This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Ruta Drungilaite, founding father of A Twist of Date, a enterprise that helps {couples} plan date nights with its digital choices — chilly case information, dialog starter playing cards, romantic board video games and extra.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of A Twist of Date. Ruta Drungilaite.
What was your day job (or different sources of earnings) whenever you began your aspect hustle?
After graduating with an economics and finance diploma on the age of 21, I took the “textbook” path of a graduate scheme in one of many large banks in Canary Wharf, London. Since then, I’ve labored seven jobs throughout varied departments and enterprise models within the seven years I have been there, shortly progressing up the “company ladder.” I specialised in monetary product administration, and my final function was as a VP senior product supervisor in funds improvements (rising fee acceptance options for company retailers).
When did you begin your aspect hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
The concept for A Twist Of Date got here to me throughout one of many Covid lockdowns in 2021. We reside in London, so we’re often spoiled in relation to enjoyable issues to do. My fiancé and I’ve completed all of it: hidden jazz golf equipment, secret cocktail bars, underground performs, wine and cheese tastings, comedy nights, a Horrible Histories boat tour, escape room-style out of doors meals maze, indoor mountain climbing, quirky artwork installations, driving vary and plenty of extra.
Nevertheless, the lockdown took away all these selections. In consequence, my fiancé discovered it onerous to provide you with distinctive date concepts, whereas my very own creativity was solely propelled by it. It dawned on me that there have to be different individuals on the market who additionally wrestle to provide you with artistic date concepts at residence (not only a film and dinner). So, I began to consider how I might remedy that drawback for {couples}.
What have been a few of the first steps you took to get your aspect hustle off the bottom?
My first thought was to create date night time packing containers delivered to you, which might have every part set and deliberate for a romantic night at residence. I launched cocktail-making packing containers in February 2022 in time for Valentine’s Day and pottery workshop packing containers in a while. The packing containers included playlists, all of the instruments to make cocktails or pottery creations, deep dialog starters and different actions designed to deepen the connection together with your companion.
{Couples} liked these packing containers, and I acquired lots of good suggestions, however making the packing containers by hand was extraordinarily labor intensive, revenue margins have been razor skinny/nonexistent, and the quantity of gross sales was not as excessive as I had initially hoped for. In the end, the date field thought was not a scalable or financially viable one for me to proceed.
Six months into my enterprise, I began promoting a PDF of 110 date thought playing cards, which {couples} might obtain immediately and print out at residence. As this concept went nicely, I pivoted my enterprise away from bodily date night time packing containers towards digital merchandise, increasing my vary with romantic board video games, chilly case information, escape rooms, dialog starters and extra. That is when my enterprise began to actually take off, and I knew I used to be onto one thing.
What have been a few of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing your aspect hustle, and the way did you navigate them?
Constructing my first enterprise has in all probability been the toughest factor I’ve completed in my life — and probably the most rewarding one, too. It has been an emotional rollercoaster of a journey with numerous challenges.
Listed here are a few of the most important ones:
- First product not being viable: As talked about above, my first thought of bodily date night time packing containers was primarily a loss and never financially viable or scalable. Even right this moment, our cabinets are crammed with a whole lot of mini alcohol bottles from the cocktail packing containers I used to promote! I might have given up at this level, however I made a decision to experiment and pivot, which has led me to digital date night time merchandise I promote right this moment, with greater than 5,000 orders positioned throughout 80 completely different international locations.
- Information hole: More often than not, I did not know what I used to be doing, however I used to be keen to be taught and persevere. I did not have a giant finances to start out with, so I’ve completed every part myself: coding my web site by trying to find solutions on YouTube, clumsily utilizing Adobe Illustrator to design my emblem, writing privateness coverage, phrases and situations and different authorized documentation for my web site, creating and designing all of the merchandise with none expertise with Canva, studying to make TikToks and develop on social media — by no means having even used TikTok earlier than. All through my journey, I’ve at all times tried to embrace the mindset of I don’t know how to do that, however I am certain I can be taught.
- Making an attempt to construct the enterprise with a full-time job: There is not any magic or secret right here — balancing my demanding day job and a enterprise has been very powerful. I attempted to work on my enterprise as a lot as I might on the evenings and weekends, however after a full day of “firefighting” at my day job, I used to be typically emotionally and bodily depleted, so it wasn’t at all times potential to work on my enterprise as a lot as I might have favored to. I’ve needed to settle for that I solely have a lot vitality and time, and for this enterprise to be sustainable, I needed to prioritize my well being, psychological well being and total well-being, though it meant that issues are transferring slower than I might have favored to within the quick time period. I needed to be cautious to watch and spot any indicators of my psychological well being taking a toll on account of overworking and prioritize taking relaxation in addition to doing issues that convey me vitality and pleasure. My strategy was prioritizing consistency of motion — making an attempt to do at the least a little bit bit every single day to construct and develop my enterprise.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the aspect hustle earn?
Within the first six months of launching my enterprise, my complete income was lower than £3,000 (about $3,800). Seven months in, I had my “Flirty Cube” printable board recreation go viral on TikTok, which introduced in over £700 (about $890) in simply three days, which is once I knew I used to be on to one thing and began to see extra progress from leveraging natural social media to drive gross sales.
As my gross sales have been principally pushed by my movies going viral, the earnings ranges diversified considerably from month to month. I’m nonetheless engaged on diversifying my advertising methods and income streams to attain extra consistency in income.
Why did you resolve to go from aspect hustle to full-time enterprise? What does progress and income appear to be now?
I had greater than 5,000 orders from 80 completely different international locations and made round £60,000 (about $65,000) in gross sales earlier than quitting my company 9-5, which reassured me that my thought solves a common drawback for {couples} all internationally. With the enterprise idea verified, I felt that I might make this enterprise work if I devoted my full consideration to it. I’ve constructed up my private financial savings to maintain myself for at the least the following 12 months, after which I am hoping to be driving sufficient income to pay myself a wage that is just like the one I had with my job in finance. Leaving my well-paid job in finance is the largest threat I’ve ever taken, however I completely love the enterprise I’ve constructed and consider that with consistency, self-discipline and a progress mindset, I am going to have the ability to make it work.
What do you take pleasure in most about operating this enterprise?
Whereas my background is in finance, I’m naturally a really artistic particular person. I like developing with new ideas for date concepts and bringing them to life.
What brings me probably the most pleasure is understanding that every one my onerous work helps numerous busy {couples} from all around the world have high quality time collectively. The heartfelt buyer messages and critiques I obtain at all times make my day. {Couples} have informed me they’ve used my date nights to reconnect after having a new child or to find new issues about one another even after 18 years of marriage.
What’s your recommendation for others hoping to start out profitable aspect hustles or companies of their very own?
- Discover a ache level. I like to recommend an excellent e-book referred to as Jobs to Be Achieved for each aspiring entrepreneur to study figuring out and fixing actual issues.
- Validate your thought. Each entrepreneur thinks their thought is incredible, however the one approach to confirm it’s to see if anybody is keen to pay for it and if it may be worthwhile. If you happen to’re seeking to stop your company job for a aspect hustle, I feel it is important to show your idea earlier than you do.
- Prioritize motion over perfection. Be taught to be comfy with releasing your concepts into the market and testing them earlier than they’re excellent. The extra messy and scrappy motion you’re taking, the faster you may get the suggestions you want and have the ability to be taught from it. There is not any level engaged on perfecting your product for years simply to seek out out nobody desires it.
- Do one thing you are actually fascinated by. Ask your self if what you are promoting thought is one thing you actually care about. If you happen to do, the setbacks and disappointments that you’re going to encounter alongside the way in which can be price persevering by way of.
- Embrace the progress mindset. It is easy to fall into the sufferer mentality, blame the circumstances and really feel sorry for your self when issues do not go to plan, however it will not serve you nicely. Take possession of the failures and concentrate on what you may be taught from them. Domesticate the mindset of curiosity and infinite studying.
- Keep true to your values. We see the stereotypical high-flying entrepreneur going with no sleep for weeks, working all hours of the day and having no time for a social life or relationships. Whereas this would possibly work for some, I am a giant believer in deliberately defining what success means to you personally and consciously selecting the value you are keen to pay within the completely different elements of your life to get there — as a result of I feel you are able to do something, however not every part. I do know my well being and relationships with household, buddies and fiance at all times come first, and I am not keen to drop the ball on these elements of my life, even when it means my enterprise would possibly develop extra slowly.
