"I make $80k-a-year selling my crochet plushies - it isn't even my full-time job"
- 6 months ago
A woman who took up crochet during lockdown now makes $80k from her side hustle - selling soft toys on Etsy.
Genna Tatu, 26, started crocheting in January 2022 after her mum bought her a kit for Christmas.
She started spending 20 hours a week making plushies - including gingerbread men, sunflowers and rhinos - and realised there was a market for her creations.
Genna started selling her crochet plushies on Etsy for between $10 to $200 a pop and her digital design templates for $5 each.
Within two months she made $1000 and she's gone on to make $80k in just one year - while still holding down her full-time job as a financial consultant.
Now Genna has made over 400 plushies and spends between 15-20 hours doing it each week.
Genna, from Meridian, Mississippi, US, said: "I fell in love with crocheting and I was hooked - now I'm earning $80k a year.
"I am an artsy person in general, I was a knitter as a child but it wasn't as fun as crochet.
"With crochet, there is this world of arugami, where you make stuffed animals, I love stuffed animals so I started making my own.
"On Etsy alone, I have earned $80k this year. The crochet space is really getting popular and there is a tonne of opportunities for growth.
"I really want to think about where I want to take my business to, there are so many different revenues.
"In the long run I want to completely pivot to crochet as the market is there."
Genna fell in love with crocheting in December 2021 after her mum, Janet Tatu, 75, bought her a cat jumper crochet kit.
She immediately fell in love with the craft and launched her shop - crochetbygenna - in January 2022.
Since launching she has made an incredible 400 plushies, creating everything from turtles and bees to chickens.
Genna said: "I spent the whole of January crocheting and accumulating all my plushies.
"I thought 'I need to do something with these' and started getting good at it so I thought it was good enough to sell.
"It has taken off from there, I was so shocked at how niche crochet is but there is a pretty high demand for plushies."
Genna makes plushies to order and also makes custom requests.
Over the last year, Genna said she has received some 'unique' requests.
She said: "That is where I found success - a lot of the crochet accounts only make them upfront and sell what is ready-made.
"I shop on a made-to-order basis, I show everyone what they could purchase but make it after they have ordered it.
"I have started doing commission pieces which are special to a customer.
"There has been some crazy ones - I have made a surgical tool.
"One time, a girl sent me the fur of her cat who passed and I put the fur inside the plushie.
"We get some pretty mad requests but I will do whatever people want which is what makes my shop special."
As well as making plushies, Genna also makes patterns - a series of steps that are repeated several times across a row - which is where she saw her business take off.
Genna Tatu, 26, started crocheting in January 2022 after her mum bought her a kit for Christmas.
She started spending 20 hours a week making plushies - including gingerbread men, sunflowers and rhinos - and realised there was a market for her creations.
Genna started selling her crochet plushies on Etsy for between $10 to $200 a pop and her digital design templates for $5 each.
Within two months she made $1000 and she's gone on to make $80k in just one year - while still holding down her full-time job as a financial consultant.
Now Genna has made over 400 plushies and spends between 15-20 hours doing it each week.
Genna, from Meridian, Mississippi, US, said: "I fell in love with crocheting and I was hooked - now I'm earning $80k a year.
"I am an artsy person in general, I was a knitter as a child but it wasn't as fun as crochet.
"With crochet, there is this world of arugami, where you make stuffed animals, I love stuffed animals so I started making my own.
"On Etsy alone, I have earned $80k this year. The crochet space is really getting popular and there is a tonne of opportunities for growth.
"I really want to think about where I want to take my business to, there are so many different revenues.
"In the long run I want to completely pivot to crochet as the market is there."
Genna fell in love with crocheting in December 2021 after her mum, Janet Tatu, 75, bought her a cat jumper crochet kit.
She immediately fell in love with the craft and launched her shop - crochetbygenna - in January 2022.
Since launching she has made an incredible 400 plushies, creating everything from turtles and bees to chickens.
Genna said: "I spent the whole of January crocheting and accumulating all my plushies.
"I thought 'I need to do something with these' and started getting good at it so I thought it was good enough to sell.
"It has taken off from there, I was so shocked at how niche crochet is but there is a pretty high demand for plushies."
Genna makes plushies to order and also makes custom requests.
Over the last year, Genna said she has received some 'unique' requests.
She said: "That is where I found success - a lot of the crochet accounts only make them upfront and sell what is ready-made.
"I shop on a made-to-order basis, I show everyone what they could purchase but make it after they have ordered it.
"I have started doing commission pieces which are special to a customer.
"There has been some crazy ones - I have made a surgical tool.
"One time, a girl sent me the fur of her cat who passed and I put the fur inside the plushie.
"We get some pretty mad requests but I will do whatever people want which is what makes my shop special."
As well as making plushies, Genna also makes patterns - a series of steps that are repeated several times across a row - which is where she saw her business take off.