I started a side hustle out of my parents garage at 19 – now I’ve packed up my day job, and have a 7 figure business
TWO brothers have revealed that they started a side hustle out of their parents garage at just 19 and 21-years-old which they have now transformed into a a seven figure business.
Harry and Charlie Meer-Sipkoski, now 25 and 23, were inspired to set up their own pizza van business during the pandemic, as they had always wanted to start a business together, and Charlie had previous experience working for a friend in a similar setup.
“I got that job when I was 14 or 15 and it was very fun and I learnt a lot”, Charlie told Fabulous.
During the pandemic, the pizza business that Charlie had been working for, The Pizza Post went bankrupt, so the two brothers made the bold decision to take over the business themselves, and try to save it.
They initially worked on The Pizza Post as a side hustle alongside their full time admin jobs working for a fuel drainage company.
However, they soon decided to take the plunge, quitting their jobs to focus on the side hustle full time.
At first, they were operating on their parents’ front lawn, and using their mum and dad’s garage for prepping and storing the pizzas.
“That was tricky, our neighbours weren’t very happy about it and they said it blocked the view“, Charlie said.
The brothers then tried parking their van up on the curb to try and drum up business, but said that this “epically failed”, due to the lockdown restrictions in place at the time.
“In the beginning, we were losing a lot of money, and a lot of people told us not to continue, and to sell the business”, Harry said.
However, the boys persevered and decided to focus their marketing strategy on social media, where they found more success.
After the pandemic ended, around six months after the brothers bought the business, they began getting booked for weddings and events in their local area.
They reinvested all of the money that they made back into the business, and used this to buy more pizza vans and better equipment.
The Pizza Post is now a seven figure business, with over 60 staff and 10 vans, serving freshly made pizzas at events across the south east and Birmingham.
Harry said that what he believes makes the business stand out is their speed and efficiency.
He said: “If a client inquires, then within 24 hours, they have a quote and one of our event organizers speaking to them on the phone to organize their event”.
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!
He added that another reason for their success, is that the company is very family orientated, with the brothers’ mum, dad, sister and cousins having worked for them in past, which he explained means that they have great communication with each other.
In the future, the business owners would love to expand their business across the UK, and even abroad.
“I think what drives Charlie and I is that we like that risk factor”, Harry said.
“Otherwise we get a bit bored.”
He continued: “Whatever Elon Musk does, whether he goes to the moon or whatever, people still need to eat, so it mean that there is always going to be a market for food.”
Sharing advice for any young people thinking of stating their own business, Harry said: “Make things efficient.
“People’s attention span due to social media is a lot less than it used to be, so you need to make things quick.”
Charlie added: “I’d say it’s important to invest in yourself and find a mentor as the knowledge and advice you receive from this person could be worth more than university.”
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