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Rob: In today’s episode, we’re so excited to talk to flipper university alumni, Angela Allen.
Melissa: We dive into how she was able to quit her house cleaning business and replace it with her flipping income and how she’s averaging $1,500 to $2,000 a month. And working, not that many hours.
Rob: Angela Allen, we are super excited to talk to her and get some great information about her story, her journey, that will hopefully help all of us grow in this flipping experience, flipping biz.
Melissa: Thanks for being with us, Angela.
Angela: Well, thank you so much for having me. I’m excited.
Rob: Awesome. So are we, so let’s go ahead and dive in. Let’s get a little bit of your background. Let’s hear a little bit about where you came from, exactly how you got into this flipping business.
Angela: Sure. So I’m a wife of 30 years. I got two adult kids, college educated, I have a degree in psychology is kind of, you know, where I started off. Worked in the corporate world for a little while. I decided to be a stay at home mom and, and, you know, raise my kids at home and always kind of looking for side hustle, while I was raising them.
So I actually dabbled in eBay about 20 years ago and selling kid items. So my kids’ clothes and all of that, did that for a while. I’ve started the candle business. I used to make soy candles and did that for a while. And then most recently a cleaning business. I had my own house cleaning business and, due to health reasons, I decided to retire after 25 years in December of 2020. So, and then decided to focus on reselling. I actually bought y’all’s program back, this is embarrassing to say, but I bought it back in December of 2019. And, I was like, oh, this is, you know, I’ve done this before. The part that I didn’t do before was sourcing, so I had my, my kids’ items and that’s what I was selling. So the sourcing part really tripped me up in the beginning, and I quit. I mean, I’m being honest. I was like, I thought it was harder than what I thought it was going to be. I had over confidence in myself and all of this. So I kind, kinda hung it up, put it on the table for a year.
And, there was a listing challenge of November 2020 and did that, listed every single day. And I was hooked and I was like, this is my new shift in life. That’s how I view life is you have different chapters, right, and life shifts and changes, and I knew that. Me being in house cleaning for 25 years, it just really took a toll on my body.
I’ve already had two surgeries. I have a third one in December. I knew that was coming up. So I was like this reselling will give me the long-term flexibility that I really need, so when I have downtime in my surgeries, I can still work as I need to. And then take time for my health.
So that’s kind of my, I hopefully that was quick or maybe not, background.
Rob: That’s awesome. It’s your story. And that’s what we want to know. We want to know how you got into it and no worries at all. You know, in the program you’re talking about is Flipper University. You joined a year prior to actually, when you jumped into the listing talent.
The next year, but that’s okay. Everybody has a journey. Yeah. And sometimes you’re not ready for getting into the flipping business and sometimes you’re right, those are different chapters in your life.
Melissa: I was going to add when we started our, the whole blog part of our business we quit, for six months. And then we’re like, okay, we, cause it was a little harder than we thought it was going to be.
Angela: Than you thought it was going to be, right.
Melissa: So we’re like, all right, this isn’t worth it. We’re just going to keep on flipping and not share our story. And it it’ll just be easier. And then something made us pick it back up and we’re glad we did.
So we get to talk to awesome people like you.
Rob: Exactly, and we get to see your journey. We get to see it unfold because you did jump into Flipper University, you’re in flipping for profit, our Facebook group for members, alumni. We get to see your journey unfold and it is very exciting for us to see the flips that you’re doing, and your progress that you’re making.
So it’s, it’s very fun for us to be part of that with you.
Melissa: And I’ve heard of that. The cleaning business is very hard on your body. Cause we have our other, one of our moderators, Susie. She also has a house cleaning business and she’s been able to pull back and not do it as much because of flipping like that has supplemented her income.
But she’s talked about how hard it is on your body. So kudos to you for doing it for so long. Yeah. So right now, how many hours a week are you full-time part-time, are you putting into your reselling business?
Angela: I’m very part-time. I was working my cleaning schedule. I worked every other week. I would clean one to two houses a day, Monday through Friday. I enjoyed that schedule, so I had a week of work and a week off. So could I push myself more to do more? Absolutely. But I’m comfy in where I’m at right now. And I do enjoy just doing this part-time and I’m actually shocked the, I hate to admit it, the amount of hours that I’m putting in and what I’m getting out is I’m doing better as far as income wise than I was house cleaning. And working less hours.
Rob: I love it. That’s really, that’s the case with a lot of flipping. When you hone in on something that you’re good at and you can really, you know, build those skills and you can really get good at it.
It is. You can make a decent income, a great income, in a short amount of time. Exactly. On these items that you’re spending time on. So, no, I love that you touched on that for sure. Kind of leads into the next question. You know, what, on average, what does your average month look like income wise? It doesn’t have to be, I know we have highs and lows and stuff like that, but on average, what are you, what are you bringing in right now?
Angela: I’m pretty consistently bringing in $1,500 to $2,000 a month.
Rob: I love it. That’s a game changer. That’s awesome.
Angela: When I was, when I first started and I know we’ll, we’ll hit this later, but some of the other items that I was flipping, I definitely was on the higher end, anywhere from $2,000, $2,500, maybe even up to $3,000 a month, but, due to my surgeries and kind of where I’m at in life right now, the items that I’m focusing on, I’m consistently bringing in $1,500 to $2,000 so to be conservative on that.
Rob: That’s awesome. And the other key point to that is you have that decision. You have the decision to scale back, to sell different items, to do what you want. But the whole thing is reselling in a whole is awesome. And you love it that you’re actually doing that.
You’re able to do that and you don’t have a boss who’s telling you, okay, well you gotta show up. Exactly. You have a surgery. Okay. Well, you have the day off for that surgery, and then we expect you back and you got to put these hours in. It’s not like that. You can cater it to what you enjoy and what you need to get out of the business.
So that is a huge point. Definitely worth taking note of for sure.
Angela: Yeah, absolutely. No, I, I love the flexibility. Again, what I was doing before I loved house cleaning. I know that sounds weird, but I did enjoy it, but the thing that drew me to it is I could set my own hours. You know, I’m used to not having a boss.
So even the thought of trying to ever go back in the corporate world. That would be challenging for me. And Rob, I think, you mentioned one time on Instagram, you talked about all your different endeavors that, that you’ve done, and it really hit home with me. I really believe like some people are just born entrepreneurs.
I remember at a year, I know this is going a little off course, but I just remember at a young age, talking to my parents going, oh, okay. So after, after high school, you go to college and you get this degree and do that. And I said, well, when do you start your own business? It’s just, you know, that was all.
And I was like, that is what I’m meant to do is, is to go out there and do it on my own. And not to be answering to somebody else. So anyways, I just remember you posting about that. And I was like, I get it. I get, you know, that you did the lawn mowing business and you’ve done this and this and this, that’s me.
Rob: Absolutely. And yeah, I totally, I relate to that as well. Yeah. That’s one of those things. I’ve done thing after thing after thing, and my joy is to be able to do the flipping portion of what – to me is I get to see different things all the time. It’s not the monotony of going to a desk every day, sitting down, typing on a computer and doing that every single day, I get to go out a treasure hunt, buy a hovercraft.
Angela: It’s so true.
Rob: Exactly. It is. It’s so much fun. So in the business that we do that is, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to do that stuff.
Melissa: You never know what you’re going to find. So on that, what kind of items are you typically selling?
Angela: So when I first started a year, year ago, I definitely jumped on the sleep number bed bandwagon.
I mean, that’s pretty much easy bread and butter many right there. I haven’t had one single sleep number, bed, part that has not sold. That, I mean, if I could give any advice to just like, where’s some good money to start. I mean, for the last year, sleep number beds. If, if I just focused on that, I would probably be making even more than what I’m doing now.
But it is my area. Maybe my area, I’m able to find more than others, but for me, it’s super profitable. Vintage lamps is another, item I started dabbling into and, signed oil paintings by a known artist. Vintage though, especially around the seventies, timeframe vintage right now seems super hot, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s.
So, those three items is mainly what I started off at, but, I’ve branched out to other vintage items like high sell through rate clothing items. I’ve done that, purses, shoes. Thanks to Bo. Never thought I would be kind of into that, but I’m seeing the profits that he makes. I’m like, okay, I need to look at that.
And actually I’ve been dabbling into plushes stuffed animals. You can get them super cheap at Goodwill for a buck and I’m shocked. I mean, it definitely depends what it is. It can be vintage or super popular items, but you know, $20 to $30. So I’ve sold one generic cooktop and shipped that out freight, not as scary as what I thought it would be.
And it went. You know, went smoothly, no issues. And I actually have another one to list. And just with the accessories that I got with that generic cooktop, I’ve already made my money back and profited. So whenever I sell it, yeah, whenever I sell it, it’s gonna be pure profit on that. So yeah.
Rob: I love it.
One cool thing about everything that you’re saying is you guys, if you, if you’re not picking this up, there are thousands upon thousands of different niches in this business. You know, everywhere from generic cooktops to sleep numbers, to small items to vintage items to lamps. I mean, whatever you enjoy, you can hone out that niche and that’s where you can focus in and you can create an income on that, which is so, so exciting in this business.
Melissa: I was going to ask you where you, where is your platform that you’re currently selling the most?
Angela: Mainly eBay. I have done Facebook marketplace and shipped one item, a baby stroller, and that went all well, no issues there. If I get items that let’s say it’s not really worth selling on eBay, I’ll sell it on Facebook marketplace.
Definitely I can tell that platform’s expanding. I do need to push myself out of my comfort zone and expand on other platforms, but for now, you know, eBay has treated me very well.
Melissa: That’s awesome.
Rob: You’re in good company. Same with us. If we do any other sales it’s in Facebook marketplace and it’s probably 10% of what we actually sell might go through Facebook marketplace and even a little bit less now. We’re still honing in a lot on eBay, so, yeah, that’s exciting.
That’s that’s cool.
Melissa: What would you say is one of your most memorable flips or something that sticks that sticks out in your head?
Angela: Most memorable would probably be parting out an i-8 split king adjustable bed. It was a pain in the butt to get my, I had to have my husband’s help.
Those bases are super heavy, but for a hundred bucks, When it was all said and done, parting it out. I parted out the motors on the adjustable bed. The problem with selling that as a whole, the, adjustable bases were not in good shape. I tried clean, Stacy’s like, you can clean it. And I, I did everything and I’m like, you know, I just don’t feel comfortable selling it as a whole, but all said and done with the remotes, the mattress, the liners. I mean, there’s like 10 different things that I sold. I mean, I profited still $1,300 off of that. So. That was probably my most memorable next to the generic, cooktop. But that was definitely, I mean, I got all that parted out probably within a couple of weeks. I mean, it wasn’t – Sleep Number beds do not sit around for very long. So.
Rob: That’s awesome. And I want to draw, draw attention to one of these main points that you just said. You found a mattress, or you found the base of the mattress, the sleep number, and it wasn’t in perfect condition. And you didn’t feel comfortable with that. A lot of people will walk away from a sourcing item they’re looking to buy and put in inventory if it’s got defects or something like that. You looked past that and you saw, hey, there’s some money in these parts. I’m going to strip this down, throw away the bad parts that you know, might not be that pleasurable to look at. And you did it and you made $1,300, over $1,000 on a flip, that is a good flip. So, kudos to you. Like, like I said, that’s cool. That’s thinking outside the box that you can break stuff down and you can make money. Even if there might be a damaged part on something, you can, you have to look at how much the parts are worth when you’re sourcing and that’s, that’s coming every avenue at your business, you’re, you’re trying to figure out how you can make money.
So that’s awesome. That’s awesome that you figured it out. And it’s an awesome story of a memorable flip for you, for sure.
Angela: It’s definitely out of my wheelhouse. I will say,parting out. Yeah, you’re right. It’s definitely out of the box thinking, and I’m not that great at it. But when we got the bed back and, and my husband and I were looking at it, I was like going well, we’re going to part this out and just see, you know, hope for the best.
And it exceeded my expectations. So it definitely, that that particular flip made me want to push myself to go, even if I’m going and sourcing at Goodwill, look at things. I actually picked up a, what is that called? The KitchenAid mixer? A bowl and I saw the bowl and I’m just like, well, it doesn’t have the mixer, wait, Angela, you can part this out and you can make, you know, 30 bucks on just the bowl.
So yes, you’re absolutely correct. Parting out, it can be just as profitable as selling a whole item.
Melissa: I was going to ask you, so if somebody is just getting started or maybe they, maybe they did the same thing as you, they were doing it, and then it became a little bit hard and they stopped. What was something that you would tell them, like a tip or something that you’d like to tell someone?
Angela: Expect failure, it’s going to happen. You’re going to make mistakes. It’s just part of it. It’spart of learning. It’s a learning curve. The enthusiasm and the excitement is great and it gets you going in the beginning.
But yes, I mean, it is work. Yeah. I mean, let’s be real. I mean, it’s like anything that you’re learning new, you are going to make mistakes. And I do wonder if, when people start that that is what happens and kind of deters them. I mean, I shrunk a sleep number mattress cause I dried it, you know, so I’ve done those, but luckily I didn’t, you know, I’m either getting them for free or no more than $50, you know, or whatever. So it’s not something that is devastating and this huge loss it’s like, okay, you know, I screwed up, get back out there and keep going. And you will get better at every aspect of it, the shipping, the packaging, all that. I’ve messed up on every single aspect and you just have to push through and, and get through it.
Rob: I love it. Some great words of wisdom, for sure. Because a lot of people and a lot of people will do something. They’ll make a mistake. And they’re like, all right, this isn’t for me, this flipping game is not for me. But you have to stick it out. You have to know there are learning curves in this business and you just learn from the mistakes that you make and you have to be willing to do that before you even jump into it. So, yeah, that’s awesome. I mean, look at them, look at the mistakes and you, that’s where you grow, you grow in making mistakes, you get to that next level. So, yeah. That’s awesome. Great, great job.
Yeah. That’s so awesome. Well, any parting words? I mean, you kind of just gave us a little bit, but any parting words of advice that you’d give to somebody that, you know, might be on the fence about flipping or anything that you could say to anybody?
Angela: You know, all I can say is for what I was looking for is, mainly part-time,I do have the flexibility, to set my own schedule. So, even if you are working, full-time, carve out that evening time and set a schedule. I think consistent consistency and setting a schedule is huge.
And I really didn’t realize that until we did, my first experience with the listing challenge of just every day you’re listing something, you’re taking pictures, you’re putting things into drafts. You know, it’s that consistency because it’s easy to go this is the time I have, let me do this.
And then you kind of just put it away and, and not making this an everyday thing. And then for me, I have a set schedule. Monday,, Wednesday, Fridays are my sourcing days. Tuesday, Thursdays are my taking pictures, putting into packaging, organizing, going through my spreadsheet. So I have that now.
I like to work Monday through Friday, my Saturday, Sunday, I may go out and source some here and there, but that’s my family time. That’s my going to the lake time. That’s it. It’s a balance, but it works for me. And when I see the numbers being consistent, I have found, I mean, it took, I wouldn’t say it took a year, but I would say probably a good six months to really figure out how hard I can work and what I can bring in.
Does that make sense? You know, you’re, you kind of figure out numbers that way.
Rob: Absolutely and great advice. Yeah. Like you said, consistency guys, if you, if you want to see results, you have to be consistent. Setting that schedule is another huge thing. You have the schedule, you enjoy the schedule and that’s what you’ve set for yourself.
And then you’re consistent with your schedule. You’re doing week in and week out. And like, it’s, like you said, that is a big portion of this business and to see success at this business. So we couldn’t have said it better. Great job, Angela. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for jumping on here and giving us some great pieces of advice and wisdom with your journey that hopefully will help others out there who are, you know, who are on the fence or even in their flipping journey right now. They’ll be able to take some great information from this interview.
Angela: Well, I hope so too. I hope I inspired at least one person to get going on it.
Rob: I’m sure you did. Thank you so much.
Melissa: The best business in the world, right?
Rob: That’s right.
Angela: Absolutely.
Melissa: Thank you. So one more question we wanted to ask you, what is your future plans for your reselling?
Angela: Yes. You know, like I said, I am doing this part-time now and my future plan is to retire my husband early from work. He has a great job, but we have discussed a lot about what if we do this together and we can get you maybe retired.
Even just five years beforehand and that would give us, we want to travel. There’s a lot of things we want to do. And we’re noticing as the older that we’re getting, we’re slowing down and we’re like, this is the best it’s going to get for us. This part it’s feeling great. So what if, you know, we switched gears and you and I do this together full time and see if we can get you retired early and he’s definitely warming up to the idea. He helps me a lot in the evenings going and picking up sleep number beds or larger items. So he’s already dabbling in it. And, so yeah, that is our future plan, is to do this together and to focus more on larger items, more freight shipping, the business model that you guys are doing.
That’s where I think we want to do and do this together.
Rob: Awesome. So exciting that you guys have that plan and so exciting. You’re breaking your husband into it slowly.
Melissa: We love working together.
Rob: We do. And another story.
Melissa: It’s a learning curve.
Rob: Exactly. It is. It takes time, but we’ve been doing it for years and years and years.
So we’re good at it now, but it does take time, you know, when you do bring your husband or your spouse into, the working relationship, it’s different. But definitely doable. It just takes some getting used to, and kind of sounds like that’s where you’re at right now. And then hopefully you guys do get, get him retired early in doing this, this career together.
It would be a lot of fun. So, awesome. Good for you guys. So excited about that.
FURTHER RESOURCES
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