This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Katy Allen, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee. Allen is the founder and CEO of Artful Agenda, which pairs “one of the best of paper planning with digital comfort,” offering a customizable expertise throughout gadgets. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Suave Agenda. Katy Allen.
Wish to learn extra tales like this? Subscribe to Cash Makers, our free publication full of inventive aspect hustle concepts and profitable methods. Sign up here.
What was your day job or main occupation if you began your aspect hustle?
I used to be in direct gross sales with Usborne Books and Extra (now PaperPie) and led a gross sales crew of over 2,000 consultants.
When did you begin your side hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
I began engaged on Suave Agenda in 2017. I got here up with the idea for it when speaking to an in depth good friend at my daughter’s child bathe in 2016. I at all times liked paper planners, however I wanted one thing digital that synced with Google Calendar. I could not discover something that did that whereas additionally specializing in being aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to make use of.
What have been a few of the first steps you took to get your aspect hustle off the bottom?
I employed a enterprise coach. On the time, her coaching business was pretty new, so I used to be capable of get a really reasonably priced fee. She was a supervisor of a co-working area right here in Nashville and was well-connected due to the enterprise homeowners she met there. She was capable of set me up with conferences with individuals who had expertise with UI design, app improvement, and so forth.
The opposite factor I did that was tremendous necessary was create a non-public Facebook group the place I posted all of my mockups and concepts. At first, it was simply pals whose opinions I trusted, however the group quickly grew to incorporate different individuals who purchased into the idea of Suave Agenda. This group gave me unimaginable perception into what sort of product I wanted to make. I posted pricing surveys, requested for suggestions on mockups and extra.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Suave Agenda
Are there any free or paid sources which were particularly useful for you in beginning and operating this enterprise?
The factor that actually allowed my enterprise to take off was investing in paid online advertising. I might say my advert company, Foxtail Progress, was an enormous a part of my early and continued success. My recommendation can be to search out an company that may supply strategic development consulting together with really operating your advertising and marketing.
Should you might return in your enterprise journey and alter one course of or strategy, what wouldn’t it be, and the way do you would like you’d carried out it otherwise?
The primary improvement firm I used was not an excellent match. I want I had been extra hands-on in selecting out the corporate I went with, and I want that I had discovered an organization keen to do a set worth construct of my preliminary product — it is onerous to search out, nevertheless it does exist. This is able to have protected me from a runaway finances with no workable app to point out for it! I ended up switching improvement corporations after the unhealthy expertise with my first, nevertheless it was a troublesome and costly mistake.
In relation to this particular enterprise, what’s one thing you’ve got discovered notably difficult and/or stunning that individuals who get into this kind of work needs to be ready for, however doubtless aren’t?
It would not matter how superior your app or software program is — you might be most definitely not going to grow your business efficiently and not using a vital advertising and marketing finances. It is easy to be a little bit naive at first and assume that if one thing you make is nice, it’ll simply organically unfold. I believe lots of apps battle as a result of all of their finances goes into growing the app, however then they do not have sufficient of a person base to develop into worthwhile.
Are you able to recall a selected occasion when one thing went very fallacious? How did you repair it?
The primary improvement firm I went with blew by my budget and solely had half of the app developed. I paid what I owed them to get my code, and I discovered somebody right here in Nashville who was capable of assist me interview new builders. He was a UI designer who was comparatively well-connected. He was capable of introduce me to my present improvement firm and helped me negotiate a set worth deal to take the code I had and make it prepared for launch.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the aspect hustle earn?
I began incomes modest but constant month-to-month income immediately as a result of I had constructed up a big group of beta testers in my non-public Fb group. As soon as I launched, they have been excited to develop into paying clients. I made $1,000 to $2,000 a month, however I wasn’t worthwhile as a result of I had overhead prices for issues like tech assist. It wasn’t till I ran advertisements for six months that I began to become profitable.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Suave Agenda
What does development and income seem like now?
Our annual gross income is correct round $3.5 million now, and our common month-to-month gross is round $275,000. We’re positioned to develop 10% yr over yr within the second half of 2025. In our earlier years, development was fairly speedy — over 100% growth yr over yr.
How a lot time do you spend engaged on your enterprise? What does a typical day or week of labor seem like for you?
Suave Agenda is now my full-time job. I do not promote books anymore as a result of this took off a lot. I’m normally obtainable throughout typical enterprise hours, however I’m somebody who likes to have aspect quests, so I am not at all times engaged on Suave Agenda the entire day. I’ve three younger youngsters and a 100-year-old home that we’re transforming, so the quantity I work every day varies enormously. If we now have an enormous initiative or inside challenge, I’ll get hyper-focused and work all the day and into the night. However I even have days after I’m simply checking in, answering some messages and specializing in different issues in my life.
What do you get pleasure from most about operating this enterprise?
The flexibility it has afforded me and the truth that it isn’t repetitive or mundane. The truth that I get to faucet into my strengths, technique, problem-solving and creativity makes it extra fulfilling.
What’s your finest piece of particular, actionable enterprise recommendation?
Deal with getting began like a scavenger hunt. Consider one particular person you might attain out to for advice or to choose their mind. They’ll doubtless have the ability to level you in a course, and the place they level you is the subsequent cease in your scavenger hunt. It took lots of conferences and being pointed to the subsequent one that would possibly have the ability to assist me to determine really take motion and make it occur. Be keen to ask lots of questions and go within the course you might be pointed. Each particular person you discuss to is one other clue in your journey.
This text is a part of our ongoing Girls Entrepreneur® sequence highlighting the tales, challenges and triumphs of operating a enterprise as a girl.
This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Katy Allen, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee. Allen is the founder and CEO of Artful Agenda, which pairs “one of the best of paper planning with digital comfort,” offering a customizable expertise throughout gadgets. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Suave Agenda. Katy Allen.
The remainder of this text is locked.
Be part of Entrepreneur+ right this moment for entry.
