His Harvard Dorm Room Side Hustle Started With a ‘Simple Frustration.’ Now It’s Speeding Toward $500,000 in Sales in Its First Year.

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.

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