He Built a $260K E-Commerce Side Hustle Before Quitting His Day Job

Today’s tool: An amazing AI product sourcing agent. This AI agent will give you product ideas, trends, design suggestions, images and sketches even, will offer a list of recommend, vetted suppliers, and much more.

Raj Jana had the kind of job most people envy.

He was a petroleum engineer at Chevron, with a good salary and a stable career path.

But that stability came with a cost: student loans, corporate politics, and the nagging sense that he was spending his best years building someone else’s dream. The worst part? It was a

j-j-j-j-job!

And then it happened.

After experiencing his mentor die of a heart aftack just three months short of refirement, Raj felt compelled to challenge conventional ways of thinking.

Like many would-be entrepreneurs, Raj didn’t hate his job per se, but now he wanted something more. Something of his own.

At night, after long days at the office, he searched for an escape hatch.

He read about side hustles. He explored products. He kept asking: What small bet could I make that might change everything?

Then he found it: Of all things, it was a manual burr coffee grinder.

That Magic Moment

On Amazon, Raj noticed these burr grinders selling briskly but without strong branding.

On Alibaba.com, he found the same product at a fraction of the cost. And so he took the leap.

He private labeled it, created a brand called JavaPresse Coffee Co., and listed it online.

Tracking What Works

Raj’s real breakthrough wasn’t the grinder itself. It was what he discovered once sales trickled in.

Instead of chasing dozens of coffee-related products, Raj zeroed in on what worked and sold best. He tested bundles, optimized pricing, and launched a subscription service for coffee beans. He listened carefully to customer feedback and used every insight to improve the product and the pitch.

That focus turned a single product into the foundation of a fantastic business.

Eight Months, $260,000, and a Way Out

For eight months, Raj lived a double life: Engineer by day, e-commerce hustler by night. Slowly, the numbers grew. Bundles performed. Subscriptions stuck. Emails converted.

By the end of that first stretch, JavaPresse had done $260,000 in revenue, and all while Raj still worked full-time at Chevron (but not for long!)

Needless to say, JavaPresse eventually became his full-time business. Today, it is a thriving coffee brand with thousands of subscribers, all born from a single Amazon listing and one very bold, smart decision.

🛠️ Free Tool of the Week

Accio is a product sourcing tool from Alibaba.com. It can help you find and source great products just like Raj did, but here’s the kicker - It now has an AI Agent built in that can analyze the whole product journey for you.

Agent Mode will give you, in minutes, a product analysis, the competition, sourcing companies, alternative options, product sketches, and tons more! it’s really amazing. You can learn more here.

The Takeaway

Raj’s $260,000 is proof that you don’t need venture capital or a dramatic “I quit” moment to start. You just need a lever. For Raj, it was subscriptions. For you, it may be something else.

Steal This Strategy!

🎥 Video – Chris Guillebeau: Side Hustle School
A perspective on turning side gigs into real revenue.

🌐 Website – JavaPresse Coffee Co.
The brand Raj built—still grinding today.

🎙 Podcast – Side Hustle School Ep. 591: The Coffee Grinder That Made $300,000
The full story of how a simple grinder launched an empire.

🛠 Tool – Accio Agent Mode
Turn your idea into a product!

About Steve

Steve Strauss is the best-selling author of The Small Business Bible (and 17 other books), Inc.’s small business columnist, a lawyer (non-practicing), and an entrepreneur. He sold his last venture, TheSelfEmployed.com to Mark Cuban & Zen Business. Need a ghostwriter or a newsletter for your business? Contact Steve!