This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Damian Primis, a 45-year-old musician based mostly in Queens, New York. In the course of the pandemic, Primis began olive oil model Primis Imports as a aspect hustle; the enterprise has since grown to 6 figures. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Matt Dine. Damian Primis.
What was your day job or major occupation while you began your side hustle?
For greater than 20 years, I’ve labored as a classically educated musician. My love for the humanities and music began at a younger age, which led me to New York, the place I graduated with bachelor’s and grasp’s levels in music efficiency from The Juilliard Faculty. My profession has taken me everywhere in the globe, and I’ve had superb experiences working with a few of the best musicians of all time (and my private favorites), just like the jazz legend Joe Zawinful, The Who at Madison Sq. Backyard and a Tiny Desk concert with Josh Groban and the solid of Broadway’s Sweeney Todd.
When did you begin your aspect hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
When the pandemic struck, Broadway went darkish, and stay music got here to a halt. This meant that I’d be out of a job for fairly some time, which was actually scary. Will issues return to regular quickly? It was the query that saved popping into my thoughts. It was at this pivotal second in my life that I began reflecting on what else introduced me pleasure outdoors of music and the way I might use this ardour to create a side hustle. I’ve all the time had an immense sense of pleasure in my grandparents’ ancestral homeland in Evia, Greece. The wealthy tradition, the fantastic thing about the lands and the delicacies actually impressed me. So, I known as a good friend of mine who produced nice olive oil, the type of additional virgin olive oil that you would be able to’t discover on the cabinets of American supermarkets, and Primis Imports was born.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Primis Imports
What have been a few of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the bottom?
The primary steps weren’t very straightforward, however I believe it is a vital a part of what any startup or small business is like. You might want to expertise the “rising pains,” as I prefer to name it. Whereas nonetheless within the pandemic, most manufacturing and success have been both sluggish or at a halt. It took a while to have the primary 150 liters of additional virgin olive oil shipped to New York from my grandfather’s city, however when the product lastly arrived, I used to be capable of expedite the method of hand-labeling each single bottle. I began promoting to family and friends who unfold the Primis Imports identify by means of word of mouth, and the bottles offered out! It reassured me that there was a distinct segment that I might unlock within the U.S. market and boosted my confidence to proceed on this new journey.
What have been a few of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing your aspect hustle, and the way did you navigate them?
There have been fairly a couple of challenges, I have to say. One of many largest challenges I confronted was securing funding. With a restricted funds, I needed to depend on every cargo’s earnings to finance the subsequent, which meant slower progress. However looking back, it helped me keep away from making pricey errors and made me extra considerate about investments in manufacturing and packaging.
I used to be additionally utterly unfamiliar with the importing course of. It was overwhelming because of the advanced rules, paperwork and logistics. I sought recommendation from anybody who might supply perception and was persistent to find the correct contacts for steering.
Moreover, ecommerce offered its challenges. I needed to study new abilities like constructing an internet site, organising delivery and making certain the secure supply of fragile merchandise like olive oil in glass bottles. Components like climate and temperature throughout cargo additionally grew to become key obstacles, however by means of persistence and trial and error, I used to be capable of finding options.
What does income and progress appear like?
One factor to bear in mind about Primis Imports is that we have been promoting a small-batch amount of olive oil that’s harvested yearly. When the product is gone, it is gone! In two to 3 months, we have been capable of see constant income and in the end offered out of our early harvest olive oil shortly afterward. This meant that we needed to pivot to seek out extra product till Greece’s subsequent harvest. We sought out a southern hemisphere producer in Peru, which harvests olive oil on the reverse time of yr from the northern hemisphere. This helped us to maintain brand awareness out there and supplied constant funding and progress for the enterprise month over month.
Primis Imports has constantly grown since we began in 2022. The primary yr, we had 200% progress, and in 2023, we had 305% progress from the earlier yr. DTC is the place we see most of our gross sales, with a small fraction coming from wholesale and smaller retailers. What makes Primis Imports distinctive is our continued mission of sourcing smaller producers with the best high quality merchandise. In 2024, we began increasing our product line with two honeys from the islands of Milos and Thasos, and in 2025, we shall be launching extra merchandise inside the snacking and cooking classes.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Primis Imports
What do you get pleasure from most about this aspect hustle?
I get pleasure from how this side hustle permits me to remain deeply related to my roots and heritage. Partnering with small Greek producers not solely strengthens native economies but in addition helps share their craftsmanship with a world viewers. I like the problem of reimagining conventional merchandise for the U.S. market, particularly by means of revolutionary branding that catches the buyer’s eye. This enterprise additionally fuels my creativity — it is extremely rewarding to collaborate with gifted artists from throughout the nation to design packaging and storytelling that actually resonate. It is a mix of tradition, objective and artistry, and I could not ask for extra.
What’s your recommendation for others hoping to start out profitable aspect hustles of their very own?
My recommendation for anybody trying to begin a profitable side hustle is to start small and prioritize high quality over amount. In right now’s aggressive market, customers worth authenticity and excellence. A fantastically branded product will solely go up to now if the standard is not there, so put money into getting it proper from the beginning.
Constructing real relationships along with your suppliers is simply as essential. Be clear concerning the scope and limitations of your corporation. The best companions will perceive your imaginative and prescient and develop with you; if they can not meet you the place you might be, they might not be the perfect match.
Endurance is one other key ingredient. Success would not occur in a single day, however the small, constant steps you are taking day by day will compound over time. Give attention to creating one thing significant and distinctive reasonably than chasing fast wins. Whenever you method your aspect hustle with care, persistence and a dedication to high quality, the rewards — each monetary and private — will observe.
