Every person has a hobby. Something that they enjoy doing so much that it turns into a passion. For some, these passions can turn into business opportunities. Now it easier than ever for any entrepreneur to brand themselves, with the various platforms such as BPlans, Score, Storenvy, Etsy, Bonanza, and several more, that exist to make personal business goals realities.           

Some of these websites give advice on how to get small businesses started, such as BPlans and Score. Others actually allow people to establish businesses through their websites: Storenvy, Etsy, and Bonanza.  There are many people who have found ways to successfully make money from handmade products.

Emilena Fontanez, Div. 858, is an artist who creates oil and acrylic paintings and recently started selling her artwork. Her work is inspired by her tendency to “find the deeper meaning of everyday situations”.  

“I first started selling my paintings  the summer of 2015 under the After School Matters program,” she said.

After School Matters (ASM) is a resource for teens that offers over 23,000 program opportunities in the areas of art, science, sports, technology, and communications. The program also guides students to become more successful in their craft by establishing different rankings which one can move through as one gains experience.  

For Fontanez, it did not take much time for her to have success selling her paintings.

“I’ve received about a thousand dollars the past few months for creating five paintings, and that’s already exceeded my expectations for where I’ve seen myself my second year of high school,” Fontanez said.

While it may be beneficial for teens who are first starting out to find establishments like ASM to sell their work, other helpful platforms include websites where it is free to start  your own business.

Another teen entrepreneur, Ashley Fryer, Div. 882, uses Etsy to sell her products. Her products are handmade crafts. Fryer has been creating handmade crafts for as long as she can remember.

“As a child, I would make my family members cards, candles, anything I could remember,” she said.  

Fryer, like many others, took a hobby that she was good at and thought about about selling the things she made.

“In elementary school I would sell stuff to friends,” Fryer said.

 Fryer always thought about taking the small steps she took in elementary school to the next level. She dabbled with the idea for a while about starting a business. However, Fryer said it wasn’t until she became more serious about the idea, was earlier this year, that she asked her dad to help get her business started.

Both Fryer and Fontanez use their personal social media accounts as well as family and friends to help spread the word about their work.

“I advertise on Pinterest, my social media accounts, through family and friends, and on my blog,” Fryer said.

Fontanez also posts pictures of her artwork with information on where they can be purchased.

Overall, entrepreneurship gives them a sense of empowerment. It makes them feel independent, like they have “control of  [their] life and a bit more security for [their] future,” Fontanez said.

Fontanez added that one of the best things about being able to sell work that you create and love is your customers get to connect with you through it.

 “It’s personal and more often than not, I don’t really think about if it would sell,” she said. “I think about who would connect with it the most and how my audience will read my stories in their own ways.”