28-Year-Old Started $500k Side Hustle From Harvard Dorm Room

Key Takeaways

- Youngblood started his shelf-stable hummus brand Prest in November 2024.

- He invested a few thousand in a pressure cooker, dehydrator and other equipment.

- Prest hit $3,600 in week one and is expected to grow sales to $500,000 in year one.

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Brian Youngblood, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts. Youngblood is the founder of shelf-stable hummus brand Prest, which he runs as a side hustle while attending Harvard Business School’s MBA program. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Image Credit: Prest. Brian Youngblood.

What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?

I started my MBA at Harvard Business School in September 2024 and began working on Prest shortly after. Prior to HBS, I worked in manufacturing operations at a food waste startup called Mill. While at Mill, I learned a lot about food waste and was shocked by the stats — over a third of the food that we produce gets wasted, and the majority of that is at the consumer level. That got me thinking that beyond composting, there might be better ways to prevent waste in the first place.

A ‘pretty simple frustration’ inspired his side hustle

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?

I started working on Prest as a side hustle in November 2024 out of a pretty simple frustration: I kept throwing away half-eaten tubs of hummus.

It goes bad quickly after opening, and I would never eat it all. And, honestly, most store-bought hummus doesn’t taste as fresh as homemade — it’s generally made with soybean or canola oil instead of olive oil, and relies heavily on preservatives to extend the shelf-life.

When I started asking around, I realized it wasn’t just me. This is a really common experience. That’s how I came to the idea for Prest: What if hummus could be shelf-stable, made fresh on demand with little effort and actually taste great?

Image Credit: Prest

I set out to build a powdered version that lets you make exactly what you want, when you want it. We launched in March of this year with our first three flavors: Lemon Dill, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Harissa Red Pepper.

Cooking chickpeas in the dorm prompted a production move

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 started Prest from my shoe-box of a dorm room in business school. I bought a pressure cooker, dehydrator and some other equipment. But I quickly realized I couldn’t make it in my bedroom, which became a sauna any time I cooked chickpeas.

The university was pretty quick to force me to move my production elsewhere (which is super fair), so I found a donut shop in Cambridge that let me use their kitchen after hours. For months, I’d bike 20 minutes with chickpeas in my backpack, make batches and run blind taste tests with friends, classmates and anyone else willing to try it.

I spent a few thousand dollars in the early days to get to a product I loved. Then I invested more of my savings into manufacturing, branding and setting up the business to get to the initial launch.

In-person connections and free resources helped Prest grow

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?

I quickly realized that shelf-stable hummus wasn’t your classic business school startup. So I looked for resources outside of the school including alumni, mentors and other groups in the industry. Communities of founders and industry experts like Startup CPG, CPGD and the Naturally Network were critically important in helping me figure out how to start and what tools I should use.

I went to trade shows like FancyFood in NYC and IFT Chicago, which allowed me to meet suppliers, other brands that I could learn from and potentially partner with in the future. Also, they’re just a ton of fun. I still think IRL connections are the most important thing for getting your business going. There is always someone with more experience, and the great thing about consumer packaged goods (CPG) is that they’ll probably be willing to help. But people want to know you and why in the world you chose to do this.

Don’t be afraid to build a side hustle in public

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 have started building in public much earlier. Sharing the process, asking for feedback and bringing people along has been one of the fastest ways I’ve learned. I wish I had done that from day one rather than waiting until I felt more confident in my direction. It is really hard to do though when you’re one person; you just can’t capture all of the moments as easily.

But it also would’ve made the journey all the more fun and memorable, and I’m sure I could’ve brought some friends along to help out.