"I quit my PR internship. I missed retail."
Mimi's story, part 1/3
(1/3) “I had never quit anything on a whim before, but I quit the prestigious PR internship I’d worked so hard to earn. I couldn’t stand being behind a desk. I missed retail and the chance to connect with customers in person.
I grew up in Spartanburg, SC. My parents were entrepreneurs – a bail bondsman and a seamstress – and I worked for them as a kid. I learned to speak professionally when I answered the phone and asked my Dad’s customers for payment. I collected pins and cleared thread from sewing machines for my Mom. We spent a week in Charleston each summer and it became a second home for me. I wanted to attend college there even though the school didn’t have a fashion program. Instead I chose Communication, a major that would allow me to ‘do anything’.
Although I’ve worked in clothing retail since high school, it took time to find the right fit. Larger chain stores felt impersonal and excessively sales-focused. I felt I had more impact as the manager of a family-owned menswear store. I advised customers, learned product placement and stock management, and helped grow the business to record sales, but I was still living pay check-to-pay check.
That year, my sister gave me hot pink tassel earrings for my birthday. She said, ‘You know you can make these, right?’ So I looked at Pinterest for DIY tutorials. I created a storefront on Etsy and The Tiny Tassel was born. The first order from someone who wasn’t family or a friend-of-a-friend was a major moment for me.
For over a year, I sold menswear by day and crafted earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and keychains at night. One day, I realized that my job was causing me to miss out on growth for The Tiny Tassel, and the stress of two jobs was taking its toll. At work, many of my customers were conservative and showed prejudice, while at The Tiny Tassel my customers were excited, encouraging and kind. I knew I had to make a change.
My sister, an accountant, helped me calculate how I could do The Tiny Tassel full-time. I set a savings goal and gave six months’ notice. I did as many weekend markets and pop-up shops as I could, and began wholesaling my products. My last day as an employee was Christmas Eve. I became wholly my own boss on January 1, 2017.”
Stay tuned for part 2, coming Thursday!
Have you ever built a side-hustle into your main gig? Share in the comments.