California girl, 17, is raking in $410,000 a year after sinking her $2,000 savings into manufacturing luxury ‘lofts’ for GUINEA PIGS

A teenager has raked in more than $410,000 in a year after using her savings to build luxury cages for her guinea pigs.

Bella Lin, 17, got the idea for more thoughtful guinea pig cages after one of her pets was snatched by an eagle while she was letting them roam around her parents’ backyard.

At age 12, she was determined to keep pets out of their traditional cages and decided to start drawing concepts for more open enclosures.

After going through several models and investing $2,000 of her savings to launch the product, called GuineaLoft, she sold just under 11,000 cages in 2022.

Last year it was $410,000, or about $34,000 a month, according to documents seen by NBC.

Her design includes an enclosure with an open floor for greater visibility and mobility, with a two-level base

Determined to keep the pets out of their traditional cages, Lin decided to start drawing concepts for more open enclosures

Lin, a senior at Khan Lab School in California, works 20 hours a week in the business and has considered postponing college to focus on the business.

She first approached her father, a computer programmer, and told him she wanted to make a better cage.

Because her family had a connection to a family business in China through a former client, he made an introduction.

After a year of making prototypes, the teen became distracted and instead pursued a low-price athleisure brand for girls.

That side business, called TLeggings, launched in July 2019 and grossed $300,000 in retail sales in 2020.

The company saw her enter an entrepreneurship program called Bizworld for 16 to 22 year olds, but failed to win the pitching competition and prize money.

Last year she decided to close the company and focused all her attention on the guinea pig enclosures.

Speaking to NBC, Lin said: ‘I had a strange epiphany (where) I realized there are a lot of other companies trying to make leggings).

‘There was no innovation there, while with GuineaLoft I was able to fill a very large gap in the market.’

Lin got the idea for more thoughtful guinea pig cages after one of her pets was snatched by an eagle while she was letting them roam around her parents’ backyard

Lin got the idea for more thoughtful guinea pig cages after one of her pets was snatched by an eagle while she was letting them roam around her parents’ backyard

Traditional guinea pig cages are made with bars, roofs and a base of tarpaulin or plastic, and can be difficult to clean.

Her design includes an enclosure with an open floor for greater visibility and mobility, with a two-level base.

The final design opted for replaceable bases made of biodegradable, waxed paper, which Lin says are “similar to airplane vomit bags.”

The bottom is easy to throw away, and once customers are out the door, they have to return to Lin’s Amazon store to restock.

Lin tested the products virtually with her six-person team in China, which produces, packages and photographs the products.

She then takes care of the company’s design, pricing, marketing and overall business strategy.

Lin tested the products virtually with her six-person team in China, which produces, packages and photographs the products.

The factory produced 100 cages in the first batch, and Lin said she was thrilled when three were sold in the first few hours.

Within two weeks, the teen managed to sell all 100 “without marketing” and signed up with BizWorld again, where she won $10,000 in mutual funds.

The 25 percent profit margin on cages is fully reinvested in marketing, audience research and product development.

Lin added, “Witnessing the tangible effects of (GuineaLoft cages) through customer reviews and emails is empowering.

“As someone who once placed a heavy emphasis on academic validation, the success of (my side hustle) has increased my confidence to navigate life after high school.”