From Guinea Pig Waste to $71,000 a Month: Teen Entrepreneur Builds a Lucrative Pet Accessory Business
At just 12 years old, Bella Lin found herself spending countless hours "scraping, scrubbing and power washing" excrement off her two guinea pig cages. This unpleasant chore, however, sparked a business idea that would eventually earn her $71,000 in monthly revenue. Now 17, Lin is the founder and CEO of GuineaLoft, a thriving pet accessory brand that sells on Amazon. The company specializes in acrylic cages with disposable wax-coated paper bottoms, offering an innovative and hassle-free solution for pet owners.
Key Takeaways:
- Teen entrepreneur: Bella Lin started GuineaLoft at the age of 12, driven by her desire to find a better solution for cleaning guinea pig cages.
- Unique product: GuineaLoft’s signature product is an acrylic cage with a disposable wax-coated paper bottom that makes cleaning easier.
- Fast growth: The company has seen impressive growth, generating $71,000 in average monthly revenue so far this year.
- BizWorld competition: Winning $10,000 from a pitching competition at BizWorld helped fuel GuineaLoft’s growth, as the funds allowed Lin to purchase an acrylic laser cutter, which dramatically sped up production.
- Side hustle success: Despite her success, Lin considers GuineaLoft a side hustle, as she is currently a high school graduate and will be starting at the University of Chicago to study economics in the fall.
Home-Grown Mentorship
Lin’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with GuineaLoft. From a young age, she was always "trying out different ways to bring in little amounts of money" – from lemonade stands to selling hand-knit scarves. Her father, a computer programmer with experience in start-ups, played a pivotal role in fostering her entrepreneurial spirit.
One memorable conversation, while driving to water polo practice, sparked another side hustle. Lin looked up the price of a pair of Lululemon leggings and was shocked at the cost. Her dad asked, "What do you think the markup is on this?" Their research revealed that most leggings made from similar fabric to a pair of Lululemon’s cost about $20 to produce. This conversation led to TLeggings, another successful side hustle that peaked at $300,000 in revenue in 2020.
Lin emphasizes the importance of her father’s supportive mentorship: "I think with a lot of parents, when kids are younger and they express an interest in start-ups with something trivial like yarn or slime, it’s easy to shut that down," she says. "My dad … always treated me as an adult, as somebody who was almost working alongside him."
Running GuineaLoft
It took approximately a year to bring GuineaLoft’s signature cage from prototype to Amazon, where Lin initially listed 100 cages. The first batch sold out within two weeks. The company’s rapid growth can be attributed to several factors:
- Increased production: Lin used the $10,000 prize money from the BizWorld competition to purchase an acrylic laser cutter, which significantly increased production speed. They now use three laser cutters.
- Expanded product line: While GuineaLoft initially focused solely on guinea pig cages, they have expanded their offerings to include hay feeders, no-drip water bottles, and even cages and accessories for hamsters, rabbits, and birds.
- Effective marketing: The company has implemented strategic marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.
Overcoming Challenges
Expansion hasn’t come without challenges. Though Lin considers herself a "veteran guinea pig owner," designing cages and products for other small pets required her to acquire new skills and knowledge.
The company went through "at least five iterations" of its hamster cage before achieving customer satisfaction. "To be completely honest … it got bad reviews," Lin admits. Customers reported their hamsters escaping, so GuineaLoft adapted the design to address this issue.
A Niche Market and a Bright Future
Lin’s dedication to finding a niche has been key to her success. GuineaLoft stands out as the first profitable venture in her entrepreneurial portfolio. "To them, I’m kind of just the guinea pig girl," she says of her friends. "I like occupying a niche."
Having established a successful business with a unique product, Lin is now focused on taking GuineaLoft to the next level. She envisions expanding beyond the online marketplace and opening brick-and-mortar stores. "Opening in-person stores is a really big dream of mine," she says. "The ultimate goal that I have for GuineaLoft is just to be the recognized small pet brand."
Despite GuineaLoft’s robust profitability, Lin hasn’t begun paying herself a salary. Her parents and a scholarship cover her tuition. Instead, she re-invests all profits back into the business, fueled by her vision of building a lasting legacy.
At 17, Bella Lin is living proof that age is no barrier to success in entrepreneurship. Her journey proves that with passion, persistence, and a willingness to adapt, even a seemingly mundane task like cleaning a guinea pig cage can be the foundation for a thriving business empire.
