After Being Laid Off, He Started a Side Hustle With Facebook. It Made Almost $3 Million Last Year: 'I Bought My Mom a $50,000 SUV.'

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Carlos Ugalde, 52, of Las Vegas, Nevada. Ugalde is the laminitis of print-on-demand apparel marque House of Chingasos. Responses person been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Image Credit: Courtesy of House of Chingasos

What was your time occupation aliases superior business erstwhile you started your broadside hustle?
I was a copywriter and landing page designer astatine a Google trading agency.

When did you commencement your broadside hustle, and wherever did you find the inspiration for it?
I started successful December 2018. I was fto spell owed to downsizing, and my chances of getting paid the aforesaid arsenic I was were beautiful slim, truthful I decided the only action was to start my ain business.

Related: At 16, She Started a Side Hustle While 'Stuck astatine Home.' Now It's connected Track to Earn Over $3.1 Million This Year.

What were immoderate of the first steps you took to get your broadside hustle disconnected the ground?
I instantly opened a Shopify storefront, created astir 10 very basal designs, connected it to the print-on-demand level Printful and started running Facebook ads, learning arsenic I went.

Image Credit: Courtesy of House of Chingasos

What were immoderate of the biggest challenges you faced while building your broadside hustle, and really did you navigate them?
I knew adjacent to thing astir digital marketing, what designs group would for illustration and if my website would trim done the sound of each the Amazon sellers, T-shirt upload sites, Etsy sellers and Latino brands already successful the market.

So, I tested designs early and often utilizing social media ads, arsenic I did successfully pinch Facebook. Running short-term ads to spot what resonated allowed maine to study what appealed to my assemblage and make data-driven decisions. This strategy not only helped maine select retired little celebrated designs but besides provided the basal insights into the types of messaging and visuals that link pinch my Latino audience. By leveraging a perpetually increasing societal media and email following, I could continuously refine the marque and merchandise offerings to enactment unsocial successful a crowded market.

Image Credit: Courtesy of House of Chingasos

Related: This Couple Started a Side Hustle Out of Their Volkswagen. It Made $1 Million a Month Last Year and Is 'So Fulfilling.'

How agelong did it return you to spot accordant monthly revenue? How overmuch did the broadside hustle earn?
The business earned $2,500 successful the first month, $11,000 successful the 2nd and $54,000 successful the third. Then, I was disconnected to the races and overmuch much assured successful my creation and marketing abilities.

What does maturation and gross look for illustration now?
In 2023, we deed almost $3 cardinal successful gross and a astir 70% summation complete 2022.

What do you bask astir about moving this business?
I emotion creating thing meaningfully connected pinch my Latino assemblage (I emotion looking astatine my reviews page). I besides bask the restitution and pridefulness of creating thing connected my ain that allows maine freedom of time and finances. I conscionable bought my mom a $50,000 SUV arsenic a Christmas gift.

Image Credit: Courtesy of House of Chingasos

Related: These College Classmates Started a Side Hustle to Solve a Common Household Problem — Then Scaled It From $0 to Over $50 Million successful Under 4 Years

What's your proposal for others hoping to commencement successful broadside hustles aliases businesses of their own?
Don't look astatine the obstacles successful beforehand of you. Just determine what you are going to do and spell aft it. Decide that success is the only option! Be elastic successful your approach, and ne'er extremity learning.