Whether it's reviving classic games or building something from scratch, passion has a way of bringing people together and pushing them forward.

Many people dream of starting their own business, turning a passion into a paycheck.

But too often the obstacles feel bigger than the opportunity.

For one local woman with decades of corporate experience, the question became simple.

If not now, when?

"Carolina impact's" John Branscum introduces us to Caterina Thorne and shows us how she transformed a creative hobby into a thriving custom jewelry business.

(upbeat music) - [John] Every day millions of Americans go to work.

It could be to a construction site, a restaurant, or even an office in uptown Charlotte.

After all, we all have bills to pay.

But for Katina Thorne who works in product development for a betting company, her daily commute, it's a bit shorter.

- [Caterina] We have a very flexible schedule.

I work from home.

- [John] It's a work environment that comes with some advantages.

- Just makes it easier for me to be able to balance my professional life with my hobbies and my family and my puppies.

- [John] So when the workday ends Caterina, her husband Parish and the dogs all head out the door for a bit of fresh air.

- I love spending time with the dogs.

- The couple met while Caterina, who's originally from Columbia, was in the United States attending college and they've been together ever since.

Besides spending time with her family and pets, Caterina also has a creative side, according to her longtime friend Anne Ranson.

- You know, there was a point in time where she was doing needle point and there was a point in time where she was refinishing and painting furniture.

- [John] But there was a problem.

- I've had so many different crafts in my life.

This house is like full of crafts and things that I've done and they just ended up in boxes - [John] And just around the corner was yet another craft.

One she discovered while visiting family back in her home country of Columbia.

- I saw this fabulous bracelet and I fell in love with it and I bought it.

I took it home.

I started looking at it and I was like, my God, this is just tiny little beads put together and I was determined to figure out how to do it.

- [John] With the help from friends and a lot of online tutorials, she began making her own jewelry.

- I found this craft that it's with Miyuki beads, and you can make bracelets, you can make earrings, necklaces, anything that you want to do.

- [John] She imports the glass beads from Japan.

- They're like two millimeters.

They're tiny.

- Every single piece of jewelry Caterina makes, it starts right here with a pattern.

- And I start just coloring in the little squares with my pencils and my colors and try to come up with a pattern.

Then I take a thread and needle and I basically just sit there and pick each little individual bead with the needle and thread it through and follow my little grid or pattern.

And that's how it goes.

- [John] Now, unlike those other hobbies that ultimately faded away.

- When I started making the beaded jewelry, I committed myself to doing something about it.

- [John] What she did about it was start a side hustle.

- So I came up with my logo and with the brand.

My brand is CGT Handmade Jewelry and that stands for Caterina G Thorne.

- [John] Initially she found customers through her family connections and network of friends, - She designed a bracelet to go with the outfit that I wore to my daughter's college graduation.

So that was very special.

Then she has since designed a bracelet and a ring for a dress I found up in Blowing Rock.

Valentine's Day, my daughter's senior year in college, I had Cathy make two heart bracelets, one with red hearts and one with peak hearts that we sent to them in college.

- I'm also in Cotswold Marketplace.

My mother-in-law has a retail space there and she's been grateful enough to let me put my jewelry there.

(upbeat music) - But in order to reach an even broader audience and turn her new passion into a growing business, Caterina sells at various weekend markets and places like the Landing Market in Matthews, and.

- This is Nodahood Market, just a quarterly vendor market and arts festival we like to put on.

We have a lot of artists that are looking for a way to get out there and we like to just provide that space and you know, make it accessible and easy for them to get into so they can come out and show what they do.

- [John] For Caterina and vendors like Greg Janiak who's selling his own line of barbecue sauce, this style of market is essential.

- They're huge.

That's what I started with.

They know the crowd that'll bring in and it helps them, but it also is huge for us.

You know, it's just basically one small business that's already somewhat developed, helping out tons of other ones.

- [John] Markets like these can turn entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

- We see a lot of food trucks and popups that we have come through here end up going into semi-permanent or even permanent spaces.

- [John] Now Caterina says having a side hustle isn't without sacrifice.

- Let's say my best selling bracelet is $38, which doesn't include my time, but I just wanna make people happy.

- [John] For her customers, her jewelry does more than accessorize.

- I have taken a couple of outfits to Cathy and she has designed bracelets and rings specifically for those outfits.

And so when I put them on, I feel complete and pulled together.

- And for Caterina.

- It brings me calm, it brings me joy.

- For "Carolina Impact", I'm John Branscum.