Kyle Hollenbeck, Co-Founder of Blt Kitchens and Family of Brands.
It seems like everyone wants a side hustle these days—and for good reason. But the truth is, many people overcomplicate it or overspend. I have built multiple brands on tight budgets, and along the way, I’ve learned how to be scrappy, resourceful and smart with my hustle. Here’s what I’ve learned:
When hiring, call it a side hustle, not a part-time job.
Wording matters. When we post on job boards, we don’t call it a “part-time position”—we call it a “side hustle.” Why? Because people are looking for ownership and opportunity, not just hours.
Shift the narrative, and you can attract a different kind of energy. This “Uber Eats era” has turned so many of what we use to call side jobs into something more, where people can make their own hours or even work as hard as they want to make as much as they want.
We run concessions for a few different venues. When trying to get people to come and bartend for five hours, I’ve found that since this is a quick way to make money, calling it a “side hustle” makes many people more inclined.
Never set it and forget it.
I learned this the hard way with one of my businesses. When we launched in a local grocer, things were great while the store managed the warehouse product. But once we switched to a distributor, we assumed they’d handle everything, from A to Z. Big mistake. Distributors have thousands of SKUs—they’re probably not going to baby your brand.
You need to stay involved, drive the momentum and treat the situation like a partnership, not a handoff. We started hiring fractional merchandisers and have even outsourced these people to other brands to cover our costs. This is a great way to double dip on covering as much ground as possible. Putting all your processes on auto pilot is the easiest way to crash the business.
Consider using fractional sales to stay lean.
You probably don’t need a full sales team—especially at the start. Fractional sales (hiring reps part time or commission-only) gives you flexibility without overhead. Whether it’s someone selling your product at events or stores, or even pitching to new accounts, you can scale sales efforts without locking into full salaries.
There are also companies where they will manage the fractional sales person, and that individual will give you weekly reports. This allows you to have someone who is selling full time, but your brand might be one of four brands they represent. I have seen this be effective, but you’ve got to stay on top of them—do not think you can just pay the bill and they will do the job.
Test before you buy.
I have recently been offered several test market options for my company before a major investment. These opportunities allow you to run your product in a store for a quarter or two to see how it performs. I would say this is the best way to confirm an opportunity is the right fit for your business.
We recently were offered a new market. We figured if the distributor can bring in the product and we as a company can book a short-term rental, we could set up shop in this new state and try selling for 90 days to get the market off the ground. By doing this—instead of setting up a bunch of sales reps without knowing if the market would work—you can test drive the market.
Some big companies do road shows where they expect you to come in, sample and sell over a weekend. Sometimes, this is a once-in-a-brand’s-lifetime chance, and you’ve got to make it happen! The hustle starts from opening to close. There are even companies you can hire to help in many cases.
Learn from every misstep, then move.
The best budget hacks are often born from mistakes. From launching into the wrong markets to assuming someone else will care as much as you do—each lesson costs something. The trick is making sure you never pay for the same lesson twice.
You don’t need a VC check to build something meaningful. You just need hustle, intention and a little creativity. Stay scrappy—and keep moving.
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