CASHING IN
I’m 28 & my side hustle makes £207k a year which is way more than my day job, I just work in the time I used to commute
Dominique shared advice for anyone thinking of starting their own business
A WOMAN has revealed that she makes over £200,000 a year from a side hustle which she does in the time she used to commute in.
Dominique Brown, 28 started her art business DomoInk in 2020.
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She creates both hand-drawn and digital artworks, which can be purchased printed onto a variety of different products such as mugs and T-shirts.
All of Dominique's items are made to order, meaning that it was easy for her to set up her business without having any funds, as she only needed to buy materials after the customers had already paid.
Dominique also has a day job as a marketing manager which earns £67,000 a year, three times less than her side hustle.
She said that it is easy for her to do both jobs, as she used to commute for two hours a day, but now works from home, so uses her commute time to focus on her artwork.
Read more side hustle stories
"I literally have so much more time and energy", she told CNBC.
Dominique said that she grew up, in an area where there were not many Black people, so hardly ever saw people like her represented on greetings cards or through art.
Therefore, she decided to use her art to give a voice to those who "are always underrepresented".
She said: "It's very important for kids growing up to be able to see themselves on their wall."
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Dominique said that one woman sent her a picture of her daughter with one of the artist's paintings and said that the daughter was so excited by the painting, as she thought it looked exactly like her mother.
"She went and purchased it straight away and hung it on her daughter's wall", she said.
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Dominque's business really started to take off after she shared a video of herself drawing a picture of Martin Luther King.
Since then, she has done collaborations with huge brands such as Target, Bath & Body Works, and even Disney.
Dominique said that it is her dream to earn £400,000 a year from her side hustle.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
She would love to do more brand collaborations and even start making NFTs to bring in more streams of revenue.
The artist is also considering making 3D prints, or doing 3D modelling.
"I would love to grow it into a big home retailer", she said.
"My dream is to sell my artwork in Target 365 days a year.
"I really want to create a big brand where I'm bringing colour into everybody's home."
She added that create artwork for Black people has made her feel "empowered", and has given her a purpose.
Sharing advice for anyone thinking of starting their own side hustle, Dominique said: "You can build your own business, you can bring your own seat to the table.
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"The secret is to always believe in yourself, and avoid the negativity".
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