Easton woman turns Etsy side hustle into multi-million dollar business
EASTON – Whether it's trying to pay off holiday debt or working to boost your bank account in the new year, plenty of people are looking for a side hustle.
While Uber, eBay and Airbnb are popular, a North Easton woman said the real money is in Etsy.
Julie Berninger said she wanted to free herself from the stresses and restraints of the tech world.
First, she started with blogging and podcasting.
"I interviewed people about their paths to financial independence," Berninger said.
And that is when her life changed during a chance meeting at a conference.
"I was in line for tacos," Berninger said. "And the woman who was in front of me was an Etsy seller. And we just got into one of those awkward conversations in line and she said I make six figures selling digital products on Etsy and my own website."
That's when Berninger jumped into selling online, starting with temporary tattoos.
Berninger quickly realized it required more time than she had to give.
"The extra work on top of my day job, worrying about shipping and inventory. It was just a little too much," Berninger said.
And yet, she didn't give up.
Eventually, Berninger discovered a more passive income was the way to go by creating printables.
"The idea of selling a digital product was really intriguing to me," Berninger said. "Because you just make it once and theoretically thousands could buy it from you with very little action from you after."
Just five years after joining Etsy, Berninger is now self-employed and owns a multi-million dollar company called Gold City Ventures.
And she's teaching others how to side hustle on Etsy.
"It felt like something almost that I had to do in order to make everything work. And I'm a huge advocate of other people starting online businesses. Because it will give them that flexibility that they don't think they will have working for someone else or in a more traditional 9-5 environment," Berninger said.
Berninger told WBZ-TV that the main source of revenue has become teaching others how to side hustle. But, she still loves selling printables to earn extra cash and makes money off of her blog.
