Side Hustle to Small Business

Moving from Wall Street to three-time entrepreneur

Yong-Soo Chung always knew he wanted to own a business. While working on Wall Street, he dreamed of running a hedge fund. When he left finance and bought a one-way ticket to California, his dream of owning a business remained unchanged, but the product he offered shifted. Since 2015, Yong-Soo has founded three companies: Urban EDC, a carry gear brand; Growth Jet, a third-party logistics provider; and Spotted By Humphrey, a curated dog boutique.

Prioritizing alignment while managing a remote team

John DeShazer is the President of LogicSpree, where he works to make Salesforce simple for small and mid-market organizations. As his business and fully remote 11-person team grow, John focuses on alignment. By standardizing work hours, the LogicSpree team achieves two goals: collaborate in real-time and set clear work-life boundaries. This structure also aligns with John’s primary goals: to be stable, happy, have enough, and reduce stress.

Building a strong foundation for her new creative agency

Heather Gibbons is a wife, mother, twin sister, and musician. She’s also the co-founder of INMO Creative, a full-service creative agency based in Atlanta. As Heather and her business partner, Simon, establish their agency in its first year of business, they focus on the “simple things.” Together, they’re committed to building a solid foundation of systems and processes that aligns with their beliefs, values, and mission.

Mastering social media to help other small businesses

With a creative writing and data analysis background, Lauren Ramsey brings her skills to the table as the founder and Chief Engagement Officer at Betsy Bash. Founded in 2010, Lauren and her team help local businesses get more leads and make more sales using social media. She’s taken her business from her hometown of Houston to her new home in Chicago, but her passion has stayed rooted: helping small businesses make a bigger impact.

Keeping her side hustle while starting a new full-time job

Jennifer Bourn has been self-employed for 17 years. She started her creative services agency, Bourn Creative, in 2005 and added on a side hustle, teaching courses and workshops in 2017. When Jennifer’s best friend offered her a full-time job, Jennifer was intrigued but also had conditions. She would accept the job, but her side hustle had to stay up and running. A compromise was reached, and now Jennifer has the best of both worlds.

How a pandemic-forced pivot paid off long term

Michael Cox has been in the corporate sales recruiting world for 20 years. But when his recruiting side hustle yielded more profit and control, Michael realized he could open his own business. He founded Zag Worx in late 2019. Starting a business in the wake of a global pandemic with few companies hiring, Cox was forced to innovate. He transitioned from full-service recruiting to offering highly-specific services tailored to his client's needs.

Selling sneakers as a side hustle? Possible and profitable

Chris Casseday always loved collecting shoes. Not just shoes in general, but really, really nice sneakers. Twenty years ago, he began selling collectible sneakers on eBay. As his experience and sales volume grew, he founded 513 Kicks. Since 2017, Chris has managed 513 Kicks solo while working full-time as a Director of Operations. For Chris, selling sneakers isn’t just a hobby. It’s a fun — and profitable — side hustle. 

How simplified product offerings helped business Liftoff

Joe Casabona started Podcast Liftoff in 2017. He helps his clients transform their podcasts from a hobby to a revenue-generating machine. In 2022, Joe realized that he was providing too many services to his customers. Instead of a jack of all trades, he wanted to be known as the guy who eats, sleeps and breathes podcasts. He adapted his product offerings and is now learning that, when it comes to your business, sometimes less is more.

Opening his own business and breaking industry standards

During his 26 years in the web design industry, Wayne Pelletier designed thousands of websites. He also learned the patterns that cause frustration and communication breakdowns between web designers and their clients. So when Wayne started his company, Resonant Pixel, in 2020, he employed a different business model that broke the mold of standard website services. Instead of a lump-sum investment, his team uses a subscription-based model.

Mixing arts and philanthropy with Kentucky bourbon

Morgan Hancock is full of ideas and energy, and her work life reflects those qualities. She’s a commercial real estate agent, US Army veteran, mother of two, and passionate advocate of the arts. Most recently, Morgan founded Bourbon with Heart, a nonprofit with a mission to leverage the influence and popularity of bourbon to raise funds for local charities while also providing a first-class arts experience for Kentuckians.