In March 2021, Melton began shaping, carving, and selling headstones for pet memorials on Etsy. While he worked on concrete and stone as a hobby for many years, Mars worked 60 hours a week as a maintenance supervisor at He Cares.
He already owned a $15,000 sculptor. I also had the opportunity to work in his self-built workshop behind his home in Alma, Arkansas, a town of fewer than 6,000 people on the edge of the Ozark Mountains.
At first, it took Melton two to three days to set the tombstone in the mold, then another five hours to carve it before his wife added the epoxy filler. As his side business grew and his income began to increase, he combined his earnings and savings to invest an additional $51,500 in other tools, including a sandblaster, granite saw and chisel, and a laser engraver. did.
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Each new device minimizes Melton's production time and allows him to sell more tombstones. In May 2022, with his Etsy shop bringing in nearly $20,000 in income, Melton quit his full-time job. After he hired his daughter and daughter-in-law last summer, he is currently reducing his working hours and spending time with his family.
The four-person operation generated more than $207,000 in revenue for Etsy last year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Melton estimates that about two-thirds of that is profit, and he expects to make about the same amount this year.
Here, he talks about how he built his business, why he loves working with his family, and what it will take to replicate his success.
CNBC Make It: Do you think your side hustle is replicable? What does it take to get started?
Melton: Anyone can do this. I think you need less than $10,000 to get started. It is for cement mold and sandblasting equipment.
The only question is whether you have the passion for it. Her mother passed away at the end of 2020 and my father and I were having a really hard time. I started making concrete crosses, 3D roses, plaques, etc. We made a very nice little souvenir.
Then my friend Carlos lost his dog Molly. I think those things had a lot to do with the direction I took.my heart was for people [who lose their pets]. But as a result, the more people you serve, the more money you make.
Have you had to set any boundaries to work with your family?
not much. If you have an alpha personality and are very assertive, you may come into conflict with some members of your family. But if you let everyone participate, things will go smoothly.
Initially, my wife and I would meet our daughter Kristen for lunch one day a week. We just sat there and talked about things and brainstormed. She came up with the idea of a concrete mold shaped like a dog bone.we sold thousands of dollars worth [of them] Since then.
Melton's daughter Kristen cuts granite.
Rodney Melton
Now Kristen is taking over a lot of things. She always tells me what to do.I am going out [to the workshop] There's a sticky note on it that says, “Dad, today you need to pour seven beige stones.”
How has creating pet memorials full-time affected your work-life balance?
My wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law all currently work about 5 hours per day. I work 75 feet from my back door. This freed up a lot of my time and gave me much more opportunities to be with my family.
I like to sleep and work a little until the evening. I'm my own boss, but I have my flaws. But it's still not a full-time job. I can mow the garden and clean the house.
It helped us all. Her daughter was not happy with where she was working at the time. Her daughter-in-law, who is helping her design the stencils, is a stay-at-home mom and she wanted to do something to help. She earns a few hundred dollars a week and stays home with her children instead of paying for her childcare.
I can make a good living shipping everything the way I do it now. If I were him in his 30s, I'd probably gear up and build him a big headstone for the cemetery. But they are much larger items.
I am in talks with a local monument company to begin updating the shared headstones in the cemetery. We might move in that direction next year.
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