Fifty-year-old nurse anesthetist Mike O’Dell turned his sewing hobby into a successful side business that now produces Legit Kits. That venture now nets him a stellar $117,000 in monthly revenue. In fact, O’Dell devotes just one day a week to this new endeavor. This flexible schedule now lets him maintain his lucrative full-time job—paying $240,000 per year—while pursuing his entrepreneurial aspirations.
O’Dell—and several of his colleagues—spend their committed workday rolling color swatches, approving patterns, and marketing his products to new customers and retailers. He has purposefully designed Legit Kits to work even when he’s not monitoring things 24/7. Now, he spends his mornings enjoying his retirement, sitting with coffee on the new patio. Then he drives his kids to school before plunging into his duties as MPO Executive Director.
Legit Kits, established in 2020, focuses on supplies for quilting. They unapologetically use textiles brought to them from their Southeast Asian roots—specifically, Indonesia and Vietnam. I asked O’Dell what his biggest challenge was and he didn’t hesitate to respond – tariffs. Specifically, these tariffs go up to 32%–46% on product imports from specific other countries. When he moved to a new 4,500-square-foot warehouse, he realized he had a problem. Despite this challenge, he ended the year 2023 in the black, after only breaking even the year before.
“I can eat breakfast, I can go to the gym. I set my own schedule,” O’Dell stated, reflecting on the flexibility that his side hustle provides. Having attracted a predominantly experienced quilters customer base with Legit Kits, he’s now looking to reach a wider audience. In order to accomplish this ambitious goal, he’s brought on board two graphic designers. They’ll be developing inventive art and quilting designs that inspire circles of both beginning and advanced artisans and makers. In addition, O’Dell has hired one additional full-time employee to cut fabric and ship quilts.
Fostering his creative skills O’Dell’s journey in sewing started more than 20 years ago when he made a Braveheart kilt for Halloween. This very first exposure to candle production sparked something special that would soon flourish into Liz’s booming candle creation company. He remains committed to making the hobby accessible for everyone, stating, “I don’t want to price people out of a hobby.”
The pressures of his full-time role in healthcare can understandably weigh heavy and sometimes result in burnout. As O’Dell says, his time on the hospital floor fuels his passion for shaping Legit Kits with his work at the hospital. The burnout I experience working in a hospital setting pushes my energy and desire to do the other thing, which is work for myself. It’s when everybody’s angry at the office that it just turns the volume down,” he said.
O’Dell, who is still in active development for Legit Kits, intends to take a $50,000 salary out of the business for himself. He has a deep passion for building a sustainable small business. This passion leaves no doubt as to his entrepreneurial spirit and fuels his determination to bring the satisfying art of quilting to more people.
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