Queen's University student shares how she turned her passion into a side hustle!

This week, we sat down with current Queen’s student, Mae-Lin DeLange, to learn about her side hustle and why she believes it’s so valuable!

Name: Mae-Lin DeLange

Where you're from: Rothesay, New Brunswick

School/Discipline: Queen's University, 4th year Commerce, specializing in international business and marketing

Special talent: Can wake up at any time without an alarm

Most likely doing in free time: Drinking tea with friends

Do you keep syrup in the fridge or cupboard: Cupboard... or else it's too cold and hurts my teeth

Some of Mae-Lin's creative designs from Get Knotty.

180 degrees: Tell us the story behind Get Knotty

I first learned how to make friendship bracelets as a child during Spanish camp. However, it wasn’t until middle school, when I got super hooked on them. I found a great website with lots of unique patterns and techniques for bracelets, and started making them for friends and family. At first it was just a hobby, but then I had the idea to try selling them for a profit. There’s a cafe in my hometown that sells other handmade and local items, so I went to them first and they agreed to sell my bracelets. It’s a pretty easy system- I give the cafe a rack of bracelets and replenish them as needed. I also offer custom orders for anyone that wants a unique and personal design. For me, making bracelets is relaxing and lets me be creative. Get Knotty allows me to make some extra pocket change while doing something I’m passionate about!

180 degrees: What channels are you selling through?

Most of my sales are through the cafe. It’s a pretty easy system- I give the cafe a rack of bracelets and replenish them as needed. This works great for me because it requires little sales initiative on my part, and allows me to work around my own schedule. However, since I don’t regularly interact with my customers I was curious to see what kind of people were buying my products. So, this summer I got into a local farmers market to have the opportunity to sell them myself and meet my consumers. Aside from the cafe, I also sell through Instagram, and our website. I will get order requests from people through Instagram direct messages, and send their orders via mail. The coolest order I am very proud of, was a custom order I received was from the UK! On the website we are currently accepting holiday preorders- if you order between now and November 29th you can use the discount code HOLIDAY35 to get 35% off your entire order!

180 degrees: What are your plans for the future of Get Knotty?

I would love to keep the Shopify going, because it’s a great way to legitimize the business and is has such a wide reach. One goal I have is to sell the bracelets in the Tricolour Outlet and campus bookstore. If we succeed in doing this, I hope to keep this going for the rest of the year, and potentially longer! Also, I will definitely do more farmers markets back home, and maybe a market here in Kingston too.

180 degrees: How do you manage school and business?

I’m lucky because I’ve modelled my business in a way that I can, more or less, put it on hold while I’m here. But I have the ability to do as much or little as I want with my free time. Typically, before I go back to school after summer I stock the cafe with lots of bracelets, so that it can sustain itself until I get back home for Christmas. Last year I started an Instagram to feature my business, which gave me more motivation to continue making them while in school.

This year I’m taking a class (COMM 339) which gave me the chance to try selling my bracelets here at Queen’s through a Shopify project. I now have a website to sell my bracelets, targeted at Queen’s students. I’ve always wanted to sell Queen’s inspired bracelets, like the tricolour flag, but never found time to pursue my ideas as I prioritize school over business. Now, since I’m executing the website alongside a school project, I feel like I’m not taking away from school but at the same time furthering my own business success!

180 degrees: What lessons have you learned from your side hustle?

I definitely think side hustles are valuable. If you start a side hustle it’s usually doing something you’re passionate about, so it gives you the opportunity to explore what you love. For me, it’s encouragement to keep in touch with my creative side. Sometimes I feel that in school, when having to follow assignment guidelines, I lose sight of that. My side hustle gives me freedom and allows me to exercise creativity. I think it’s important for everyone to find something that genuinely lights your fire!

180 degrees: Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur in the future?

I know I want to work with kids in the healthcare industry, and I’m currently looking into masters programs to further my education. I don’t see it happening right away, but maybe in the future I could start my own medical business, who knows what the future holds!

180 degrees: What piece of advice would you give to students interested in starting a side hustle?

Find your niche. It’s important to find something you enjoy, and if there’s something you’re interested in, there’s probably other people interested in the same thing. No matter what it is that you’re doing, it’s so important to find something that you love, or else it will always feel like a chore. If whatever you start doesn’t initially do as well as you thought, don’t be too critical of yourself. It’s okay to start small, especially as a side hustle!

My last piece of advice: take chances and don’t be afraid to ask. People can’t read your mind, you have to put yourself out there in order to achieve what you want. If you never ask, the answer will always be no. If you get rejected once, don’t stop there, because that doesn’t mean that everyone will say no. If I hadn't took gained the courage to ask the cafe to sell my bracelets, Get Knotty would not be what it is today!

Thanks for the interview and your advice Mae-Lin! We really appreciate it.