Starbucks Barista’s Side Hustle Led to $1 Million Months

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Haley Pavone, 29, of San Luis Obispo, California. Pavone was a junior in college and working part-time as a Starbucks barista when she started the side hustle that would become her full-time business, Pashion Footwear, which sells convertible heel-to-flat shoes. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

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When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I founded Pashion in 2016 after suffering a high-heel-related injury. I’d worn six-inch platform stilettos to my sorority spring formal that I, obviously, could not dance in. So, I solved that problem the way most women do — I took the heels off and took to the dance floor barefoot. Unfortunately, my inspiration very literally struck when one of my sorority sisters, who still had her heels on, accidentally stomped the ballpoint of her stiletto through my bare foot!

Related: This 29-Year-Old Quit Her Job to Pursue a $13k-a-Month Side Hustle

After enduring that impalement, I had a light bulb moment: Why was I constantly ending up barefoot because of my heels? Why couldn’t we have a shoe product that blended the signature high-heel style with sneaker-level comfort and practicality, without compromise? Thus, the idea for Pashion convertible heels was born.

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
My first step was entering the idea into startup competitions at my university. Across three competitions, I was able to win $26,500 in equity-free grant funding. I then used that money to hire an initial footwear development team (ex-Nike, Ariat and Keen pros) to bring the design to life. Once we had the initial prototype, I was able to use it to pitch for angel investment, ultimately raising $4.5 million to bring the product to life.

“I truly wish that I had not spent as much time as I did playing the VC-fundraising game.”

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?
One of the best resources was building out our ecommerce website on Shopify. The tools, support and sophistication of resources available are top-notch — and accessible at great entry-level prices for the value. It makes building and launching an ecommerce brand easier than ever before, and it can scale with you from early days to a multi-million-dollar brand.

Related: My Business Tapped Into a Misunderstood Market and Made $760,000 in Year 1

If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
I truly wish that I had not spent as much time as I did playing the VC-fundraising game. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the modern VC landscape does not work well for consumer product brands. I wasted a lot of energy and time that would have been better spent marketing and operating my business (ultimately, making the brand more money than I have ever successfully raised).

When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
Managing cash flow in a product-based business. It is an incredibly delicate dance, especially when you are growing fast. Due to the lead times associated with making products (typically about four months or so), you are constantly having to buy levels of inventory that cost more than your cash on hand. We all want to grow our businesses quickly, but when it comes to product companies, you must be maniacally strategic and methodical with how you manage your growth. If you grow too fast, your own success can bankrupt you.

“You have to focus on the immediate resources at your disposal and what you can do.”

Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong? How did you fix it?
One of our largest crises in the history of the business happened in 2022. We had grown 450% in 2021 and were excited to keep up that growth rate, so we had placed our biggest inventory order ever going into the new year, totaling $1.5 million. Unfortunately, the boat carrying that order got hit by the peak of the supply chain crisis. The inventory that was supposed to arrive in four months did not arrive for 11 months. This led to a seven-month period where we not only had no money, but also no new inventory on hand to sell to make more money.

We quickly pivoted our marketing efforts away from seasonal styles and focused on promoting our core assortment that we had on hand to acquire new customers, with moderate seasonal support on a pre-order model. In the startup world, things will happen that you simply can’t control…in those moments, you have to focus on the immediate resources at your disposal and what you can do, quickly, to turn those assets into cash.

Related: His College Side Hustle Made $12,000 on Amazon in 2 Weeks — Then It Surpassed $250 Million

How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? What does growth and revenue look like now?
The first two and a half years of the business, we were in “stealth mode” while we secured patents and built out our supply chain. When we launched in 2019, we saw initial growth but hit major roadblocks when the pandemic occurred shortly thereafter. We didn’t see consistent monthly profits until 2022 or annual profits until 2023 — but have been proud to be a profitably growing business ever since. In 2025, we are trending up 20% year over year — most recently posting our first $1 million net revenue month in September.

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
The impact! Being able to have an idea and bring it to life, directly to a customer’s hands, is such an exciting journey, and, being in fashion, we get to do so with a new product line and marketing campaign every season. We are constantly innovating and pushing our creativity. It never gets old.

Related: These Brothers’ Business Solves a ‘Very Difficult’ Shopping Problem — And Boasts Over $100 Million in Annual Sales

What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Listen to your customers like your life depends on it — your brand’s life quite literally does. No customers means no business. Too many founders treat customer service like an afterthought, but it might be the single most important thing you can invest in.

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Haley Pavone, 29, of San Luis Obispo, California. Pavone was a junior in college and working part-time as a Starbucks barista when she started the side hustle that would become her full-time business, Pashion Footwear, which sells convertible heel-to-flat shoes. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Want to read more stories like this? Subscribe to Money Makers, our free newsletter packed with creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.