I’m only 23 but have managed to turn my hobby into a £140k side hustle – here’s exactly how I did it
A 23-YEAR-OLD has revealed how she turned her hobby into a £140,000 a year side hustle.
Grace Torres has always had a passion for photography, and bought her first professional camera at just 13 years old, using money she had saved up from birthdays and Christmas.
A family friend took Grace to the beach, where she did her first mock photo shoot and she instantly fell in love with photography.
During school, Florida native Grace focused on science subjects, as she thought that that was the direction her career was going to take.
However, she kept up her photography and began taking pictures for friends’ birthday parties.
Speaking to CNBC’s Make It, she said: “My first ever paid gig was a sweet 16, and I made a hundred dollars for around four hours of coverage.”
At age 16, Grace started working in a fast-food restaurant, and used the money to buy better camera equipment.
At age 18, she began taking on photography clients as well as working 2-3 jobs and studying at university.
The number of photography clients she had began to grow, and by the age of 19, she had earned £1,100 from her photography.
The following year, she earned £5,500.
In 2019, Grace began following other photographers online, and realised that many people made a living out of her hobby.
She said: “Both my parents do very traditional jobs, and I just wasn’t aware that people do freelance work.
“When I got to college, I think my eyes were really opened to the freelance world, and the opportunities there are”.
When Grace finished university, she started a part-time job, and pursued her photography dream in her spare time.
Then, in 2021, Grace began shooting weddings, and began focusing on her photography business full time.
She said: “I love people’s love stories and I love how fast-paced weddings are.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
“They always keep me on my toes and they are just really fun.
“I wake up every morning, so excited to work with the clients that I work with and do what I love”.
Grace charges her clients for the amount of hours, number of photos and print rights.
She charges around £350 for engagement shoots, and her £3000 for weddings.
A lot of her clients come from social media, and she also relies on word of mouth and referrals
Grace’s photography business now makes around £8000 a month and she makes £140,000 a year.
She said: “I wanted to share my story to show other young female entrepreneurs that it is possible to have a successful business so young.
“Reaching six figures is not so far away if you really work hard”.
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.