In this Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A, we feature Alchemy Merch owner Greg Kerr, who was working as a musician when he started selling custom pins in 2015. Today, Alchemy Merch is a full-time business, creating custom products for companies like Apple, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Nike, and more, as well as independent artists looking for ways to monetize their artwork in new ways.
Image source: Courtesy of Alchemy Merch. Greg Kerr.
When did you start your side business and what inspired you to do it?
I ran a literary-inspired clothing brand, Miles to go, and started making enamel pins as one of our products in 2015. Some friends asked me for help making it because overseas production was so confusing and can be. It was around this time that my wife and I decided that we would try to have a child, and the day we found out we were pregnant (Father’s Day 2016), I bought a domain for Pin Game Strong. I saw that there was a need for help within the artist community and initially thought it would be a win if we could put a few hundred dollars into our daughter’s 529. The original intention was to continue the clothing brand while helping people make enamel pins on the side. I quickly realized that there was a huge gap in the market when it came to offering retail quality goods. Everything was focused on promotional products, and since I was running a brand, I felt it was important to focus on products that people would be proud to bring to market. There was a need to go beyond advertising and be completely customized.
Related: This insurance agent started a side hustle inspired by nostalgia for his home state — now he makes nearly $40,000 a month
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side business off the ground?
I had seen a post on an episode of Adventures in design Podcast about how someone should help people make pins. At this point, I had made thousands of pins for myself, but hadn’t thought about offering this as a service. I offered to help anyone interested and received a quick response. Word of mouth spread and I saw that people wanted a secure market for making pins. Knowing we were having a child soon was the trigger for us to purchase a domain and decide on pricing. I knew how promotional products companies rate their products and decided I would try to beat them. Once the website was live, things moved quickly and within a few days I had an order for 1,000 enamel pins from someone I had no link to at all.
Image source: Alchemy Merch
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building your side business and how did you overcome them?
When things started moving quickly, I had a lot of issues with my time and how to balance it with the brand that had been paying my family’s bills for the past few years. We went from $0 to $1 million in sales in 18 months, and that was just me. I did everything: ran the store, handled all the orders, communicated with the factories, and did all the art. It was a lot to handle. We didn’t spend a cent on advertising in the first two years. Word of mouth spread and kept me busy as much as I could. My first step was to get help dealing with art files so I could continue working on client interactions. I wish I had sought help sooner, but when I finally got help, I was able to focus more on sales.
Related: How to Make the Most Money from Your Side Business During Tax Season, From an Expert Who Raised $75.2 Million to Make Filing Easier
How long did it take for you to achieve consistent monthly sales? How much did the side hustle make?
Within six months, we were surpassing the monthly sales of the brand I had worked on eight years earlier – and it continued to grow. When we saw how quickly it happened, the secondary goal became replacing my wife’s income until she had to decide whether or not to go back to work after our daughter was born. We achieved this goal and continued to move up.
You have now turned your side hustle into a full-time business: Alchemy Merch. What was the key to this growth and what does sales look like now?
We came to a point where I had to give up the previous business so I could concentrate fully on making products for others. We started as Pin Game Strong and were constantly adding new products: patches, acrylic keychains, washi tape, etc., and the name just felt too limiting. We had built a solid reputation, but knew it was time to expand beyond the pins. Growth has been challenging in recent years. When Covid hit we were set back twice. First, there were delays in factories resuming work, resulting in large refunds for upcoming events. Then, in March, they returned and the US was hit by lockdowns. A large part of our business is based on events. Artists sell at trade shows, conventions and other events, and companies do this too [make items] for meetings or team events. Before Corona we were just on the rise, and since then we have been working hard to really focus on improving our work and the way we do it to differentiate ourselves. Although we have seen growth over the last two years, it is only this year that we are seeing the energy in people to create something new again. For the last two years we’ve been hovering at just under $2 million in annual revenue and we’re hoping to finally break through that and continue to grow.
Related: I’ve Had a Secret Side Job for Decades. It keeps tens of thousands of dollars in my pocket – and takes me places I wouldn’t otherwise go.
What do you enjoy most about running this company?
I enjoy helping people create. Producing not just products, but full-fledged, retail-ready goods can present many hurdles for creatives, and our goal is to eliminate and help overcome them. Working with other creative people all day is always inspiring. Our goal as a team is to work together and advance a client’s project.
What are you most excited about as you think about the future of the company?
I look forward to expanding the types of products we offer and continuing to help creators. There isn’t much direct competition in our area and our size, so the chance of someone wanting to take us over is slim. I hope to continue to build a company that continues to provide for my family, our employees, and continues to help people.
Related: She used her kids’ college fund to build a side business, but the product was “unsellable” — so she got back on track and made $100 million in sales
Image source: Alchemy Merch
What advice do you have for others hoping to start successful side hustles of their own?
Even though I wasn’t actively thinking about it at the time, Alchemy Merch combines all of my skills and hits home with what I really want to spend my time doing. It’s hard running a business after hours when you work 9 to 5, but if you really want it, you have to put in the effort. When you’re thinking about starting a side hustle, really think about what you want to do and whether there’s a need for it or in the market where you can improve on what’s out there. The market told me how much Alchemy Merch was needed and I responded. Once it became clear that this had legs, I never looked back. I’ve been self-employed for 20 years, so it gave me some clarity to keep going with the momentum and realize that what we were doing had real value.