Farrah Korah is grounded, even as her balloon business is taking off. What started as a creative endeavour has quickly grown into a side hustle bringing in $400 a month for the full-time logistics manager with a flare for fun decor and stylish spaces.
Here's how she does it.
Her side hustle: 1202&Co. is an event design and planning company.
- "Right now, most of my business comes from balloon installations."
Her startup costs: Just shy of $600 "I got a Cricut (a smart cutting machine) as a gift. Then the only other thing I bought was a balloon pump."
Her first steps to launch: Korah wanted to market her services through social media, so she took on a lot of free installations to create content and generate a buzz around her balloons.
- "I think I spent about four months creating content before I even launched."
Her advantage: Korah is a creative, so for her, making mesmerizing balloon installations and beautifying event spaces doesn't feel like work—it feels more like following her passion.
- "The beautiful part of designing events and planning them is that everyone has their style, and bringing my ideas to life for someone to enjoy as much as I do is such a treat!"
Her biggest challenge: "Staying inspired and coming up with new concepts and ideas is a huge challenge. While fulfilling, you must also ensure you aren't burning yourself out in the process."
Her next steps: Korah wants to focus on marketing outside social media, which has been her biggest platform after word-of-mouth recommendations.
- "There are free platforms that are great to garner new business like Facebook Marketplace, and the next step is an official site as well as an online store by the end of 2023," she said.
Her advice for other side hustlers: Stay hardworking and humble.
- "I've found this community of people who do the same things as me, but instead of competing, we all help each other out because it's not all about the money—it's our passion! So if you pick something you're passionate about that will drive you to continue after a long 9-5 day."