We recently connected with Hailey Peters and have shared our conversation below.

Hailey , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to experience both owning a business and working a traditional 9 to 5 marketing job. I started my first business during my senior year of high school and have launched a couple more since then. While I appreciated the experience and structure of my 9 to 5, I often felt a little hopeless, unsure of where it would take me or how long it would take to grow or get promoted. It started to feel like time was being wasted, especially when I knew I had real opportunities in front of me. Owning a business has been completely different. There are no limits. The harder you work, the more progress you see. Leaving my 9 to 5 to focus on my business was the best decision I could have made for myself and my future. I have freedom to travel and work from anywhere I want. It’s truly the best thing for me.

Hailey , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my first e-commerce clothing brand, Shop Haill, during my senior year of high school. I quickly grew its social media presence, and it soon became my full-time job. I had always planned to go to college, so I balanced running a business while being a full-time business student. During that time, I realized how passionate I was about social media and branding. I launched another clothing brand in college, followed by a dropshipping business.

After graduating, I decided to explore the corporate side of marketing and took a traditional nine to five job in social media marketing. That experience ultimately inspired me to start my own agency. I co-founded our social media marketing agency with my partner Josh and eventually left my nine to five to focus on the agency full time.

Today, we work with clients across a wide range of industries including restaurants, hotels, home builders, coffee shops, spas, and more. We pride ourselves on being a personable and relationship-focused company. All of our clients are local, and we make it a priority to stop in regularly not just for content creation and photoshoots, but to truly support their businesses as customers. We take pride in the strong relationships we have built and are always looking for new ways to grow and expand our client base.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

The best part about starting a social media agency is that it requires very little upfront investment. Since we do not sell physical products, our startup costs were minimal. Social media itself is free to use, which gave us the ability to promote and grow without needing a large budget. Our initial expenses included business cards, a website that we built ourselves, and subscriptions to tools like Canva, CapCut, and a few other editing platforms. We already had a digital camera, so we did not need to invest in new equipment. Realistically, this type of business could be started with no budget at all, which is one of the things that makes it so accessible.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

What started as a small side hustle in my bedroom at 17 turned into everything and more. I began by selling thrifted clothes and had no idea that it would lead to me owning four different brands by the age of 24. Sometimes I want to say I feel lucky, but the truth is, it was not luck. I worked day and night to get to where I am now. It was never easy, and there were countless bumps in the road.

I still remember my second year in business, when I hit the six-figure mark at 19 years old. That moment made me realize I could really make something of this. There were so many times I felt overwhelmed, overworked, and unsure if I could keep going, but I knew nothing good ever comes easy.

I have to give credit to Gary Vaynerchuk for inspiring me early on. I used to watch his videos on thrifting and reselling, and it completely opened my eyes. At the end of each school year, my high school would donate items left in the lost and found. During my study hall period, I helped the office by running passes around the school, and the office staff let me go through the lost and found. I still remember picking out a Yankees hoodie, listing it on eBay, and selling it for $50.

That one sale sparked something in me. I eventually moved off eBay and started an Instagram page where people could bid in the comments so I could avoid the platform fees. That account grew quickly, and I later launched a website and my own clothing line. From there, my passion for social media really took off.

Today, I own two clothing brands, an e-commerce dropshipping brand, and a social media marketing agency. What started as a hustle turned into a full career, and I am so proud of how far it has come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.310digitalmarketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/310digitalmarketing/