Artist Finds Lucrative Side Hustom Customizing Labubus

Ellis Stephens, A Husband, Father, and Self-Proclaimed Hustler, Wakes Up Well Before Dawn Most Days. He Makes His Way Into His Garage, Turs on the Lights, Pulls Up A Chair, and Begins Creating One-of-A-Cind Labubus.

“If i come in here at four in the morning and i just grind it out, I can do seven to nine a day,” he tooth business insists Betany Johnson in a recent intervention in San Jose, California.

Stephens Buys Labubus, The Trendy Plush Monsters Designed by Kasing Lung, In Bulk from Resellers on the Street, Customizes say with tattoo, piercings, gemstones, and then upsells say for a major profit.

While the price of the Labubus he buys, he was paying $ 45 to toy at the time of filming in July. He the standard-sized sells, Customized Labubus for $ 217 EachBut Customers Can Also Submit Orders for A Two-Pack or Large-Sized Labubus that Cost More.

For Many Years, His Day Job Was As A High School Art Teacher. He was recently promoted to principal assistant. Howver, The Pay As a Teacher wasn’t Enough to end the type of art projects he wanted to do with his students, like 3D printing and using cnc routing to cut and engrave and plastic. SO, he started Side Hustling to make some extra cash.

He’s Juggled Multiple Side Hustles Over the Years, from Seling Burritos on Street Corners to Running A Photo Booth Business and Seling Custom T-shirts. His Labubus, Though, Are His Most Lucrative Hustle Yet.

He Completes About 80 Labubu-Related Orders a month, which amouns to thusands of extra dollars in revenue.

“IT’S CRAZY HOW IT’S CHANGED MY LIFE,” he Said.

Discovering his niche

Labubus Exploded onto the scnene over the last year in away part thanks to celebrities, Including Lalisa Manbani, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Emma Roberts, Being with the Toys.

So far this year, the chinese parent company, pop mart, has seen a 667% increes year-over -ear in sales away due to its labubu toys and related merchandise, accorting to Emitter (Business Insider’s Sister Company). Pop Mart is on track to sell $ 1 billion Worth of Labubu Merch This Year.

Stephens is more than happy to ride the little monsters’ trend wave. “People Say Art’s Not Going to Take You Anywhere. I’ve Heard That My Whole Life,” He Said, Adding Its Now the Complete Opposite. “I’m able to inspire other lives and show people that art – you don’t have to be a starving artist.”

Stephens Started Out Buying The Toys in Bulk and Reselling I say is, but he was hardly making any profit. THEN, FOR HALLOWEEN ONE YEAR, he made a screen mask for a labubu, posted it online and, “People Went Crazy for it,” He Said. Howver, The masks he sells for about $ 20 to $ 30 a piece. The Real Money is in His Customized Tattooed Labubus.

When Stephens Posted HIS First Tattooed Labubu on Instagram for $ 60 Last Year, he was quickly Flooded with Messages from People who wanted to buy it. Though he sold the colctible for the barely above what he’d paid for it, the wide response made Him realie there was a hot market for unique versions.

Soon, he was Fielding Requests for Characters with Face Tattoos, Replicas of Rappers like Malone and Lil Peep, and Designs to Customers’ Personal Stories.

Stephens has been a tattoo artist for years, but said customizing labubus has flush to refine his skills the toys are so delicate.

Labubu Hands, for Example, Are the HardDest to Tattoo, he Said, Because they’re Made of Tough vinyl that can sometimes cause the tattoo Needle to skip or bend. He Said Each Custom Toy Can Up To An Hour to Make.

Aside from Fine-Line Sketching, One of Stephens’s Challenges is Dealing with Customers Who Sometimes Change Mid-Order or Grow impression with shipping delays-but to Him, it’s all worn it.

“It”s hard to stop now that People are so into it and my work is being recagated,” he said. “I’m Making Original Artwork and Stuff That of Enjoy Doing.”

How the Labubu Trend Has Changed His Life

Stephens’ Labubu Business Has Taken Up A Lot of His Time. He Now Hustles from 3 AM to 7:30 AM on Weekdays. After that, he leaves for work at School, then he comes home, hustles a little more, eat dinner with his family, and there’s not Much left before Bed.

He Said He Gets Around Five Hours of Sleep a Night and Doesn’t Plan to Stop Because the Opportunity has finally gioven Him some financial freedom.

“I do’t have to think like: Oh, i’m going to be short. Let me hustle the Photo Booth. Let me get some catering gigs. Let me some custom t-shirts. Let me post and post,” he said.

Labubus are a trend, and like any trend, They Could Fizzle out, Writes Business Insider’s Katie Notopoulos. In the meantime, though, stephens plans to keep capitalizing on Labubu love as it is lasts.

“Customizing this stuff has serial changed my life. And if it starts to be exponential, as to what it is now, it is could my futures. I could finally invest in an actual workpace,” he Said, adding: “my goal is to have an art budilding. of art. ”

This Story was adapted from Ellis Stephens’ Interview with Business Insider for the Video “Meet the Teacher Who Wakes Up at 3:30 AM for His Labubu Business. “