This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features husband-and-wife duo Mariana Carrizosa and Sebastian Jaramillo, both 32, who recently moved from Bogotá, Colombia, to Austin, Texas. The couple launched their infused olive oil brand Fiera Flavors, which started as a side hustle for them both, last year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
Mariana: I was a consultant at Bain & Company, and Sebastian was running his software development firm, which he still runs today.

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Mariana: Neither of us ever planned to start a food brand. It just sort of happened. Sebastian actually made the first version for me on our first date back in 2020. It was part of his arrabbiatta sauce recipe, and I loved it so much that I took some home in a plastic bag (my most sexy move!). We kept trying it on different dishes, gifting it to friends and family, and it grew naturally from there. We sold our first bottle in the U.S. this past May.

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^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Fiera Flavors}

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money/investment did it take to launch?
Sebastian: Once we saw people really liked the product, the big steps were permits and branding. Getting the recipe and process validated for safety, registering the business, trademarking and getting the look and feel right. It ended up being more expensive than we expected because the move to the U.S. meant starting everything from scratch — even the name. Our original brand in Colombia is “Bestial,” which we realized didn’t translate well here. Altogether, we spent around $15,000 to $20,000 on things like food scientist consultations, legal permitting and branding.

You can genuinely teach yourself anything on YouTube these days.

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?
Sebastian: YouTube Premium and local networking events. You can genuinely teach yourself anything on YouTube these days with the amount of knowledge people share. From setting up your Shopify store to automating day-to-day tasks, you can learn it all for a few dollars a month. And on the completely free side, going to local networking events in your area. You’d be surprised by the kindness of strangers and how much people want to help fellow entrepreneurs.

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If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach to save you time, energy or just a headache, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
Mariana: I wish I had adopted a more tech-first mindset earlier. At the very beginning, I would spend hours every day cold emailing stores and writing follow-ups manually, trying to get into retailers. Once Sebastian realized this, he built me a tool that automated the whole thing, and we went from about five stores to over 40 in a couple of months. It also gave me back at least three hours of my day. If something feels manual or repetitive, there is probably a tool that can help you optimize it. The sooner you fix it, the sooner you can focus on the parts of the business that actually move the needle.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Fiera Flavors}

When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
Mariana: The lack of boundaries. You’re responsible for setting and respecting them. There’s no corporate policy or boss making sure you’re not overworking yourself, not sleeping, not eating properly or not spending time with loved ones. It’s on you to create the work-life balance you want, and that’s hard because every hour you don’t work feels like it has a direct impact on your business. Finding that balance is hard.

Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong? How did you fix it?
Sebastian: At the beginning, we got overexcited and ordered 10,000 pre-labeled 16-ounce bottles from China. We quickly realized that 16-ounce bottles were way too big and had long repurchase cycles. We ended up paying for four months of warehousing for fifty boxes of bottles and eventually had to give them away because nobody wanted pre-labeled packaging. The fix was simple: Start small with generic packaging from a local distributor. Once you prove your concept, then think about custom designs and bigger orders. It was an expensive lesson, but one we won’t forget. For context, our current bottle is five ounces and lasts our best customers about two weeks, and our average customers a month. We missed the mark by a lot.

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How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? What does growth and revenue look like now?
For the U.S. business, it took a few months. It requires face-time, repetition and exposure to get people to try your product, love it and eventually repurchase. We did a lot of farmers’ markets, store demos, silly social media skits — anything to get the word out.

We’re aiming to double revenue next year by reaching over $15,000 in consistent monthly sales by the end of the year.

Doing something well and getting it out into the world is better than holding onto it forever.

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Mariana: The small victories. Getting into a new store, receiving a five-star review or a compliment about our branding. Those small things feel huge, and you usually get to experience them every day.

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What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Mariana: “Lo perfecto es enemigo de lo bueno.” It basically means that doing something well and getting it out into the world is better than holding onto it forever while trying to make it perfect. I struggle with this all the time. I hate putting things out there that don’t feel 110% polished. Sebastian is usually the one reminding me to aim for “less perfect, more done,” and honestly, that’s the only way to actually move forward and chip away at that never-ending to-do list.