This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Paris Emily Nicholson, 26, and Saskia Teje Jenkins, 25. The business partners and friends started working at the Australian fashion brand Your Amelie as a side hustle in 2020 at just $2,500 each and have since grown it into seven figures. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Image credit: Courtesy of Amelie Teje
What was your day job or main occupation when you started? side hustle?
Nicholson: I was at the end of finishing my Business and Events Marketing degree at university while working part-time in retail and doing freelance digital marketing for a bunch of e-commerce brands.
Jenkins: I was a full-time model. I worked between LA, London and Australia. I've never been home for more than a month, usually going to the next country, and I've never settled anywhere for a long time.
When you started yours side hustleand where did you find the inspiration for it?
Nicholson: After freelancing in digital marketing, I quickly realized that I preferred working for myself. Working with e-commerce fashion labels, I fell more and more in love with the idea of having my own. I saw that there were some gaps in the market. I felt that my wardrobe was missing pieces that I wanted to create myself. Saskia and I sat down one day in 2020 and started discussing the idea. Since that day, we made our dream come true, officially launching Amelie Teje in early 2021. We've been hustling every day since then!
Jenkins: We started during the pandemic, like many new businesses. It was the first time I had to stay for a long period and I started to reflect a lot about where I was in my life and where I wanted to go. I've always been so obsessed with fashion and being creative. I feel like it's the one thing I'll never get bored of; in fact, it completely recharges me. I've always dreamed of owning a fashion company, but I didn't believe I could achieve it as I went straight from school to modeling without a university education. But being around designers, creatives, production managers and everything in between taught me so much. Just by watching and listening, I got so much, and I wasn't afraid to poke my nose and ask questions when I could! Then one day Paris and I got into the subject of what we should do next and the idea was born.
Image credit: Courtesy of Amelie Teje
What were some of the first steps you took to get yours side hustle from the ground?
Nicholson: We started by writing the potential business namesand we came up with the idea of combining our two middle names: Amelie Teje. Then, we started drawing logo designs and discussing what we wanted to create and share with the rest of the world. Once we had a vision of what we wanted Amelie Teje to look like, we began searching the internet for manufacturers we thought would be the best fit for our brand. We did a lot of research to understand our ideal customers and who our potential competitors would be. We started making sacrifices and started saving like crazy so we could put whatever savings we had into our first collection.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your build? side hustleand how did you navigate them?
Nicholson: My biggest challenge was juggling my paid jobs at the time with the business, as we weren't pulling in any money for at least the first two years. Trying to put all the money I was making from my jobs into the business and not seeing a return was difficult. It almost felt like I was throwing money away for the first two years. Finding the right work/life balance it was also a struggle because, as a 22-year-old, I always wanted to go out and see my friends, and a lot of the time I had to work instead. Late nights and weekends became mostly Amelie Teje's time. It was difficult at first, but I really believed in and loved the brand so much that I was willing to make sacrifices.
Jenkins: I would say the biggest challenge was trying to juggle modeling with the brand when Amelie Teje started to grow quickly. It was nice to manage the balance when Amelie wasn't taking most of the time, but the goal was always to be Amelie Teje no. 1. It's an amazing problem to have, but still stressful. Shoot a nine-hour day, then go straight to the office until 10pm, only to wake up and do it all over again. We were packing the orders ourselves from a small room. We decided the next step was to move to a 3PL distributor. I also decided it was time to retire my modeling work and be more careful about what I took on.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly income? How much did the side hustle earn?
It took at least two years to see it stable income. It was depressing when we would have a good month and think, Maybe this is the moment it starts. But then, it goes back down. After the two-year point, we were running steady (or better) and sales every month. In the two year period, we only made $549,993.32.
Image credit: Courtesy of Amelie Teje
What do growth and revenue look like now?
Here are some fun stats from October:
Sales increased by 1,318% from financial year 2021 to 2024, and gross profit increased by 472% during the same period.
We are now running one multimillion dollar business — Something we never thought we would be able to say!
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Nicholson: There are so many things I love about directing Amelie. I love working with my best friend every day. Being able to share the same vision is such a special and exciting thing. I love feeling proud and being so passionate about my work every day. I love navigating the challenges we face, Networkingtraveling and just creating pieces that people feel amazing all over the world. There is no better feeling!
Jenkins: I work with my best friend every day. It's always a pleasure to go to work. Even on the bad days, we find comfort in doing it together. I'd be lying if I said I could JOURNEY wherever we want for photo shoots is not amazing, and to be able to work with our hours.
What advice do you have for others hoping to start out? successful side rushes or their full-time businesses?
Nicholson: Never give up. No matter how hard some days are. If you are passionate enough for something, it will work as you imagine. There will be times when you think to yourself, Is it really worth the stress and anxiety? Or, Am Am I really ready for this? But you have to trust the process. Work hard, make sacrifices and never say no to the opportunities that scare you the most. There's always room to grow, so make sure you're constantly willing to learn and don't be afraid to ask for help and advice from people who've done it before. I always say that an inch of forward movement is better than a mile of purpose.
Jenkins: Just keep going. There will be times when you think it's easier to just go back to what's easy. If you're truly passionate about whatever business you're starting, you won't even see quitting as an option. If something sets you back, learn from it and use it as ammunition to move forward again. And sometimes you will have to sacrifice fun things for your future: a trip, a handbag, a night out, a lazy day… it will all be worth it one day! Paris and me never have a day offeven if we're on vacation or traveling or hungry (everyone needs to quit sometimes!). If there's an email that needs answering, WhatsApp messages from international production teams in different time zones buzzing, customs forms that need to be filled out before the bulk is rejected, or Zoom meetings with colleagues – we'll do it. Even if we want to switch off, we know it's not an option. Some people may think this is depressing, but it enlightens us. We love this business so much – we wouldn't change it for the world!
This article is part of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a new business owner.