Over the past few weeks, I’ve thought a lot about side jobs and their impact on personal finances.
Although I do not plan to turn Invested Wallet in a side hustle, I think there’s so much value that comes with side hustling.
It helped me pay off debts and learn about business.
I would like to interview people who are doing a side gig. The questions are similar but may vary depending on the side hustle.
It doesn’t really matter what you do as a side hustle, I just want to see some variety.
It’s interesting to hear about other people’s side hustles. What they created and why is also cool.
Todd [at] InvestedWallet [dot] Com is my email address if you’re interested in having your side hustle featured.
In Side Hustle Corner 1, I am featuring my co-worker Chris Reese, who is running an e-commerce business called Mose Martin Independent Luxury Eyewear. Follow the brand on Instagram by searching mose_martin.
Here is the interview I conducted with him.
Tell us about yourself.
31 years old. Married. Father of two. Twins. Lover of film, video games, fashion, Disneyland, music and tech. Nostalgia enthusiast.
I am fluent in Spanish. I am an ice-cream connoisseur. If I could, I would love to be the sixth member of the Simpsons.
What’s your side hustle? What is your side hustle?
Since early 2016, my sole focus has been on creating eyewear that reflects my own personal style and interests, under the label “Mose Martin” (named for my grandfather).
My good friend, who was around 8 years old at the time, got glasses prescribed. I remember when he first wore his new glasses to school, everyone wanted to shake hands with him. He was THE man.
The crowds were literally following him. From that moment on, I understood that only eyewear could change someone’s appearance and increase their cool factor 100x.
I love the rich history and connections between eyewear, Hollywood and fashion. All of these things I love at a molecular level.
For me, eyewear is the perfect combination of my passions. To me, it just makes sense. There’s no cooler.
What are your plans for standing out from the crowd in the ecommerce and eyewear industry?
From the beginning, my focus was pretty narrow. I wanted to create eyewear I would wear myself or that I’d love to see on my wife. I hope that my taste in design will appeal to others, but this was the focus of my design philosophy.
Good design is synonymous with quality in my eyes. I don’t like ‘cheap,’ but appreciate the durability and beauty of craftsmanship. In order to achieve this, I have sought out the best materials available in the optical industry to create my eyewear. This has led me to establish relationships with artisans from all over the globe (Italy Japan Germany etc.). To source the various pieces that go into Mose Martin frame.
All Mose Martin frames currently are manufactured to the same specifications and quality as brands that sell for over $400.
We have been able to lower the cost of our frames by a significant amount. Mose Martin frames currently start at $135, and go up to $150. They are of a high quality and can compete with the best designer brands around the world.
This confidence is backed up by a lifetime guarantee on all of our frames.
Mose Martin was built on Shopify. It is one of the most popular platforms for all your ecommerce needs. Shopify is the best platform to use if you want to start a legitimate dropshipping or ecommerce business. Start by signing up for your free trial.
Why did you start a side business? You can choose from a variety of options, including: creating your own business, increasing income, the potential to flip, passive revenue, combining things, etc.
Creative fulfillment. Creative fulfillment.
I want to keep working in tech. (Shout out EveryoneSocial!) In the next few year, I will successfully exit from some of my current projects and then pursue Mose Martin at full-time. It would be my dream to pass this brand on to my children someday.
What was the hardest part of starting your side business?
It was a challenge to learn how to design glasses from scratch using less-than-ideal tools. It was much more difficult to find factories who would work with a brand as small as ours in the beginning. They would also allow us to place orders in small batches and meet all of the quality standards.
After 5 factories and tens thousands of dollars, I spent 2 years of hard work to find the one that met my strict quality standards. This process took so long that I was almost burnt out.
In 2018, I took a one-month break to reflect on why I was doing it and to determine if I was truly passionate about completing the project. After talking to my mirror, my spouse, and a few trusted advisors, I was able to pick myself up and go full speed ahead.
It was hard for me to accept that as an outsider in the industry with no connections to the optical world, the only way to succeed was to try and fail. It would take patience and time. I embraced that and never looked back.
Related: There are many side hustles, but which can produce a full time income? Here are 7 side hustle ideas that can lead to a full-time income.
What are your ultimate goals for your side hustle business? What are your goals and how do you plan to achieve them?
What is the ultimate goal? The ultimate goal is to become a global eyewear brand loved by people around the world. We have something important to say, and we convey that through our brand and designs.
I have a personal goal that I would like to achieve from a business standpoint to ensure that things grow and scale effectively so that we can remain in business. But to me, that’s the less exciting goal.
It would be a great honor to know that someone in London was wearing a pair Mose Martin glasses and smiling from ear-to-ear, and I knew it.
What advice would you offer to those who are looking to start a similar side business?
Don’t wait, start now.
It will be difficult, and there will probably be times of frustration or unhealthy levels of doubt. But if you can get through this you will see that you are capable of anything.
Be patient, Rome was not built in one day.
You can add anything else.
Send me an email if you want to talk about eyewear, Disneyland, videogames, film, music, or anything else! Send me an email to become a virtual penpal: chris@mosemartin.com, or connect with me on Instagram!
