Her $5K-a-Month Side Hustle Was Inspired By Family Tradition

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Chanya (Bella) Laosrimongkol, 34, who splits her time between Bangkok, Phuket and New York City. Laosrimongkol officially launched her side hustle Bangkok Bites, a line of Thai-inspired plant-based protein snacks, in October 2025. Her business is bringing in about $5,000 a month and is on track to hit $100,000 in revenue this year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

From a career in corporate to a serial entrepreneur

What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
I actually started out as a corporate girl before moving fully into entrepreneurship. But even back then, I was always building something on the side.

Bangkok Bites is technically my seventh business, so side hustling has always been part of how I work and think. I’ve done everything from running a fish and chips shop, organizing parties, running a hostel, opening a café, to building a homestay platform.

Before starting this, I had just exited my previous company, a vacation rental platform I built and ran for five years. At the same time, I was still actively working in hospitality and real estate, running a holiday rental in Phuket. Initially, Bangkok Bites was a side hustle while I focused 80% of my time on real estate. My time is still divided between my established holiday rental business in Thailand and Bangkok Bites, but I see such incredible growth and potential in the snack business that I’m moving toward a 50/50 split of my time.

Because I have an experienced team managing the day-to-day operations of my rental business in Thailand, I am able to dedicate myself to the “hustle” of growing this brand in the U.S. market. It has transitioned from a side project into a core business that I am fully committed to scaling.

Starting a side hustle based on family roots

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started exploring the idea around late 2024, right after I exited my previous company. At that point, I knew I wanted to build something more tangible, something real, something long-term.

Then I went back home and spent time with my family. That’s when I realized something I had overlooked for years. We have a small plant-based food factory in Thailand that’s been running for over 30 years. They’ve been quietly producing amazing products. They had the research and development (R&D), the production and the expertise, but never really built a brand or went global.

What triggered me was that they were thinking about shutting it down. That didn’t sit right with me. As the next generation, I felt like if not me, then who? I had the opposite skill set: international exposure, business experience, I speak the language, I understand the market. I realized that we already have everything; we just needed to connect it. So, I decided to take what they built and bring it to the U.S.

My family is vegan. I’m a snack person, and I love Thai flavors. That’s how Bangkok Bites came to life, an Asian-owned, woman-owned brand bringing Thai-inspired vegan jerky to a global audience.

We officially launched in October 2025 and recently introduced a new real-ingredients formula at Expo West in California in March 2026. Today, we focus on two flavors, Pad Thai and Thai BBQ, inspired by Thai street food, but made into a high-protein, healthy alternative meatless snack.

Keeping it simple and investing $20,000 to launch

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money/investment did it take to launch?
I kept it simple. I didn’t wait until everything was perfect. I just started. I did my own research, worked closely with my family factory to develop products and built the first version of the brand myself. 

I launched two product lines: plant-based chips and jerky. The flavors were very standard, generic options like barbecue, bacon and spicy for jerky, and cheese, barbecue, spicy and salted for chips. There was no story behind them. I realized that to truly succeed, I needed to find a hero product with a real identity. I discontinued the chips and the generic jerky line to focus entirely on what makes us unique. As a small brand, you can’t win by being generic: You win by being true to your story and being different.

That first version failed. But that failure gave me real data, real feedback, and I rebuilt everything from there. I started by investing around $20,000 for the first launch, knowing it probably wouldn’t work the first time.

I wanted to develop a product people actually crave. So we created a vegan jerky with a texture inspired by Asian-style squid jerky, something chewy, flavorful and exciting — very different from typical plant-based jerky in the U.S. market. At the same time, it’s still functional, high in plant protein at around 14 to 18 grams per pack, low in fat, made with real ingredients and designed as a convenient grab-and-go snack. That balance between taste, texture and nutrition became our edge.

Leaning into more than 30 years of family experience

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business? 
My biggest advantage is my family and team at the factory. They bring over 30 years of experience in plant-based manufacturing. That’s something you can’t replace.

But on the U.S. side, I’m building this completely on my own. What really helped me was finding a consumer packaged goods (CPG) community. Being an Asian female founder building in the U.S. alone can feel isolating, but the likeminded community gave me support, insights and real connections.

In terms of funding, I secured government funding from Thailand, which helped extend my runway. And of course, my own savings from exiting my previous company.

Spending wisely — and choosing the right people

If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
I would stop trying to save money on the wrong things. As a solo founder with a small budget, I tried to start as lean as possible, which led me to hire the cheapest options rather than the most qualified. I hired a consultant I met in a community because he was affordable and promised me the world. Because I didn’t know the industry yet, I worked without professional, solid contracts. We just traded invoices and payments.

When the relationship soured, I realized I had no legal leverage. This consultant referred me to a warehouse that eventually held my inventory hostage because of a debt he owed them. This “cheap” decision ended up costing me $50,000 in lost sales value and massive stress. I learned that an unqualified partner who costs less upfront will eventually cost you ten times more in lost time and inventory.

Most retailers won’t accept products with less than four months of shelf life. By the time I could even try to fight it legally, the product was close to expiring, and the legal fees to sue would have cost another $20,000 to $50,000. I also faced a major cash flow crisis when a promised $65,000 funding grant was delayed by a full year. I had to fund everything from my own pocket to keep the brand alive. It was a lonely, expensive lesson in due diligence and the importance of having solid, professional agreements from day one.

Now I know that choosing the right people is everything.

Adapting to trends without losing your identity

When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t? 
How intense it actually is. CPG looks simple, but it requires constant strategizing — from product to logistics, marketing and cash flow, and everything is happening at once.

Cash flow is critical. You think you’ve budgeted everything, and then something unexpected hits. Logistics, delays, fees — it adds up fast.

Also, retail is not easy. You don’t just “get into stores.” You need proof of demand first. That means building your brand yourself, especially through direct-to-consumer (DTC) and community.

And trends move constantly. From plant-based, high-protein and clean label, to anti-ultra-processed, it never stops. You have to adapt without losing your identity.

The surprising part? I’d say the CPG community in the U.S. is incredibly supportive. As someone building alone in a new market, that really helped me stay in the game.

A $5k-a-month side hustle on track for $100k this year

How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
It took about a year to get to more consistent monthly revenue, mainly because I had to go through that first failure and rebuild.

Right now, we’re still in the early stages, doing around $5,000 per month and growing steadily. My projected revenue for 2026 is around $100,000.

Growing through DTC, Amazon and independent retailers

What does growth and revenue look like now? 
The biggest shift is healthier growth. Now about 60% to 70% of our sales are organic, which tells me the product and brand are starting to resonate.

We’re growing through DTC, Amazon and independent retailers and building a real foundation, not just relying on ads.

I’m now focused on scaling the right way, with plans to expand into natural and specialty grocery stores.

Learning something new every day as a business owner

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Seeing something from my family’s small factory in Thailand make its way into the U.S. market — that means everything. To me, it’s not just a product, it’s a legacy.

And when someone tries it and says they love it, that moment never gets old.

I also love what the brand represents. Bangkok Bites is an Asian-owned, woman-owned brand bringing Thai flavors into a category where it didn’t really exist before. It’s cultural, it’s different and it’s exciting. Seeing people connect with that is really special.

Also, the growth. I learn something new every day. That’s what keeps me going.

What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Just start, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Actually, especially if you don’t know. Because I didn’t know anything about product business, and that’s exactly why I did everything to get me this far.

You don’t need perfect knowledge to begin. You need action. Fail if you have to. And try again. It’s a rough journey, but you will figure it out as you go.

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Chanya (Bella) Laosrimongkol, 34, who splits her time between Bangkok, Phuket and New York City. Laosrimongkol officially launched her side hustle Bangkok Bites, a line of Thai-inspired plant-based protein snacks, in October 2025. Her business is bringing in about $5,000 a month and is on track to hit $100,000 in revenue this year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

From a career in corporate to a serial entrepreneur

What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
I actually started out as a corporate girl before moving fully into entrepreneurship. But even back then, I was always building something on the side.

Bangkok Bites is technically my seventh business, so side hustling has always been part of how I work and think. I’ve done everything from running a fish and chips shop, organizing parties, running a hostel, opening a café, to building a homestay platform.