Side Hustles & Sustainability: What Bellimar Taught Me About Brand, Purpose & Grit

Introduction

In 2021, my wife and I launched Bellimar. A side venture born out of parental leave conversations, creativity, and a shared desire to build something meaningful. It was a sustainable jewelry brand, but more than that, it was a crash course in entrepreneurship, brand building, and what it takes to turn a story into a business.

We didn’t have a huge team or unlimited budget. We had a vision, time on weekends, and a belief in doing things differently. Here’s what that journey taught me.

Purpose-Driven Brands Start With Values, Not Products

Bellimar wasn’t just about accessories. It was about telling a story: of craftsmanship, sustainability, and identity. We partnered with a responsible manufacturer, sourced sterling silver, and kept our packaging plastic-free.

That clarity of purpose gave us an edge. It attracted customers who cared. It shaped our messaging, our visuals, our tone. In a sea of Shopify stores, our brand felt personal.

Lesson: Don’t build a brand around what you sell. Build it around what you stand for.

Constraints Make You Creative

With no marketing team, we had to become one. We learned performance marketing from scratch, ran Meta and Google Ads, handled customer service manually, and shipped every order ourselves.

We organized four professional photo shoots on a shoestring budget. We partnered with NGOs like WWF and Movember. We reached €33,000 in sales in one year. It wasn’t explosive growth, but it was real.

Lesson: Grit beats perfection. Start scrappy, and you’ll figure it out.

Brand Is Built in the Details

From unboxing experiences to product descriptions, we obsessed over details. Every touchpoint was a chance to reinforce the story.

Customers often told us they loved the packaging as much as the product. That mattered more than any click-through rate.

Lesson: Brand is not a logo. It’s the emotion someone feels when they interact with you.

Running a Side Hustle While Working Full-Time? Possible, Not Easy

I was working at Samsung SDS at the time, leading B2B sales in the DACH region. Launching Bellimar meant late nights, early mornings, and a lot of trade-offs.

But it also brought clarity. It reminded me why I love building things. It gave me a new appreciation for every startup founder trying to juggle life and business.

Lesson: You can do hard things—but not without sacrifice. Choose your priorities wisely.

Closing Thought

We eventually shut Bellimar down. Not because it failed, but because we had learned what we came to learn. The experience shaped how I now approach product, brand, and leadership.

Bellimar taught me that even small ventures can create big impact—and that sometimes, the best way to grow is to build something from scratch and let it teach you what school never could.