She Built a $33K/Month Side Hustle in Only 4 Years

Chisom Okwulehie is the co-founder of Juntero, a productised interior and graphic design company 👍

Per a recent interview, she started the business with her husband and in 2021…

I made about $55,000 that year and over $200,000 the next. Then, in 2023, I exceeded $400,000.

Back in 2017…

I started working at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where I design and manage infrastructure projects.

She’s still working that 6-figure job while running Juntero as a side hustle 🤯

Chisom’s motivation for starting her own thing…

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, I’d had my first child and was told we wouldn’t receive a merit-based pay increase at work, so I wanted to find ways to supplement my income.

🧐 How she decided what to focus on…

I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials to prepare and experimented with my different talents — web design, photo editing, graphic design, architecture design and interior design. People gravitated towards my architecture and interior design services.

Initially for traction…

it all started with me taking on small projects on different platforms and charging as little as $20…

I kept my prices low to build a portfolio and accumulate strong testimonials. That credibility is the greatest currency and helped me increase my visibility; for every 10 pieces of positive feedback, I’d raise my hourly rate by $20. Eventually, I learned not to trade my time for money and switched to fixed rates.

Then 👇

Near the end of 2021, I realized that I couldn’t help as many clients as I wanted, so I had to put my ego aside and trust other people. I started hiring other designers on a project-based model. They’re not employees; they’re contractors. So, since 2022, I’ve outsourced more than 90% of the work.

Juntero now charges from $4-10K per month for their interior and architectural design services.

Pretty incredible that Chisom has been able to build such a business while still working a day job and being a new mom 💪

She mentions 3 things that seem to be the keys to her success…

If you have the patience, due diligence and organization skills, you should figure out ways to monetize your talents.

My key takeaway here though is how she started out charging $20 per project, and now just a few years later she’s pulling in $400K/year 💰

Big things can come from small beginnings.

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