I was as an NHS paramedic but now I rake in £15k every month with my side hustle… it started with a 50p charity shop buy

A FORMER NHS worker has revealed her she started raking in a whopping £15k per month thanks to a very savvy side hustle.

Bethany Holland’s now six-figure turnover business started with an investment of just 50p when she bought a scarf from a charity shop which she later sold onto a friend, earning her first profit.

This unassuming scarf was the start of what would become a life changing journey for Beth, and it all started because of her love of thrifting second-hand bargains.

At the start of her journey, Beth ran the business alongside her say job in the ambulance service.

After continually reinvesting her profits, she eventually launched her online retail business, Bethany Rae, which has been a huge success.

Four years on and the side hustle became more lucrative than she ever imagined, not to mention more time consuming.

Beth decided to reduce her hours and focus more on the fashion side hustle and even added more items to her online shop.

Diversifying into handbags meant Beth was able to save up enough funds to open a physical store in her hometown of Poole, Dorset.

Beth said: “I really believe in the power of bricks and mortar. Having spent five years running Bethany Rae from a room on an industrial estate, I was overjoyed to open up my own shop, Lavender Moon, on the town centre high street.”

After just one year in her first shop, an unmissable opportunity knocked on Beth’s door.

Poole’s Kingland Crescent has gained an international reputation for itself following ambitious regeneration by Legal & General, funded in part by Nest pensions.

Beth was approached to relocate her shop to Poole’s independent retail heartland in early 2024 and was offered a lucrative support package by Legal & General to help her grow the business.

SHE described the growth of her business since April as “explosive” – her monthly sales have jumped by 300%, from £4,000 to £15,000 in just six months.

The new premises is three times the size of Beth’s original shop, which was pretty daunting at first. she said.

“It was absolutely terrifying to begin with because we needed to fill the space.

“When I look back at the first few photos of opening day, the shop looked empty compared to now.

“Today, we have four times the amount of stock than we had in the old shop, which is amazing.”

Newly engaged Beth has even been able to plan her dream wedding thanks to the uplift in sales and revealed that the business has changed her life.

Beth said: “I’m so proud of what I have achieved and to think it all started from a 50p scarf is mind-blowing. Moving to our new shop in Kingland was the accelerator we needed, and Lavender Moon is thriving like never before.

Legal & General was the first to create a retail initiative of this kind in the country and delivered the innovative scheme through a partnership with organisations such as Nest pensions.

Beth added: “I only recently learnt of Nest’s investment in the regeneration of Kingland through its partnership with Legal & General.

“I never considered that pensions invested in things like this, and as a business owner who has to pick a pension provider for my employees, it would have made me consider more carefully who I selected, if I did.

“It’s so great to understand more about how this project was delivered and knowing that the local community has contributed in a small way to making it happen, is just fantastic.”

Elizabeth Fernando, CIO of Nest, said: “We want our members to feel connected to their pensions and for them to understand the true power and potential within their pension pots.

“By investing in projects that regenerate local high streets and support small businesses, they are not only helping to boost the local economy and strengthen community ties, but also helping their pensions pots. Our members should be proud to have played a part in this project.”

As for anyone else wanting to start up their own retail side hustle, Beth shared some advice: “Everything costs more than you think. My top tip for others wanting to start a business like mine is to map out every expense involved in your product and multiply by 2.5.

I’m so proud of what I have achieved and to think it all started from a 50p scarf is mind-blowing.

“This gives you a rough idea of how much you should be selling it on for. Anything less and you run the risk of making a loss,” she explained.

Beth now employs a small team to run the shop a few days a week, allowing her to have a good work-life balance: “Part of the motivation for wanting to grow my own business was to work flexible hours that are right for me.

“I spent a lot of my 20s with health problems and I needed something that gave me passion, as well as work around my life.”

Thanks to her hard work, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit, and with the support of organisations such as Legal & General and Nest pensions, Beth has been able to grow a stable income greater than she could have ever achieved in the public sector.

Lavender Moon is set to turnover a whopping £200,000 this year, with online brand Bethany Rae adding an extra £20,000 to Beth’s pocket.