By Jill McDonough
Kimberly Wall is an amazing side hustling mom! I love that she had an idea and turned it into an online e-store. Let’s learn all about Maison de Marie.
What’s your side hustle?
I run a religious goods e-store.
How did you get into this particular side hustle?
I always wanted to run a religious goods store as availability of these stores seem to be few and far between. It is so wonderful when I can visit one. The two I have visited are 2.5 hours and a state away, but with my children and their special needs, I could not be tied down to a physical store.
How long have you been doing this side hustle?
I have been selling products for two years now.
Talk about getting started, costs, time commitment, etc.
This is not a huge money maker. I invested approximately $2,000 before launching the store, and spread out the inventory purchases over a year or so. It took time to catalog, inventory, inspect, and photograph the products to put the site together.
I would make more money, but I donate a good amount through fundraisers (15-25%) and tithing (10%) as well. The e-store makes enough to cover expenses, but not really my time.
The learning and bonding experiences with my kids are invaluable though, along with the ability to give to and empower others.
Do your kids help you with this side hustle?
Yes! Sometimes I see this hustle as more of a teaching tool than a money maker. The kids help me photograph, inventory, and inspect products. They learn the processes of the business. My children learn about net and gross and shipping costs. They help give feedback on the products geared towards children and help with some product purchase decisions. Occasionally, I will do public sales and a few will help me with inventory management and set up/clean up for the event.
What are the pros and cons of this side hustle?
This hustle could be more profitable, but I run it more as a ministry. It can be time consuming, especially without good processes in place.
On the plus side, sitting with your children and having them excitedly share with each other the amazing thing that they are inspecting or teaching them how to professionally handle issues that may arise in business is priceless.
How do you juggle homeschooling and this side hustle?
This hustle is still being built up and hasn’t required as much of my time as other ones I have.
I use this hustle (and working as a landlord/property manager) as great ways to expose and teach my children work and financial education concepts in a way they never could in school.
Tell us about your homeschool.
We have been homeschooling officially for three years. I balance Saxon and Life of Fred for math, and am pretty eclectic for other subjects, or often work without textbooks. Since I have a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, I make education decisions in light of this. I have six children ranging from 2 to 13.
Would you recommend this particular side hustle?
If you can interest your family in the products, an e-store is a great way to involve children in conversations concerning economics at an early age. It is also a job that can be done flexibly, even with young children.
Be cautious though about overbuying to start with. I definitely built up my inventory slow and steady and am just getting to the point where I am beginning to buy larger quantities.
Want some great gifts for others or yourself?
Check out her store at https://mdmserves.com/
Want to learn from a real side hustling pro? Need some ideas for gifts? Reach out to Kimberly at Kimberly.Wall@mdmserves.com
Thanks Kimberly for sharing this wonderful side hustle with us. We wish you all the best!
Read about other homeschooling moms who have started their own businesses.
