When OUWB’s Class of 2022 graduates this Friday, one of the new doctors will have a financial head start thanks to a side hustle that helped her earn $117,000 during medical school.
Since 2019, Olivia Hillier has earned the money selling more than 4,700 items via Poshmark — an online-based marketplace for new and secondhand style for women, men, kids, pets, home, and more.
Hillier says selling on Poshmark has made it so she didn’t have to take out loans for living expenses. She’s also been able to buy a house near University of Kansas School of Medicine, where she will soon begin residency in family medicine. Further, Hillier — inducted in 2021 into the Delta chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society — already started paying off the student loans she did need to take out.
“Selling on Poshmark has helped me tremendously,” says Hillier. “I am no longer worried about my financial situation, which is a really nice perk of my business.”
Amber McCasland, vice president of Global Brand and Communications for Poshmark, says Hillier’s story should serve as inspiration for others.
“Our vibrant seller community is truly what sets Poshmark apart, and Olivia is the ultimate reflection of that,” says McCasland. “Olivia’s journey is the epitome of the modern-day entrepreneur and we’re honored to have her as a key member of the community.”
Saving clothing from landfills
Hillier earned her undergraduate degree from University of Iowa and began attending OUWB in 2018.
In 2019, Hillier says she was chatting with friends about a minor interest she had in selling some of her clothes online to make money. Upon suggestion, Hillier says she “hesitantly” downloaded the Poshmark app and listed a few items from her personal closet.
| Hillier arranges inventory that is listed for sale on Poshmark. |
Then, she says, some of those items started to actually sell. Hillier was hooked.
“It was nice to see the items that I didn’t wear anymore sent to their new homes to be enjoyed,” she says. “I also loved getting some extra money as a medical student, especially when money was tight and I was living off of government loans.”
In August 2020, during her dedicated Step 1 study time, Hillier says she wanted to find an activity that would offer her an occasional break from studying. Having enjoyed selling items of her own online, she decided to source clothes from outside her own closet.
She turned to local thrift stores and began buying a few items. Whenever she would do something like buy a shirt for $5 and …….