AN ENTREPRENEUR has revealed that she dropped out of school but was able to totally turn her life around.
Thanks to Kate Sullivan’s bedroom , now the 26-year-old can make over £366,000 a year thanks to her handmade business.
A business owner has opened up on how her jewellery side hustle enabled her to totally changed the trajectory of her lifeCredit: YouTube/CNBC Make it
Not only has Kate Sullivan’s brand been lucrative, but it’s loved by many celebs, including Gigi HadidCredit: instagram/patrickta
Kate is the founder of The Sage Vintage , a jewellery company that creates pieces using vintage charms and chains.
The initially began as a side hustle after Kate ditched college but now, her have been worn by numerous celebrities, including singer and model .
Not only this, but they are also sold on Anthropologie’s website.
Speaking to CNBC Make It , Kate opened up on her as she said: “Right after I dropped out of college, I started selling disassembled vintage jewellery items – I would go to flea with my dad, as well as antique malls and thrift stores, and find charms, necklaces and chains, then put them together.”
Things quickly “blew up” for Kate and after seeing her pictures “all over ,” she knew her brand was going to be “something big.”
Kate, who grew up in the suburbs of , initially began making jewellery with her father when she was just 10-years-old.
But it was at the beginning of the , when everyone started working from home, that the idea for Kate’s business came to mind.
She spotted a lot of vintage resellers popping up on Depop and knew she “had to do something different.”
The gushed: “I didn’t see many people making charm jewellery at that point, and I loved the individuality it brought to each piece.
“I started selling full charm necklaces with a couple of charms on them, and people kept asking for more. I decided not to go back to school because once I started , I realised I didn’t want a conventional job.”
In her first year, Kate was on a salary of around $12,000 [£8,795]. She was also working out of her bedroom and often didn’t stop until 2am.
But a year after launching the brand’s website, Kate collaborated with Harry Covert, another handmade .
The Sage Vintage is stocked on Anthropologie’s websiteCredit: instagram/thesagevintage
Kate started the brand in her bedroom and would often work until 2amCredit: YouTube/CNBC Make it
And it was that collaboration that really made the business go viral and helped Kate expand.
She gushed: “Our early drops with Harry Covert would sell out in five to 10 minutes or less. That was insane to me – I had never made that amount of in such a short time.”
It was such a surreal moment growing up shopping at Anthropologie and then seeing my pieces on their website
Kate Sullivan
Since going viral, Kate acknowledged: “One of our first big moments was when Gigi Hadid’s stylist DMed me asking for pieces for her. That was surreal.”
Following this, Kate realised that she would need to start making multiples of each piece instead of just one-of-a-kind items.
She shared: “Once we pivoted from one-of-a-kind pieces to small batches, we began exploring wholesale, which has become a significant part of our sales. It was such a surreal moment growing up at Anthropologie and then seeing my pieces on their website.”
Side hustles in numbers
Based on new research from Finder, an estimated 22.8 million Brits are using side hustles to top up their income.
Among those aged 18-23, 68 percent have a side hustle in 2024.
Those aged 24-42 aren’t far behind, with 65 per cent having an additional source of income.
Side hustles are less popular among older generations, with 40 percent of those aged 43-54 having one.
Whereas 23 percent of people aged 55-73 and just 7 per cent of those aged 74 and over are earning extra cash this way.
Now, Kate’s , as she beamed: “Our profit margin is about 50%. Up until this year, I wasn’t paying myself a proper paycheck – I would just take whatever was left over at the end of each month.”
Thrilled with her success, Kate thanked the support from her and friends and expressed her gratitude that she “dropped out [of college] and didn’t continue on the path” she was originally on.
Social media users react
users were stunned by Kate’s success and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this.
Really inspiring!
YouTube user
One person said: “It’s so great to hear about . Thank you for sharing your process. Hope you continue to be successful.”
Another added: “Smart young woman and I hope she continues to follow her dreams! She is pretty awesome.”
A third commented: “This is fantastic!!! What a great business!!”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “Really !!”
Now, the business is thrivingCredit: instagram/thesagevintage
Social media users were inspired by Kate’s successCredit: instagram/thesagevintage
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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