Co.: Facebook Marketplace Side Hustle Becomes Growing Business

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This story is part of CNBC Make It's Six-Figure Side Hustle series, where people with lucrative side hustles break down the routines and habits they've used to make money on top of their full-time jobs. Got a story to tell? Let us know! Email us at AskMakeIt@cnbc.com .

Teyoshe Smith's previous job came with hourlong lunch breaks. She spent them personally delivering hand-assembled charcuterie boxes around Richmond, Virginia.

Her side hustle started ⁘organically,⁘ Smith says. She and her sister-in-law made table-long charcuterie spreads for family gatherings, and she started selling them to other people on Facebook Marketplace in May 2022.

Her first batch, made at her ⁘kitchen island,⁘ was modest compared to her current ones, Smith says. It was enough for 25 boxes full of hand-toasted crostini, cured meat and provolone cheese cut into flower shapes. The boxes sold out within two days on Facebook Marketplace, she says.

Today, Bite by Bite operates in two cities: a storefront in Richmond and a commercial kitchen in Atlanta. Smith's company brought in $379,000 in revenue last year — and her storefront in Richmond was profitable, she says. Bite by Bite plans to open two additional franchise locations later this year, Smith adds.

The 43-year-old attributes the business's fast growth to her own drive to take care of others. ⁘To my core, I love entertaining, I love hosting, I love giving everybody a good experience,⁘ says Smith. ⁘That's just me, bottled up. You could just put me on a shelf and sell me. It's what I'm here on this earth to do.⁘

Here, Smith discusses how she grew her side hustle into a full-time job in just one year, the moment she felt like she'd become successful and her best advice for other small-business owners.

Smith: Yes, but what makes this hard is: Charcuterie is so trendy. Pretty presentation can only get you so far, and you need something that's going to set you apart.