How to Launch a Successful Side Business

You’ve likely had this thought from time to time: “How can I make a little extra cash without quitting my day job?” What stops most people from moving past daydreaming to starting a side business—or side hustle— is the daunting task of finding an idea, launching it and earning an additional stream of income while working a full time job.

One Wyoming entrepreneur knows what it takes to launch a side hustle, because she’s launched one herself.

Bria Hammock is the founder of Cheyenne-based Go Slo Wyo, a premium apparel and accessories brand that celebrates the love of the outdoors and everything Wyoming. With the help of her husband, Jason, they launched Go Slo Wyo with the intention of filling a hole they saw regarding Wyoming apparel–high quality apparel that looks good and reflects her love of Wyoming, travelling and appreciating the little things in life.

Both Bria and Jason took the idea and got to work. Starting off, the Hammocks didn’t have any experience in screen printing, but they both brought skills honed by years in the corporate marketing world–Bria’s experience as a graphic designer and Jason’s skill as a web developer. The Hammocks did everything—marketing, web development and graphic design—in-house while also working their full-time jobs, with the exception of the bookkeeping and accounting. “It made more sense for someone else to do it” Bria said.

To avoid overextending themselves financially, the Hammocks initially opted for a print-on-demand model that Bria knew would cut into their profit margins, but it saved them on inventory costs. Nine months after launching their website and getting the word out on social media, customer orders were growing and outpacing their on-demand printers.

Moving away from the on-demand printers and sourcing a local print shop who could also handle the inventory and shipping needs was an exercise of trial and error, Bria said, but eventually they settled on Big Horn Designs out of Sheridan who reached out to her after seeing Go Slo Wyo’s Instagram feed.

Once the Hammocks solved the printing and distribution challenge, the next step was keeping the brand fresh with new designs, products and accessories as well as expanding their reach across the state. Bria said that Go Slo Wyo can now be found in 15 stores across Wyoming.

Bria admitted it was hard to maintain the constant cadence of keeping the Go Slo Wyo brand fresh while also growing in—what she calls—an intelligent way, where quality doesn’t suffer and she can still balance the needs of her side hustle with her other responsibilities.

“I only have a finite amount of hours,” Hammock said pointing to the other responsibilities in her life such as working her full time job and raising two kids. “Prioritizing is key.”

Bria hopes to expand the brand to neighboring states, but until then she’s busy with scheduling photo shoots for her new line, creating new designs, posting new content to Go Slo Wyo’s social media feeds and finding time to slow down to appreciate the little things in life.

To learn more about Bria and her entrepreneurial journey, register here for her webinar, “Turning an Idea into a Lucrative Side Hustle” on June 14 at 2 PM.

Jason and Bria Hammock are the founders of Go Slo Wyo, a premium apparel and accessories brand based in Cheyenne, WY.