This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Katy Allen, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee. Allen is the laminitis and CEO of Artful Agenda, which pairs "the champion of insubstantial readying pinch integer convenience," providing a customizable acquisition crossed devices. Responses person been edited for magnitude and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Artful Agenda. Katy Allen.
Want to publication much stories for illustration this? Subscribe to Money Makers, our free newsletter packed pinch imaginative broadside hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.
What was your time occupation aliases superior business erstwhile you started your broadside hustle?
I was successful nonstop income pinch Usborne Books and More (now PaperPie) and led a income squad of complete 2,000 consultants.
When did you commencement your side hustle, and wherever did you find the inspiration for it?
I started moving connected Artful Agenda successful 2017. I came up pinch the idea for it erstwhile talking to a adjacent friend astatine my daughter's babe ablution successful 2016. I ever loved insubstantial planners, but I needed thing integer that synced pinch Google Calendar. I couldn't find thing that did that while besides focusing connected being aesthetically pleasing and nosy to use.
Related: This Former Firefighter's 'Hidden' Side Hustle Turned Full-Time Business Helps Keep Homes Safe — and Saw 'Explosive Growth' to Over $27 Million Revenue
What were immoderate of the first steps you took to get your broadside hustle disconnected the ground?
I hired a business coach. At the time, her coaching business was reasonably new, truthful I was capable to get a very affordable rate. She was a head of a co-working abstraction present successful Nashville and was well-connected because of the business owners she met there. She was capable to group maine up pinch meetings pinch group who had acquisition pinch UI design, app development, etc.
The different point I did that was ace important was create a backstage Facebook group wherever I posted each of my mockups and ideas. At first, it was conscionable friends whose opinions I trusted, but the group soon grew to see different group who bought into the conception of Artful Agenda. This group gave maine unthinkable penetration into what type of merchandise I needed to make. I posted pricing surveys, asked for feedback connected mockups and more.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Artful Agenda
Are location immoderate free aliases paid resources that person been particularly adjuvant for you successful starting and moving this business?
The point that really allowed my business to return disconnected was investing successful paid online advertising. I would opportunity my advertisement agency, Foxtail Growth, was a immense portion of my early and continued success. My proposal would beryllium to find an agency that tin connection strategical maturation consulting on pinch really moving your marketing.
If you could spell backmost successful your business travel and alteration 1 process aliases approach, what would it be, and really do you wish you'd done it differently?
The first improvement institution I utilized was not a bully fit. I wish I had been much hands-on successful picking retired the institution I went with, and I wish that I had recovered a institution consenting to do a fixed value build of my first merchandise — it's difficult to find, but it does exist. This would person protected maine from a runaway fund pinch nary workable app to show for it! I ended up switching improvement companies aft the bad acquisition pinch my first, but it was a reliable and costly mistake.
When it comes to this circumstantial business, what is thing you've recovered peculiarly challenging and/or astonishing that group who get into this type of activity should beryllium prepared for, but apt aren't?
It doesn't matter really awesome your app aliases package is — you are astir apt not going to grow your business successfully without a important trading budget. It's easy to beryllium a small naive astatine first and presume that if thing you make is great, it will conscionable organically spread. I deliberation a batch of apps struggle because each of their fund goes into processing the app, but past they don't person capable of a personification guidelines to go profitable.
Related: She Started a Creative Side Hustle While Working 'Dead-End' Jobs — Then Grew It From $10,000 to Over $50,000 a Month: '[It] Became Magnetic'
Can you callback a circumstantial lawsuit erstwhile thing went very wrong? How did you hole it?
The first improvement institution I went pinch blew done my budget and only had half of the app developed. I paid what I owed them to get my code, and I recovered personification present successful Nashville who was capable to thief maine question and reply caller developers. He was a UI designer who was comparatively well-connected. He was capable to present maine to my existent improvement institution and helped maine discuss a fixed value woody to return the codification I had and make it fresh for release.
How agelong did it return you to spot accordant monthly revenue? How overmuch did the broadside hustle earn?
I started earning humble yet accordant monthly gross correct distant because I had built up a ample group of beta testers successful my backstage Facebook group. Once I launched, they were excited to go paying customers. I made $1,000 to $2,000 a month, but I wasn't profitable because I had overhead costs for things for illustration tech support. It wasn't until I ran ads for six months that I started to become profitable.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Artful Agenda
What does maturation and gross look for illustration now?
Our yearly gross gross is correct astir $3.5 cardinal now, and our mean monthly gross is astir $275,000. We are positioned to turn 10% twelvemonth complete twelvemonth successful the 2nd half of 2025. In our earlier years, maturation was beautiful accelerated — complete 100% growth twelvemonth complete year.
How overmuch clip do you walk moving connected your business? What does a emblematic time aliases week of activity look for illustration for you?
Artful Agenda is now my full-time job. I don't waste books anymore because this took disconnected truthful much. I americium usually disposable during emblematic business hours, but I americium personification who loves to person broadside quests, truthful I'm not ever moving connected Artful Agenda the full day. I person 3 young kids and a 100-year-old location that we are remodeling, truthful the magnitude I activity each time varies greatly. If we person a large inaugural aliases soul project, I whitethorn get hyper-focused and activity the full time and into the evening. But I besides person days erstwhile I'm conscionable checking in, answering immoderate messages and focusing connected different things successful my life.
Related: She Quit Her Job astatine Trader Joe's After Starting a Side Hustle With $800 — Then She and Her Brother Grew the Business to $20 Million
What do you bask astir about moving this business?
The flexibility it has afforded maine and the truth that it's not repetitive aliases mundane. The truth that I get to pat into my strengths, strategy, problem-solving and productivity makes it much fulfilling.
What is your champion portion of specific, actionable business advice?
Treat getting started for illustration a scavenger hunt. Think of 1 personification you could scope retired to for advice aliases to prime their brain. They will apt beryllium capable to constituent you successful a direction, and wherever they constituent you is the adjacent extremity connected your scavenger hunt. It took a batch of meetings and being pointed to the adjacent personification who mightiness beryllium capable to thief maine to fig retired really to really return action and make it happen. Be consenting to inquire a batch of questions and spell successful the guidance you are pointed. Every personification you talk to is different hint connected your journey.
This article is portion of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® bid highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of moving a business arsenic a woman.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·