I Turned My Little Vintage Furniture Collection Into Money Making Machine
My Journey And Lessons Learned Along The Way
This one is going to be different. Bold philosophical essays are great, but let’s pause for a while. This time I would like to share my journey in substantial way. Hopefully relatable. From an employee to a solopreneur. From watching the clock at 9 to 5 to excitement and wanting to work all the time. What was the reason I turned my life upside down? What did I learn along the way? Stick around and I will tell you in a minute. Meanwhile…
So it is early 2018 and I have decided to leave my job at a leading architecture company in Lithuania. Dreams about freelancing and my own ventures became unbearable and I realised that if I didn't act fast and decisive, I would be stuck in 9 to 5 for the rest of my life. As I left my warm and comfortable position, I went straight to the unknown. First time in a while I have felt a rushing fear for survival and the danger of the bills arriving every month. But if for some it would be a crippling fear, I have found it very motivational. The danger and adrenaline brought a missing joy to my life. What have I done afterwards? I will tell you in a minute.
The first thing I did was start to look for clients as an architect. And in my free time (that I had none) I have started to contemplate business ideas. One came after the discovery of an old vintage armchair in my grandparents' summer house. Turned out it was an original piece from the 1960s, designed by legendary Lithuanian architect Valerija Ema Cukermanienė. I have tried to restore it by myself, and after some trial and error, I have succeeded. An armchair for my home, that is what I thought. But I had no idea where this tiny hack would lead me. Fascinated by the historical authenticity of such a precious newly found relic I started to look for more furniture online and discovered a lot of them. I bought design books and visited exhibitions, the obsession was enormous. At first, I saw it as an investment opportunity. After I while there was no free space left in my home. What to do with all this furniture?
Once my architect friend noticed my passion for all things vintage and asked if I heard about online vintage furniture platforms. And of course, I didn’t at the time. But in the evening of the same day, I discovered a world. Brave new world for my vintage collection.
I have contacted all those places and started selling online. At least that is what I fought would happen. But it didn’t. The first sale I got was half a year ago, and I was in heaven. Making money online was something I will never forget because finally, I have felt free. Free to do what I want and make it my own way.
Five years of selling vintage items online, running my Instagram account where I spread the knowledge and fascination with furniture history, design and architects and hunting items online were not a fairytale, to say the least. Failed a lot and learned a lot. But building something of my own felt good so I kept going. And 6 years in at the end of 2023 I can tell that I have a solid online yearly revenue. And I am very proud of what I have built. Not that it is a perfect business, but it is the one that works and the one that I enjoy. If you are curious, you can check it out here, it is called Back To The Furniture.
So what about it that was so special? I liked it enough to keep going when it was tough. I liked it when nobody bought it. I liked it when I was struggling to put it all together. Can you do the same? Absolutely! There is no miracle in it, except liking the process and going for it no matter what.
Setting off into this project was not an act of faith alone. It proved to be a model combined with persistence, hard work and obsession. Having taken on this path, after 6 years I can confidently say that turning your passion into a profiting enterprise is realistic. The journey has its own highs and lows, but every step in the path is a very important chapter in a continuing saga of it all. As you stand on the verge of your own adventure I can assure you, that with a lot of patience, your time will come. When approached with dedication and passion this process holds its own personal rewards beyond financial gain. It is more about crafting a life from the core of who you are. So if you feel icky at your corporate life, remember, that it might be a Universe talking to you. And the words are “You know you can live the life that you want if you dare”. Dare.
Inspiring stuff Tomas. Thanks for sharing!
Really like this honesty throughout your posts Tomas, thank you for sharing and writing