This 26-Year-Old Makes Pillows For Celebs Like Chrissy Teigen And Ellen DeGeneres

Hyla Frank was 23 when she decided to go full-time with her side hustle of making custom pillows embroidered with people's pets. Her clients include Ellen DeGeneres, Chrissy Teigen, Lauren Conrad and Zoey Deutch.

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After graduating from The Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014, Hyla Frank got a job working as an assistant for an interior decorator. It was a solid, 9-to-5 gig, and Frank says she "loved the experience." Even so, the job didn't last long.

Frank studied fiber art — fine art made with fabric or yarn — in college, and had learned how to sew from her mom. While working as an assistant, she spent her free time on embroidery. She started selling her embroidery projects, gaining customers through word-of-mouth from friends and colleagues.

Soon, Frank was spending as much time embroidering at night as she was working during the day, and making about the same amount of money from her embroidery as she was from her day job.

So, Frank, then 23, decided to quit her job and work on her embroidery business full time. It was scary, she tells CNBC Make It from her backyard studio in Los Angeles, Calif.

Fortunately, her fears were unfounded. Now in its third year, Frank's eponymous business, Hyla F., has grown significantly. Her signature style is black thread on a white background. She embroiders all kinds of products, including canvas totes and duffel bags (currently on sale for $45 and $95, respectively) and throw pillows (from $100 to $120 each).

But the products that really put Frank and Hyla F. on the map are those she custom embroiders with people's pets. Frank will embroider the name and face of customers' pets on pillows, dog beds and blankets. Custom pet pillows range from $325 to $385, a custom dog bed is $385 and a custom-embroidered alpaca throw blanket is $675.

So far, Frank says she's sold 582 embroidered pillows.

One custom pet pillow takes between four and five hours to complete, though Frank usually has a handful going at once. Clients send Frank photos of their pet, then she makes sketches of the animal and transfers the final sketch to fabric. She hand embroiders the outline and completes the image of the pet with a sewing machine.

When Frank quit her job as an assistant in December 2015, she was pretty sure that if her business flopped, she would be able to get another job in her field. At the time she was making $24,000 a year. In 2016, the first year she worked on Hyla F. full-time, Frank brought in $35,000 in revenue. This year, she's on track to bring in $80,000. Frank says that her profits, after the cost of supplies, are about half of what she brings in.

Now 26, Frank has not had to return to a 9-to-5 job. Not only is she earning more money, she says she's got more freedom in her schedule. "I usually do work about eight hours a day. The difference between my schedule and let's say a 9-to-5 schedule is just that I can choose whatever hours I want that to be. So I will usually do a hike with my dogs in the morning, get to work around 9 a.m. and then take a little break in the middle of the day. Sometimes I'll go to the gym in the afternoon and then I'll usually do some work at night."

Hyla's F.'s success is due in part to the fact that celebrity dog-owners are among Frank's biggest fans on social media. Lauren Conrad, the 32-year-old reality television star, and Zoey Deutch, a 23-year-old actress, model and activist have both declared their love for Frank's custom pet pillows.

Model Chrissy Teigen's mother, Vilailuck, posted a photo on her Instagram account alongside three of Frank's pillows, with the caption, "Happy [Saturday!] Thank you so much @hyla_f."

Even Ellen DeGeneres has had work done by Frank. She's has also gained attention from print and online magazines. Her pillows were featured in a 2016 Vogue list of "uber-chic pet decor items." The October 2018 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine highlighted a partnership between Hyla F. and personalized knitwear company Le Lion on the "O List," the publication's monthly round-up of favorite products. Frank embroiders pet names and faces on merino wool sweaters from Le Lion.

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This 26-year-old quit her job to make embroidered pillows for Chrissy Teigen, Ellen DeGeneres and others | CNBC Make It.