I started side hustle from kitchen table & brought scrap paper to first meeting in huge error – now my salary’s tripled
A CASH-SAVVY woman has revealed how she easily tripled her salary through a simple side hustle.
Natalie Glaze, 32, co-founded Stay Wild, a sustainable swimwear brand, that was started from her kitchen table and quickly caught the eye of Selfridges.
The part-time business started back in 2018 when Natalia had a casual conversation with her pal about recycling plastic from the ocean.
The two bonded over brunch and started speaking about how to turn unwanted plastic into classy swimwear.
The digital-media-consultant-turned-CEO says she tested out an idea on Instagram before receiving thousands of positive reviews about a few pieces of clothing.
Once noticing the idea could easily become reality the dynamic duo set about creating a vision for the company as they started to draw up even more designs.
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Both were complete novices in the fashion industry to begin with an embarrassing blunder seeing Natalia rock up to a manufacturer with designs drawn on scrap paper.
She says she was practically laughed out of the warehouse due to the error.
Now a successful businesswoman, Natalia recalled her first few weeks working on the brand.
She said: “It all happened so quickly. Me and my business partner asked our followers if they would be interested in a brand that made premium, sustainable swimwear.
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"Four weeks later, Selfridges were asking to see our designs.
“It was clear we had identified a gap in the market, and so we started creating immediately – but we had no experience at all.
“I turned up to a manufacturer with sketches I’d drawn on a piece of paper. I had absolutely no idea you had to make them in a special digital file.
"We were practically laughed out of the room.";
The leap of faith soon started to pay off with an Instagram account set up for the brand skyrocketing with followers.
At its peak the account was gaining a whopping 10,000 followers in a single day.
Realising the potential gold mine they had on their hands, the pair began researching factories.
They soon partnered with one in London and learnt the ropes of the fashion industry as they went.
Natalie said it was a whole new world, and I had no idea what they were talking about half the time.
"When you’re passionate, you just figure it out - I Googled everything and taught myself on the job," she added.
After the initial conversations with Selfridges the major retailer took a chance on Stay Wild after just four weeks
Natalie said: "Selfridges approached us and helped us launch the brand.
"It was incredible to see how much appetite there was for sustainable fashion."
What started as a high-fashion swimwear line has since evolved into a nature-focused outdoor brand, reflecting Natalie’s love for sustainability.
She added: "Sustainability is a big part of my life.
"Every decision we make is about being conscious of the planet while offering luxury products."
From a modest brunch idea to a business empire, Natalie’s side hustle now makes her three times her salary of her full-time job she continues to do.
Natalie credits social media as a key factor in her success.
She said: "There would be no business without it.
"We shared every part of the journey — the behind-the-scenes, the decision-making.
"It’s about storytelling and making people feel part of the process."
Now with over 54,000 followers on Instagram, she says the platform has been vital for growing her brand and connecting with customers.
But the road to success hasn’t been without challenges.
Juggling a full-time job while building Stay Wild on the side was tough.
Natalie said: "In the early days, I worked my socks off, it was wild, but having my main income as a safety net allowed me to be creative without taking on financial pressure."
Since the initial success, Natalie has even partnered with her mum to launch a second side hustle called By Glaze.
The sustainable jewellery brand was made in lockdown 2021 and has grown ever since.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: "Just start.
"Get your product or idea out there, even if it’s not perfect.
"It will evolve over time."
It comes as new Sage research reveals three quarters of Brits believe running multiple side hustles alongside a full-time job is the future of work.
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The trend for multiple side hustles – dubbed a ‘portfolio’ career – is now so popular among young people that half of under 34s seek help from an accountant to manage their cash, according to Sage’s research.
Natalie added: “My journey with Stay Wild Swim and By Glaze has shown me how valuable it is to have the right tools at your side, like Sage’s support for self-starters and small business owners. With a system that simplifies taxes and financial tracking, I can stay focused on growing my business."
Side Hustle Advice
Natalie said that the key to starting a business is to just get the product and idea's out there.
She said:
"It starts with an idea but your business won’t be perfect straight away and that's fine, the key is an open line of communication with customers and creating an online community - you’ll get feedback and you just adjust accordingly.
“Everything about the industry was new to me. It’s like they have their own language, and I had no idea what they were talking about most of the time but you just learn on the job.
"Social media can be an income alone, I have lots of friends whose entire income is social media but you have to be authentic to build this, people can tell when you’re just in it for the money.
"There's no golden rule but my advice for nailing social media is find your niche and community and then be consistent - communicate with them and build your own community.
"Always have a back up, it takes the pressure off of your side hustle and allows it to grow naturally.
"Having multiple income streams certainly helps to navigate the fear of jumping in the deep end when you start out. But one thing that can be a little more testing is the administration side of managing multiple businesses at the same time."
