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How a Gen Z immigrant went from paycheck to paycheck to financial independence by turning her shoe collection hobby into a 7-figure business
- Val Zapata, a life insurance broker, turned her sneaker-collecting hobby into a side hustle during the early stages of the pandemic.
- She and her dad sourced shoes on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp.
- Zapata eventually created an Instagram account, The Shoe Game Co., and gradually ramped up her side hustle.
- The platform on which her company does most of its business is Whatnot, which allows sellers to host live shows and sell products in real time.
- Zapata has a 6,000-square-foot warehouse space in Las Vegas for storing products.
- Her company has expanded offerings to include streetwear.
- Zapata's business has generated over $4 million in sales in 2024 alone.
- As of September 2024, she leads a team of eight employees, including her sister.
- Zapata's advice? 'Whatever time you can dedicate to a hobby, even if it's a couple of hours a day, that will pay off so much more than the eight or nine or 10 hours you're giving to your 9-to-5.'
- She aims to run a million-dollar-a-month business by the end of the year.
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