Married couple starts spicy business worth $15,000 a month

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features husband-and-wife duo Mariana Carrizosa and Sebastian Jaramillo, both 32, who recently moved to Austin, Texas from Bogotá, Colombia. This couple launches their own infused olive oil brand Fiera FlavorWhich started as a side hustle for both of them last year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your job?
Mariana: I was a consultant at Bain & Company, and Sebastian was running his own software development firm, which he still runs today.

When did you start your side and where did you get the inspiration from?
Mariana: None of us ever planned to start a food brand. It happened like this. Sebastian actually made the first version for me on our first date in 2020. It was part of their Arrabbiata sauce recipe, and I liked it so much that I took it home in a plastic bag (my sexiest move!). We kept trying it in different recipes, gifting it to friends and family, and it just grew naturally from there. We sold our first bottle in the US last May.

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^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Fiera Flavors}

What were the first steps you took to get your cause off the ground? How much money/investment did it take to launch?
Sebastian: Once we saw that people really liked the product, the big steps were permits and branding. Validating the recipe and process for security, registering the business, trademarking and getting the look and feel right. It turned out to be more expensive than we expected because moving to America meant starting everything afresh – even the name. Our original brand in Colombia is “Bestial,” which we realized didn’t translate well here. In total, we spent about $15,000 to $20,000 on things like food scientific consulting, legal permitting, and branding.

These days you can really teach yourself anything on YouTube.

Are there any free or paid resources that have been particularly helpful to you in getting this business up and running?
Sebastian: YouTube Premium and local networking events. With the amount of knowledge people share these days, you can really teach yourself anything on YouTube. From setting up your Shopify store to automating day-to-day tasks, you can learn it all for just a dollar per month. And go to local networking events in your area, completely free. You’ll be surprised by the kindness of strangers and how much people want to help fellow entrepreneurs.

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If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach to save yourself time, energy or just a headache, what would it be, and how do you wish you had done it differently?
Mariana: I wish I had adopted a more technology-first mentality earlier. In the beginning, I spent hours every day emailing stores and manually writing follow-ups trying to reach retailers. Once Sebastian realized this, he built me ​​a tool that automated the whole thing, and we grew from about five stores to over 40 in just a few months. This gave me back at least three hours of my day. If something seems manual or repetitive, there’s probably a tool that can help you optimize it. The sooner you fix this, the sooner you can focus on the parts of the business that really move the needle.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Fiera Flavors}

When it comes to this specific business, what is something that you have found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but perhaps aren’t?
Mariana: Lack of boundaries. You are responsible for establishing and respecting them. There’s no corporate policy or boss making sure you’re not overworking yourself, not sleeping, not eating properly or not spending time with loved ones. It’s up to you whether you want to create a work-life balance, and it’s hard because every hour you don’t work feels like it has a direct impact on your business. Finding that balance is hard.

Can you remember a specific example when something went horribly wrong? How did you fix it?
Sebastian: Initially, we got overexcited and ordered 10,000 pre-labeled 16-ounce bottles from China. We quickly realized that the 16-ounce bottles were too large and had a long repurchase cycle. We had to pay for four months of storage for fifty boxes of bottles and eventually had to abandon them because no one wanted the pre-labeled packaging. The solution was simple: start small with generic packaging from a local distributor. Once you’ve proven your concept, think about custom designs and larger orders. it was a costly lessonBut one we won’t forget. For reference, our current bottle is five ounces and lasts our best customers about two weeks and our average customers a month. We missed the mark by a lot.

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How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? What do growth and revenues look like now?
For American businesses it took a few months. It takes face-time, repetition, and exposure for people to try your product, like it, and ultimately repurchase. We did a lot of farmers markets, store demos, silly social media skits – anything to get the word out.

We are aiming to double revenues next year by year end reaching consistent monthly sales of over $15,000.

It’s better to do something well and bring it to the world than to hold on to it forever.

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Mariana: Small victory. Visiting a new store, receiving a five-star review or compliment about us BrandingThose little things feel huge, and you usually experience them every day,

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What is your best specific, actionable business advice?
Mariana: “Lo perfecto es enimigo de lo bueno.” Basically what it means is that doing something well and putting it out into the world is better than holding on to it forever, trying to make it perfect. I struggle with this all the time. I hate putting things out that don’t look 110% polished. Sebastian usually reminds me to aim for “less perfect, more perfect” and honestly, that’s the only way to really move forward and get on with the never-ending to-do list.

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features husband-and-wife duo Mariana Carrizosa and Sebastian Jaramillo, both 32, who recently moved to Austin, Texas from Bogotá, Colombia. This couple launches their own infused olive oil brand Fiera FlavorWhich started as a side hustle for both of them last year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Want to read more stories like this? agree money makers, Our free newsletter is full of creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.