creating my FIRST business while competing as a student- athlete...
All college students could use extra cash. As a part of the Razorbacks Women's Tennis Team, we were not allowed to get side jobs while being a part of the team. Because I like to bend rules, make things with my hands, earn money, and use every minute of my spare time, My Modern Rustic was born.
My Modern Rustic, is a home decor company that I developed during my junior year of college. It started in January 2016, when I wanted to buy one of my best friends a wine rack. Etsy is one of my go-to sites for gifts and while searching through the available wine racks, I realized that I could easily just make one myself, instead of spending $80 for someone else to make it. I have always been very crafty and good at building things, thanks to my parents. Later that day, I found my dad and asked him if he'd help me design and construct a wooden wine rack. He told me to get the supplies from home depot and then we could get to work. I gathered a 2 x 4, 1 x 4, screws, stain, and that's it. Within the next few hours, boom! My first wine rack was complete.
I was proud of what my dad and I put together, so I posted a picture of the gift to my snapchat story. A lot of people gave me praise for the product and asked if I could make more. I really enjoyed building the wine rack and soon began selling and making more products. By February 23rd, I had my very own Etsy shop up, running, and making money. I was distributing products all over the US. By April, I was receiving too many order request and didn't have enough time to handle it alone. March- June is the peek of college tennis, so it was a very busy time for me. I brought in my boyfriend, Johan, to help run the business. He didn't even know how to hold a drill properly. After a few weeks of intense training and watching me make products, I started to let him work on certain parts of products. After a few more weeks of training and watching, I let him make products, unsupervised.
Our business was growing rapidly, and we spent the majority of our summer filling custom orders. I can proudly say that we distributed over 130 orders in the first 6 months AND maintained a 5 star review! This was the first of many businesses that I plan on starting.
While we both really enjoyed running My Modern Rustic together, we don't have the time to keep it going. BECAUSE we are investing all of our time and energy into Matrix Tennis Center now. If you want to find out more about this current business adventure, click here.
Inquires about starting your own business are welcome. Contact me
