Etsy side hustle of a 36-year-old generates up to $54,000 monthly, consuming 10 hours weekly—it cleared her student loan debt.

Emily Odio-Sutton launched her Etsy side business from her couch while watching a "Real Housewives" TV show in December 2022. She can't recall which specific show it was, but she does remember the extensive research she put into it.

The following year, her oldest daughter would begin kindergarten, and she knew she couldn't leave her 9-to-5 remote job for school pickups, gymnastics or swimming practice drop-offs.

While scrolling through social media, Odio-Sutton stumbled upon a collection of YouTube videos about print-on-demand, an e-commerce technique that involves creating designs for products such as T-shirts, tote bags, and mugs and listing them on online marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon. When a customer places an order, a third-party manufacturer prints the design onto the product and sends it out.

Odio-Sutton, who specializes in gifts for people with hyper-specific jobs or hobbies, has generated over $236,000 in revenue in 2024, surpassing her sales for the entirety of last year.

DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to earning passive income online

Her side hustle, which requires approximately 10 hours per week, generated $54,900 in her best month yet. She estimates that about one-third of her shop's revenue is profit.

To prevent copycats, Odio-Sutton chooses not to reveal the name of her Etsy shop. However, its success allowed her to reduce her job as an internal operations manager at a children's book publishing company to a part-time role this past summer. This helped her family's finances by providing additional income to pay for vacations and her $20,000 in student loans, she says.

Here's how Odio-Sutton experimented her way into a lucrative side hustle.

Finding a side hustle fit

Odio-Sutton attempted an online side hustle known as "Amazon FBA" before starting her Etsy shop.

She would visit brick-and-mortar retail stores near her home in Melbourne, Florida, purchase trending items on Amazon, package them, and ship them to an Amazon warehouse. Afterward, she would attempt to sell them at a minimal profit margin through Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon program, according to her.

If the trends changed after she listed her items, she'd lose the margin. Three months in, her home was overrun with boxes of Hoka running shoes and Two-Faced makeup products, she says.

"I didn't have the same privilege of time as maybe a different side hustler," says Odio-Sutton. Print-on-demand seemed more appealing because she didn't need any business or design experience, and the time commitment seemed lighter.

Her initial efforts were unsuccessful. She sold Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day T-shirts, but Etsy's website was already saturated with similar listings. To improve her sales, she shifted her focus to more gift-oriented products such as mugs, candles, tote bags, and journals. Additionally, she found success by designing items tailored to specific professions and interests, such as speech pathologists and podcasters.

Canva is used by Odio-Sutton to create simple text-based designs for niche hobbies or professions, which are brainstormed using Google or ChatGPT. For instance, a podcast candle could have the text "The only podcast I listen to are the voices inside my head" printed on it.

If her design becomes popular, she'll replicate it with a different interest or profession to achieve the same success. Last October, she earned $5,000 in profit, which was equal to her full-time job's monthly salary, she claims.

Last year, her shop generated over $100,000 in sales during the popular shopping months of November and December.

Paying off 'fun and responsible' bills

She says that Odio-Sutton's extra revenue covers both "fun and responsible" bills. Additionally, she and her husband worked with a financial advisor to invest some of it into the stock market and college saving accounts for their daughters.

Odio-Sutton has an Amazon seller account and a second Etsy store where she sells downloadable templates for events, in addition to working 20 hours per week at her publishing job and 10 hours per week on Etsy.

She works as a coach for Gold City Ventures, teaching aspiring Etsy sellers how to open their own shops, and does contract work for business owners who hire her to manage and market their Pinterest accounts, she says.

Odio-Sutton would consider leaving her job to pursue her side hustle full-time, but only if she can still spend a lot of time with her daughters.

"I have a strict routine in the afternoons, where I pick up my daughter from the bus and take her to gymnastics practice," she says. "My initial vision for this routine was always very strong."

To earn extra money online, sign up for CNBC's course on passive income streams, starting tips, and real-life success stories.

Sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to receive expert advice on work, money, and life.