Take Your Side Hustle to the Next Level with Purely Elizabeth’s Founder on ‘With Whit’

Turning a side hustle into a thriving business may sound like a dream. Still, for Elizabeth Stein, founder of Purely Elizabeth, it became her reality.

On With Whit, hosted by Whitney Port, Stein talks about how she transformed a simple idea into a nationally recognized brand stocked in pantries across the country. Her story is equally inspiring and practical—especially for anyone looking to turn their passion project into something bigger.

What makes Stein’s journey stand out is how unpolished and real it was at the start. She didn’t have a business plan, a financial roadmap, or an investor pitch deck. What she did have was intuition, grit, and the willingness to test her ideas in unexpected ways. For anyone building a side hustle today, her story is proof that the leap doesn’t need to be perfect to be powerful.

The accidental discovery that changed everything

Like many side hustles, Purely Elizabeth didn’t start with grand strategy—it began with muffins. Stein recalls attending a triathlon where she had planned to recruit nutrition clients. On a whim, she baked blueberry muffins using the ingredients she had been studying in her holistic nutrition program. The response shocked her. “People ended up caring a lot more about where they could purchase these muffins than wanting to sign up for my nutrition counseling,” she says.

That unexpected demand forced her to pivot. The muffins evolved into mixes, which later gave rise to granola. In those early days, Stein admits she was making things up as she went along. “I did not write a business plan. It was just percolating,” she says.

Take a lesson from her: Don’t wait until everything is perfectly lined up. Your side hustle might gain momentum in ways you can’t predict.

The big break that made Purely Elizabeth explode

Momentum built quickly after one key moment. A feature in Daily Candy—the now-legendary newsletter of the 2000s—changed everything overnight. “We ended up with $10,000 of orders in three hours of this email going out, and meanwhile, I had enough packaging for like 20 orders,” Stein remembers.

That scramble showed her just how much demand existed for healthier, tastier packaged food. It was also a reminder that sometimes, the opportunity comes before you feel ready, and the market will teach you faster than any planning session ever could.

Building a team and making tough calls

As Purely Elizabeth grew, Stein learned the importance of building the proper foundation. She laughs about hiring her first employees through Craigslist. “My first two employees, I couldn’t afford to hire two, so I hired both of them part-time instead, and they’re still with me today,” she shares. That small decision turned out to be monumental, proving that early team-building choices can shape the future of a business.

Another pivotal moment arose when she had to decide between continuing to manufacture products in-house and outsourcing. Sitting in a hotel in Vermont, she wrote out a pros and cons list with a glass of wine before ultimately deciding to use a manufacturer. “That really sets up the framework for the whole rest of your business completely,” she says. For side hustlers, this highlights the reality that operational decisions are as crucial as creative ones.

The advice every side hustler needs to hear

When Port asks what advice she’d give to women wanting to launch in wellness today, Stein gets straight to it. “Honestly, it is just starting,” she says. “That is the biggest hurdle, getting over that initial hump. You figure it out.” She stresses the importance of a growth mindset; plans change—sometimes ten million times.

It’s a reminder that while spreadsheets and strategy decks have their place, the most essential ingredient in scaling a side hustle is courage. The first step will always feel scary, but it’s the one that unlocks everything else.

For those building their own side hustle, Stein’s story is a powerful blueprint: Trust your instincts, don’t wait for perfect conditions, and remember that the journey itself is part of the growth.

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