This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Valentina Zapata, 27, a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur and founder of The Shoe Game Co. Zapata turned her side hustle into a full-time job reselling sneakers, making more than $500,000 a month. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What was your day job (or other source of income) when you started your side hustle?
I was a life insurance broker.
When did you start your side hustle and what inspired you to start one?
It was in the post-pandemic era, and my girlfriend actually encouraged me to start it again as a side hustle, something positive to do.
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What was the first step you took to start your side hustle?
We started with Instagram, then Facebook Marketplace, drove almost an hour for our first “resale”, and kept doing it over and over again.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in starting your side hustle and how did you overcome it?
We learned what not to buy – what goes unsold – and that not every “deal” is a good deal. And the biggest lesson we learned early on was how to spot a fake. This is what cost us the most money, but we watched videos, learned, accepted our mistakes, and kept selling. Finally, as resellers, we always struggle with unsold inventory. This is what we want to solve – how to sell, and sell fast.
RELATED: She grew her side hustle from $0 to over $6 million in sales in just 6 months—and it was some “old-fashioned” thinking that helped her do it.
How long did it take you to start earning a steady income each month? How much did you make from your side hustle?
We were making a steady income of $7,000 per month, but things changed when we joined live selling platform Whatnot. That’s when we took the business full-time.
When and why did you decide to take your side hustle full time? How is it growing and profiting now?
Within two months of joining Whatnot, I decided to take this side hustle full time. I saw the reach and the community, and more importantly, I knew that Whatnot’s sneaker category was relatively new, as was live sales, so I didn’t want to miss out. We’re doing over $500,000 in monthly revenue, and we just signed a contract and moved into a new 6,000 square foot warehouse. In less than two years, we’ve grown to seven employees, and we have no plans to slow down.
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What do you enjoy most about running this business?
I love seeing my team grow and change the lives of people around us as we work hard. And the hard work pays off. Not only are our teams winning, but our community is so beautiful and it’s so much more than just a sale.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a side hustle or their own successful business?
Build and foster a community and everything else will follow. The only way to stand out in the digital age is to build a strong brand reach.
This article is part of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® series, showcasing entrepreneurial stories, challenges and successes. Young business owner.
