Latest news with #KateSullivan
CNBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
26-year-old college dropout's business brings in $570,000 a year: 'I didn't want to have a conventional job'
When Kate Sullivan started making jewelry in her bedroom at age 19, she couldn't have imagined that her designs would one day be spotted on stars like Gigi Hadid and SZA. Today, Sullivan's online jewelry company, The Sage Vintage, brings in six figures a year, topping $570,000 in total sales in 2024. Sullivan, now 26, started The Sage Vintage as a side hustle after she took a break from college in 2017. She left the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was pursuing a degree in neuroscience, and moved back in with her father in a suburb of Chicago. To make some money while she figured out her next steps, Sullivan started buying vintage clothing from local thrift stores and selling it on Depop, a popular online resale marketplace. Sullivan's clothing business was profitable, but when the Covid-19 pandemic started, the clothing resale market quickly became more competitive, and Sullivan's sales began to fall. She knew it was time to pivot. "I wanted to do something different, to stand out and to make sure my business was successful long term," she says. Inspiration struck when she found an old jewelry making kit from her childhood, and Sullivan began to create handmade jewelry in 2020. "I thrifted some necklaces, took them apart and started making charm jewelry. And that's how it all started," she says. With the help of her father, Sullivan scoured local flea markets, antique malls and thrift stores for vintage charms and chains. She sold her first batch of charm necklaces on Depop at between $60 and $100 each. "I didn't really see a lot of people doing charm jewelry at that point. I felt like it was almost outdated, and I liked the individuality that it brought to each piece," she says. As her business grew, Sullivan created her own website in January 2020, which she named "The Sage Vintage" in honor of her dog, Sage, to sell her clothing and jewelry. "I think starting our website really made it feel real to me because I wasn't just selling on a platform anymore. It was my own thing," she says. Sullivan had initially planned to return to college, but she decided to drop out and focus on growing The Sage Vintage instead. "Once I started being my own boss, I realized that I didn't want to have a conventional job," she says. Still, she was running the business full time out of her bedroom, often working on her jewelry until 1 or 2 a.m. She also handled packaging and shipping, though she hired a contract employee in August 2020 to handle emails and customer service. By the end of 2020, Sullivan's clothing and jewelry sales generated just over $70,000 in sales. She took a salary of $12,000 after paying overhead costs. "It felt like I was pretty much just getting by," she recalls. "I was hoping to make a lot more the next year." Sales for The Sage Vintage remained flat at around $70,000 in 2021, but business took off in 2022 after a viral collaboration with Haricot Vert, a NYC-based handmade jewelry brand. In July 2022, Haricot Vert and Sullivan launched a joint collection of 30 one-of-a-kind pieces priced between $100 and $350. The collection sold out in under five minutes. "That was insane to me," Sullivan says. "I've never made that amount of money in that little of time." Her subsequent collaborations with Haricot Vert continued to quickly sell out and go viral. "Once I started seeing my own pictures all over Pinterest, I knew that it was going to be something big," Sullivan says. "I'll still be scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram, and I'll see people reposting my pictures from 2 or 3 years ago, and I still cannot tell that it's me at first." Sullivan can also count major celebrities among her customers. Singer SZA wore an abalone butterfly necklace from The Sage Vintage onstage while performing at a music festival in 2022, and model Gigi Hadid was spotted in 2023 wearing a necklace from one of The Sage Vintage and Haricot Vert's collaborations. Hadid's stylist reached out to Sullivan, who sent her three custom pieces. "That was a crazy moment for me," Sullivan says. Due to increased demand for her handmade pieces, Sullivan found herself working 14 to 16 hours a day. "One of the biggest struggles is when you're growing at such a fast pace," she says. "After our collaborations, I was having a really hard time working by myself." She decided to change her strategy: "In order to scale my business, I really needed to start making multiples of each piece, and not just one of ones." Sullivan began to purchase bulk batches of charms and worked with manufacturers to create gold-plated replicas of vintage charms. She started selling single charms and chains, as well as offering choose-your-own-charm custom options. A single charm can cost as little as $12 to $14, while a custom charm necklace typically costs over $350, Sullivan says. The most expensive piece of jewelry on her site is a 14k charm necklace priced at $1,148. She also expanded into wholesale: in April 2023, a buyer from Anthropologie reached out to Sullivan and purchased 8 handmade, one-of-one necklaces for $1,500. Jewelry from The Sage Vintage is now available in several boutiques and small businesses across the country. Today, Sullivan employs three part-time contractors to help with the logistics of running The Sage Vintage, though she still makes the jewelry herself. "I have a lot more flexibility now that I have employees," Sullivan says. "I do try to have a proper weekend now, and I really do try to stick to a 9 to 5. But again, if I do want to take a day off, I'm welcome to do that, thankfully." In 2022, Sullivan moved from Chicago to Idaho, bought a house, and began operating The Sage Vintage from a small outbuilding on her new property. Last September, Sullivan took out a $67,000 loan from e-commerce platform Shopify, which she uses to power her website, to renovate the outbuilding into a full-scale jewelry workshop, as well as to redesign her website and increase stock ahead of the holiday season. Since then, she's paid off over 50% of the loan. After years of paying herself through distributions from the business, she plans to pay herself a "proper salary" of $100,000 in 2025. In the future, Sullivan hopes to expand The Sage Vintage and open up a storefront in Chicago. Later this year, she plans to launch her own line of apparel in addition to jewelry, "coming full-circle" from her early days on Depop. "I definitely am so grateful that I did drop out and didn't continue on the track that I was on," Sullivan says.
Bloomberg
02-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Amazon Submits Bid for TikTok With US Sale Deadline Approaching
By , Kate Sullivan, and Spencer Soper Save Inc. submitted a bid to the White House to purchase the social video app TikTok from its Chinese owners, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company sent its proposal in a letter to Vice President JD Vance, who's heading efforts to help facilitate a sale of the US operations of the video service ahead of a deadline later this week, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the people said.
Bloomberg
06-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Could Trump's Tariff Delay Be A Negotiation Tactic?
Bloomberg's Kate Sullivan discusses President Trump signing executive orders modifying the 25% Canada, Mexico tariffs for goods under the USMCA agreement until April 2nd. She talks about how the Trump Administration is most likely using these tariffs as a negotiation tactic, what to possibly lookout for when reciprocal tariffs start in April, and the President acknowledging Americans might feel some effects from these tariffs. Kate speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on Bloomberg's "Balance of Power." (Source: Bloomberg)
Boston Globe
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Forward thinking: Girls' hockey players are faster, stronger, better, and yes, embracing the physicality
Welcome to the age of the power forward, in which physical play and a gritty mind-set is encouraged, rather than punished by officials. And it has trickled down to new players joining the high school ranks. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Typically, a power forward is a strong skater who possesses a hard shot and a physical presence who looks to attack the front of the net. They don't need to be 6 feet to have that presence – it's more about mentality than size, especially in the girls' game. Advertisement Westwood senior forward Kate Sullivan (front) has been happy to see her teammates embrace the new physical style of play that has transformed girls' hockey, saying it "makes the game so much more fun." Barry Chin/Globe Staff 'It's definitely taken on a life of its own in the past couple of years,' Archbishop Williams coach Doug Nolan said. 'You see a lot more girls playing, and a lot more bigger, stronger girls playing. Having a big, strong forward like that, battling against other girls, is definitely an advantage. 'It's hard to defend those girls, unless you've got some big, strong defenders.' Coinciding with the rise of the role is the rise of women's hockey. With the PWHL having embraced physical play, kids with aspirations on the ice see that as part of the game. 'I think girls in general are influenced a lot by the women who play professional sports,' Sullivan said. 'As their physical levels increase, so do ours. It's just looking up to them and wanting to be like them.' Nolan coaches one of the younger power forwards in the state — freshman Julie Murphy . Murphy leapt onto the scene a year ago as an eighth grader, delivering clutch moments during the Bishops' run to the state semifinals — notably setting up a last-minute winner to beat Methuen/Tewksbury in the second round. Advertisement Her fearlessness in crashing the net or winning a battle in the corner is key for the Bishops, ranked No. 7 in the Globe Top 20. Murphy said it wasn't immediately there as a newcomer, but now it's integral to her game. 'I had a really bad start,' Murphy said. 'I was so scared. But then I realized, these are the same girls I've played with for the last 10 years of playing hockey. It's really the same stuff, just a higher competition. Having those second- and third-effort plays really helped me find my groove.' Up at the Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading co-op, senior captain Mia Lava has embraced the power forward role. A Northeastern Hockey League All-Star last year and the team's second-leading scorer this winter, the road to success starts in the weight room. Coach Michelle Roach said the Tanners frequently use Lava to demonstrate exercises for the team thanks to her excellent form. 'Mia's one of our stronger players in the weight room,' Roach said. 'And being a captain, she is getting in there, talking to the other kids, bringing them along with her, and she is working out just as hard as when she's on ice.' On the ice, Lava excels at winning puck battles and picking her spots to play with an edge while playing in all situations for the Tanners, ranked No. 9 in the Globe's Top 20. In addition to the additional competitive fire, Roach feels the sport adopting physicality has also led to less injuries due to these hits becoming the norm. Advertisement 'Players are expecting that competitive contact,' Roach said. 'They're not shying away from it. It's not taking them by surprise where before, when it was strictly managed in the game, sometimes people were caught off guard — and that's when people get hurt.' With her work in the weight room, Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading senior captain Mia Lava is a strong presence around the net. Shlok Kudrimoti/Lynnfield High School Ice chips ▪ Boston Latin is just 5-11-3 overall, and 2-9-2 in the competitive Merrimack Valley/Dual County Large. But the Wolfpack will be a challenging out in the MIAA Division 1 postseason tournament. In the month of January, Boston Latin lost by one-goal margins to No. 5 Methuen/Tewksbury and No. 2 Malden Catholic, and tied No. 6 Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover. Finally, the Wolfpack got over the hump last Wednesday with a 4-3 overtime victory over No. 11 Billerica/Chelmsford after letting a two-goal lead slip away in the third period. The victory propelled Boston Latin to No. 22 in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings. 'I feel we're knocking on the door,' said coach Tom McGrath . 'We want to be around No. 20 [in the power rankings] by the time we get to the tournament. We're going to be a tough, tough game for whoever we draw in the playoffs. I don't think anyone should take us lightly.' The Wolfpack are led by senior defenseman Ava Enright (12 goals, 6 assists), a returning Globe All-Scholastic. 'She's gotten even faster this year, just rounded out her game in all areas,' McGrath said of Enright. 'She's kind of taken the team on her shoulders and saying 'come follow me.' That means a lot to the team.' ▪ Two milestones were reached during the past week in the NEPSAC ranks. The first came Saturday from Thayer Academy senior Morgan McGathey , who rifled in her 100th career goal in a 5-1 win over Brooks. Then on Monday, Nobles senior forward Molly MacCurtain reached the 100-point plateau in a 4-2 win over Rivers. Advertisement McGathey is committed to play at Harvard next season, and MacCurtain is Northeastern-bound. Games to watch Wednesday, Martha's Vineyard vs. Falmouth (at Falmouth Ice Arena, 4:30 p.m.) — The two teams atop the Cape & Islands League will meet for their second matchup of the season, after Martha's Vineyard took the first meeting, 4-2, in December. Wednesday, PLNR vs. Malden Catholic (at Malden Valley Forum, 6 p.m.) — The Lancers have not lost in eight games despite facing top-20 opponents in almost every contest, and their gauntlet schedule rolls on against an Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading squad that has won seven of its past eight games. Wednesday, Bishop Stang vs. Archbishop Williams (at Canton SportsPlex, 7:10 p.m.) — Two of the top teams in the Catholic Central League, the Bishops were held scoreless for the first time all season in a 0-0 tie when the two sides faced off on Jan. 29. Thursday, HPNA vs. Andover (at Breakaway Ice Center, 7:10 p.m.) — The top 20 matchup pits a Golden Warriors squad that has been middle of the pack in the MVC/DCL Large against an Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover team that's won four straight league contests. HPNA came away with a 3-1 win in the teams' first matchup. Monday, Hingham vs. Westwood (at Pilgrim Arena, 2:30 p.m.) — One of the marquee games of the Hingham Hockey Showcase will pit the top-ranked Harborwomen against an unbeaten Wolverines squad. Correspondent Matty Wasserman contributed to this story. Advertisement
