a portable device to relieve pain. He then patents the device and sells 57,000 of them

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,