This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Angelina Licari, a 23-year-old recent college graduate based in Dallas, Texas. Licari has earned a steady income as a salesman Poshmarka social commerce marketplace featuring new and used clothing and other products.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Poshmark. Angelina Licari.}

When you started yours side hustleand where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started my own first Poshmark side hustle in 2016 as a high schooler saving for college. I remember looking up”the best side hustles for high school students” and finding Poshmark. I thought it could be a fun way to make money selling clothes I no longer wore. I continued to sell on Poshmark in college and had the opportunity to become a Campus Representative, which included introducing other students to the platform After a few months of sailing post-graduate life and trying to decide what was next for me, I decided to take a mental break and give myself some time to process and plan. But I still had bills to pay and I couldn't move forward without an income. I remember thinking about what to do when an “aha” moment hit: Poshmark, of course! I decided to start again in August 2022.

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What were some of the first steps you took to get yours side hustle from the ground?
At the beginning of my post-graduation journey on Poshmark, I only sold items from my personal closet that I no longer wore. I created an Instagram account for my business and followed other sellers, and that's where I started to learn more and more about the possibility of turning a seemingly simple side hustle of selling my clothes into something much bigger. In September 2022, Poshmark announced the beta launch of Poshmark Live Shows and I immediately applied. I was approved to host Poshmark Live Shows, where I could engage with an audience and showcase items in real time, and thought it was worth a try. After a few shows, I quit. I saw the potential in it building my business and never looked back.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during that time? building your side hustleand how did you navigate them?
After several continuous shows, I realized that if I really wanted to build my business, I had a lot of bases to throw. I quickly became a high volume seller and only had so much of my clothing to sell. I needed to expand my inventory to provide my audience with the items they were looking for. Around this time, I started sourcing more inventory from other used clothing sellers. I've been through a lot growing pains during my side hustle trip, including sourcing and returning home only to notice stains and/or holes in items that ended up unsellable, optimizing my time as a high volume sales team and reducing cost of goods across the board.

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How long did it take you to see consistent monthly income? How much did the side hustle earn?
Thankfully, I was able to achieve a fairly consistent monthly income fairly quickly, but it wasn't until January of this year that I really felt like I had found a steady strategy that worked best for me. I decided to take the Poshmark side hustle full time and have had nearly $60,000 in sales with a lot of momentum growing month over month.

What do growth and revenue look like now?
So far in 2024, my income is double what it was at this point in 2023. Q1 of 2024 produced over 90% growth compared to Q1 in 2023.

What do you enjoy most about working on this side hustle?
I love her creative freedom that my Poshmark side hustle has allowed me to have. Working in the used clothing industry gives me the opportunity to curate specific inventory based on what my audience likes and current trends, while keeping it affordable and sustainable.

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What is your advice to others hoping to start their own successful businesses?
When debating which side hustle is right for you or if you should pursue it casually creative ideas you had, why not go for it? There are endless possibilities to create anything you want, even if it seems out of reach. My biggest tip for anyone hoping to start one successful side hustle is staying true to you. Follow your heart, trust your gut and have fun with it. Allow yourself the space to feel growing pains, but don't let them discourage you from getting back up and trying again.

This article is part of our continuity The Young Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a new business owner.