‘I quit my 9-5 job to sell phone cases on Etsy – now I earn £92,000’

A mum quit her demanding 9-5 retail job and started selling phone cases on Etsy – now she’s raking in £92,000 a year.

Anastasia Visnakova started watching YouTube tutorials and made the cases from her living room.

Now, together with partner Robert Henson, 31, they run the ‘Happy Avocado’ store from the comfort of their Glasgow home.

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But it didn’t immediately take off. It’s only now after years of hard work that the mum is seeing a decent return.

Anastasia shared her story with LatestDeals.co.uk. She said: “I was a one-woman operation at the beginning, and I wanted to sell a product which didn’t take up much space in the house, and it was easy to take to the post office.

“I watched some YouTube videos on making and selling phone cases and I was inspired to try it for myself. That’s how Happy Avocado Store was born.”

She started making her own cases in 2016, and one year later she was ready to try and sell them online.

Anastasia continued: “One of the main obstacles I had to overcome was learning to manage a work/life balance. Before I had my girl, I could work from 9 in the morning until 10 in the evening and reply to messages at night. I would work weekends and holidays. Later I realised that it was not healthy and that it is more beneficial to spend some quality time with my family and friends.

“I started my business as a hobby when I was working at Debenhams. I quit this job for another which didn’t work out. At that point, I realised I did not want to go back to a 9-5 job and I made the decision to start growing my business full-time.

“Back then I was not sure if I would ever make any money from it. In our first year on Etsy, I only made £413.

“Now the times have changed! This year so far on Etsy alone we have made £30,000. We make around £80,000 annually – last year we made £92,000.”

The 33-year-old explained that they’ve taken steps to make sure they keep costs low during the cost of living crisis.

“At the beginning, we were very frugal and had a great routine of putting money back into the business in order to let it grow,” she added.

“We make all our products ourselves and we design and make our own packaging labels. This saves a lot of money at a time when everything is becoming more expensive.

“We converted one of the rooms into an office and I work from the living room. It’s small but it works and it’s enough for us. The rent savings are also well worth it!

“My advice for those looking to start their own business is quite simple. Firstly, do your research. There is so much free information and there are a lot of helpful tools online. Secondly, make sure you’re doing something you actually enjoy. If you don’t like what you do you will give up sooner or later.

“Thirdly, just do it! It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just starting is the most important part. You will see what works and what doesn’t. Later you will evolve and get better. Put in the time and effort, and you’ll get there.”

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