Students expand interest in running small businesses

While starting a small business can give people a sense of freedom and empowerment, it requires dedication and hard work, especially for students who are still in high school. A few students at Burroughs took on the challenge to become entrepreneurs and bring their passions to life. 

Senior Riley Truesdale has a small business called Forrreal Clothing. He sells t-shirts as well as accessories like beanies, bracelets and socks that can be purchased on his website, www.forrrealclothing.com.

“I started this business to make clothes that looked cool and were cheap enough for anyone who couldn’t afford big brand clothing,” said Truesdale. 

Most of Truesdale’s products are screen printed by hand, a technique that allows him to print with greater accuracy and create large, bright images on any type of fabric. After having been a small business owner for over a year, Truesdale has experienced some of the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur.

“One piece of advice I would give to someone who is starting out is to work with other people who have the same vision as you and to make sure you have a good name before you put it on a shirt,” said Truesdale. 

Glitz and Glow, a small business that focuses on beauty, was created by sophomore Sandra Guerrero-Castro. She currently sells lip glosses, body scrubs, lip scrubs and face masks, all of which can be purchased on Instagram through @shopglitzandglow.

In order to advertise, Guerrero tries to share previous posts on her Instagram story at least three times a week and shares positive reviews from her customers. She always wanted to start her own business and eventually decided to take the leap with some encouragement from a friend. 

“Self care has always appealed to me so I thought, why not share my love for self care with everyone else?” said Guerrero.

Even though this is a new experience for her, Guerrero understands starting a small business is not easy. 

“There will always be days where you’ll make five sales, and others you will make none at all,” said Guerrero. “My piece of advice is to keep going, keep dreaming and keep loving what you do!” 

Freshman Jayani Croos-Peterson started a business during the summer called JayC Jewelry. She offers earrings, necklaces, anklets, and has recently added false lashes and lip gloss. 

“I wanted to start a small business that I was passionate about and something I’d actually consider wearing, such as jewelry which is something that I can always find myself wearing everyday,” said Croos-Peterson. 

Croos-Peterson’s products are sold through her website https://jaycjewelry.bigcartel.com as well as on Instagram through @jayc_jewelry. She advertises on her Instagram page and created a Tiktok business account, @jayc_jewelry, to share packaging order videos. As a teenager, Croos-Peterson has taken a creative approach to her small business.

“I definitely think I have a unique business because I’m only 15 and I don’t have a professional side to my small business just yet, which is unique because I think that brings a more fun, youthful side to my business,” said Croos- Peterson. “I also write handwritten thank you notes to every single customer I get which I think let’s the customer know how appreciative I am of them for helping me support my dreams for the future.” 

It’s an entrepreneur’s dream to create a successful business, and starting at a young age can provide experience and allow high school students to think critically, be creative and experiment with ideas, or improve old ones, to solve real-world problems in the future.