How This Founder Used Social Media to Turn a Failed Etsy Shop Into a Multi-Million Dollar Business with Keida Dervishi, Co-Founder of Soulmate Customs
02/10/25 • 62 min
Keida Dervishi is the co-founder of Soulmate Customs, a personalized gift brand that turns cherished memories into custom embroidered and engraved gifts.
Keida launched Soulmate Customs in 2021 after creating a personalized embroidered sweatshirt for her mother’s birthday, inspiring a business focused on meaningful gifts. Before this, she explored various side hustles on Etsy and Depop, but none took off. Everything changed when she shifted her focus to custom embroidery and posted a TikTok video of her first order, which went viral with 3.7 million views and brought in over 1,400 orders in a month. In just 11 months, Soulmate Customs surpassed $1 million in sales. Today, the business is family-run and has reached over 1.3 billion people across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
In this week’s episode, we talk to Keida about her unexpected journey from aspiring singer and actress to entrepreneur. She opens up about the struggles of her first Etsy business which took off but then closed down—an experience that taught her that having a great product isn’t enough without strong marketing. But instead of giving up, Keida took those lessons and doubled down on learning, eventually launching Soulmate Customs. She gets real about the hustle—teaching herself embroidery through YouTube, staying scrappy with her resources, and leaning on her family to help grow the business. She also breaks down the power of social media, explaining how consistency in content creation—not perfection—was key to her viral success. We dive into the pressures of scaling, adapting to social media trends, and the mindset shifts needed to push through challenges, and so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Keida about:
From singing and acting to entrepreneurship during COVID. [04:16]
Choosing passion over college. [09:56]
Starting her first Etsy shop. [11:52]
Overcoming Etsy shop closure due to copyright issues. [13:53]
Finding her next steps after the setback. [16:13]
Soulmate Customs began as a gift for her mom. [18:36]
The importance of scrappiness in business. [21:27]
Consistency matters more than perfection in content creation. [23:48]
Her mom's influence on doubling down on social media. [24:19]
First order and marketing success. [28:08]
Consistency and authenticity are the key in content creation. [34:24]
Emotional selling connects with customers. [35:17]
Purpose fuels passion and commitment. [46:20]
The biggest challenges for Soulmate Customs. [54:50]
Keida’s struggle with hiring. [55:50]
This episode is brought to you by Beeya:
If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.
Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10.
Follow Yasmin:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri
Website: https://www.behindherempire.com
Follow Keida:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmatecustomss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keida02
Website: https://soulmatecustoms.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Keida Dervishi is the co-founder of Soulmate Customs, a personalized gift brand that turns cherished memories into custom embroidered and engraved gifts.
Keida launched Soulmate Customs in 2021 after creating a personalized embroidered sweatshirt for her mother’s birthday, inspiring a business focused on meaningful gifts. Before this, she explored various side hustles on Etsy and Depop, but none took off. Everything changed when she shifted her focus to custom embroidery and posted a TikTok video of her first order, which went viral with 3.7 million views and brought in over 1,400 orders in a month. In just 11 months, Soulmate Customs surpassed $1 million in sales. Today, the business is family-run and has reached over 1.3 billion people across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
In this week’s episode, we talk to Keida about her unexpected journey from aspiring singer and actress to entrepreneur. She opens up about the struggles of her first Etsy business which took off but then closed down—an experience that taught her that having a great product isn’t enough without strong marketing. But instead of giving up, Keida took those lessons and doubled down on learning, eventually launching Soulmate Customs. She gets real about the hustle—teaching herself embroidery through YouTube, staying scrappy with her resources, and leaning on her family to help grow the business. She also breaks down the power of social media, explaining how consistency in content creation—not perfection—was key to her viral success. We dive into the pressures of scaling, adapting to social media trends, and the mindset shifts needed to push through challenges, and so much more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Keida about:
From singing and acting to entrepreneurship during COVID. [04:16]
Choosing passion over college. [09:56]
Starting her first Etsy shop. [11:52]
Overcoming Etsy shop closure due to copyright issues. [13:53]
Finding her next steps after the setback. [16:13]
Soulmate Customs began as a gift for her mom. [18:36]
The importance of scrappiness in business. [21:27]
Consistency matters more than perfection in content creation. [23:48]
Her mom's influence on doubling down on social media. [24:19]
First order and marketing success. [28:08]
Consistency and authenticity are the key in content creation. [34:24]
Emotional selling connects with customers. [35:17]
Purpose fuels passion and commitment. [46:20]
The biggest challenges for Soulmate Customs. [54:50]
Keida’s struggle with hiring. [55:50]
This episode is brought to you by Beeya:
If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.
Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10.
Follow Yasmin:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri
Website: https://www.behindherempire.com
Follow Keida:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmatecustomss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keida02
Website: https://soulmatecustoms.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Doubling Down on Faith in the Most Uncertain Times & Pivoting Your Way to a 9 Figure Business with Jamie O’Banion, Founder of BeautyBio
In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Jamie O’Banion, the founder and CEO of BeautyBio, a clean skincare and tool brand that leads with transparency and efficacy.
Jamie’s passion for science came at a young age as she watched her father, a cosmetic chemist, in his lab developing products and eventually joined him after college. Ten years later, having witnessed brands using minimal concentrations of active ingredients to cut costs and make false clinical claims, Jamie knew she had to address this issue in the industry. That's when the idea for BeautyBio was born. The aim was to provide clients with what they were paying for and help them understand the ingredients behind the products.
She debuted on HSN that same year and sold out on the first day. Five years later, she launched one of the brand's flagship products, GloPRO, an at-home micro-needling device that generated $4 million in sales within its first 24 hours and has since surpassed the $100 million mark. Fast forward to 2023, BeautyBio is available in over 1,700 stores, including Ulta, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and more.
In this episode, we’ll talk to Jamie about:
The concept of “breadcrumbs” in life and how everything happens for a reason. [03:13]
*Growing up with a family of six has influenced the woman Jamie is today. [06:39]
*Managing the challenges of motherhood. [15:06]
*Jamie’s upbringing and what sparked her interest in science. [22:03]
*The importance of team and how they’ve been integral in her journey. [26:42]
*Dealing with challenging experiences as an entrepreneur. [29:28]
*Co-founding Organicare with her physician father in 2008. [33:09]
*Adapting to consumer demand without compromising business ethos. [37:38]
*Pivoting from selling ingredients to launching BeautyBio. [43:14]
*Future plans for BeautyBio post-acquisition. [49:09]
In this week’s episode, Jamie guides us through the various "breadcrumbs" of life and how every individual experience she had before launching her business led her to exactly where she is today. We dive into her upbringing as one of six children, how she stumbled into entrepreneurship, why her initial business idea failed, and how she quickly pivoted to what eventually became BeautyBio. We talk about all the challenging experiences in her over ten year journey running the business, how they ended up selling the business last year, and so much more.
This episode is brought to you by Beeya:
If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.
Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10
Follow Yasmin:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri
Website: https://www.behindherempire.com
Follow Jamie:
Website: https://beautybio.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautybio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieobanion
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
The Power of Movement: Unlocking Intuition, Releasing Emotions & Sparking Creativity with Taryn Toomey, Founder of The Class
“The Class” is more than just a workout—it’s a powerful journey that goes beyond breaking a sweat to help you release blocks, tap into your true potential, and connect with yourself and others. In this interview, creator Taryn Toomey reveals why her renowned transformative experience has become a favorite among fitness enthusiasts, spiritual seekers, and celebrities alike.
In this episode you’ll learn:
What makes “The Class” different from other workouts
How meditation enhances intuition
The lasting effects of somatic therapy
Techniques for releasing energetic blocks from the body
The role of music in the healing process
And more...
Taryn Toomey is the Founder of The Class, a fitness method and “practice of self study” that incorporates cardio, meditation, and therapeutic yelling (Jennifer Aniston, Christy Turlington, and Gisele Bündchen are fans). Taryn's approach combines elements of strength training, breathwork, and emotional expression to create a workout experience that not only reshapes the body but also frees the mind. With her extensive background in wellness, yoga, and emotional healing, Toomey is a true pioneer in the wellness space, empowering people to reconnect with their inner selves through movement.
This episode is brought to you by Beeya:
If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.
Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10.
Follow Yasmin:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri
Website: https://www.behindherempire.com
Follow Taryn:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taryntoomey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclass
Website: https://www.theclass.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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