Jenny Jing Zhu first believed she could do something when she came across a business magazine article in a small rural village in China.
Growing up in a house with no running water or electricity, Zhu had been inspired to become a business woman, convincing her family to let her move to Beijing so she could work and make her own money.
While her parents wanted her to become a teacher, they reluctantly agreed and Zhu found a job as a hotel maid and then started her own dry cleaning business.
Zhu moved to the USA in her 20s with her then husband, speaking no English and getting a job as a nanny in San Francisco until eventually she moved to New York.
Inspired by Asian American fashion designer Vera Wang, Zhu enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she graduated with a Home Textile Design degree.
In 2008, Zhu found herself in the middle of a divorce and soon to become a single mother to a one year old baby.
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Despite the financial crisis, Zhu started her own business and saw a gap in the market for drop shipping with major furniture retailers.
Lush Décor was born, with a vision to revolutionize home décor by bringing beautiful, stylish, trend-setting textiles and future directly to consumers.
The company sells bedding, quilts, pillows and other soft furnishings and is sold at Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wayfair, Amazon, Target, Home Depot, Kohl’s and other major brands.
I really thought seeing was believing and I was inspired by Vera Wang who started her business at 40, and I thought even though I don’t have any art background I believed I could do it
Jenny Zhu
“At the time it was simple, there was a gap in the market for drop shipping, and we were all about embracing e-commerce back in 2009 when not many in the industry were willing to drop ship.
“You ship one product at a time, and there’s a lot of risk often involved but we set up the systems, cultivated it and that really put us ahead of the curve and ahead of the competition.”
Over 15 years later, Zhu has built her business to generate $100m annually.
She said the company is still growing, focused on embracing artificial intelligence in order to become more efficient and “stay ahead of the game”.
Passionate about helping people build their own businesses, Zhu has released a book with her top business tips.
FIND YOUR PASSION
With side hustles booming in the US, Zhu says people can follow these three simple business tips to help grow your business into a full time career.
Firstly, Zhu said people must find or create something that they are deeply passionate about because there are going to be a lot of bumps in the road.
“In the beginning you have to find something that you really love,” she said.
“Your side hustle is never going to go as you planned it, there are always going to be ups and downs and a lot of risk will be on the line.
“If you really love it then that will really keep you going when things don’t go the way you imagined.”
SHARE THE LOAD
Another major tip Zhu said was to share the workload, saying you “don’t have to do everything yourself”.
“There are so many resources out there, and sometimes I think finding your peer group is very important.”
“It is very easy to get burnt out going it alone”.
The third tip Zhu gave was to find good, useful mentors.
“Find the people who have already been there,” she said.
“You don’t have to listen to everything they say but find the people who have already walked the walk.
“That is so helpful for you to help figure out where you need to go next.”
Source: I built a $100m home décor empire – how to turn a side hustle into your job
