Rodney Melton turned his side hustle into a six-figure business. Now he works less, makes more and spends extra time with his family.
What To Know: In 2021, 55-year-old Melton was working 60 hours per week at a pet store. That's when he decided to start a side hustle molding, engraving and selling headstones for pet memorials on the Etsy Inc ETSY marketplace.
In less than a year, the side hustle turned into a six-figure business. Now Melton works just five hours a day and generates more than $200,000 per year in revenue through his headstone business, according to a CNBC report.
"Anyone can do this. I’d say you need $10,000 or less to get started," Melton said.
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When he first got started, it would take Melton two or three days to mold the headstones and another five hours or so to engrave them. But after finding success with the side hustle, Melton began investing to grow his operation.
He upgraded his engraver and invested in other tools, including a sandblaster and a granite saw and chisel. The investments started cutting into the time required to make a piece, which helped him improve sales.
In one month last year, Melton's Etsy business brought in close to $20,000 and he decided to quit his job and go full time. He hired his daughter and daughter-in-law to help out and the team was able to grow the business enough to bring in approximately $207,000 in 2022.
They profited about $135,000 from the operation and Melton expects the business to generate roughly the same amount this year. Plus he's working a lot less than he used to and gets to spend more time with the people he loves.
"I work 75 feet out my back door — it’s freed up so much time and given me the opportunity to just be with my family a whole lot more," Melton said.
"I can make a good living shipping everything the way we do now."
This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.
Photo: Ted Erski from Pixabay.
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