Fame
Fame and upholstery go hand-in-hand. Check out this list of famous upholsterers:
Jack White
Pamela Anderson
Buddy Hackett
John Schneider
Betsy Ross
Oh, wait. Those are famous people who started out as upholsterers. But you can see the obvious career progression. Of course, 99% of upholsterers choose to remain anonymous and live humble lives with fairly low pay, which is totally fine.
But, say you possess an uncanny eye for material and trends. One day you come across a fabric with random objects printed on it, reminiscent of Andy Warhol. You cover a client's loveseat; at their next wine-tasting party, no one sits on it because it is the center of conversation.
Soon you have a year's worth of orders for funky futons and an upcoming appearance on Ellen, who will be sitting on one of your masterpieces. Add your name to the list above, cause you've made it.