When gifted her grandmother’s bead collection as a child, Weinberg freshman Zaida Powell discovered her passion for jewelry making.
What started as a fun hobby to gift jewelry to her family and friends evolved into a small business as a way to honor her grandmother’s legacy after her passing.
In August 2021, Powell sold pieces through Instagram and Etsy before creating her own website BeadWithBeanz.com, where she sells a variety of handmade items — including necklaces, bracelets, earrings and hair clips. On her website, she wrote her branding is inspired by the nickname her grandmother called her as a child, “Beanz.”
“It wasn’t necessarily the money part; it was more so the craft I really enjoyed,” Powell said. “Having something that you care about, I feel like you’re more willing to pour yourself into that and have that sort of (be) another part of you.”
Powell said she doesn’t have much time for the business right now because of a heavy workload. However, she said taking a break is beneficial because BeadWithBeanz will always be there for her when she decides to return.
Ruth Jules, a Weinberg freshman, is a hair braider and natural hair stylist who honed her skills during the COVID-19 lockdown. Jules said that as hair styling became more expensive, she resorted to doing her own hair. Last summer, she began practicing on her family and friends.
Jules said she understands that many college students have limited budgets, and she considers cost barriers when setting prices.
“I want to be able to give affordable styles where people feel pretty and comfortable in how they look,” Jules said.
Getting in practice through referrals from friends and upperclassmen, Jules is taking in the skills it takes to run a business while in college: learning how to set boundaries, stay organized and make people feel comfortable.
As an overactive kid, Medill freshman Katareena Roska’s mom advised her to focus on crafts to avoid the risk of getting hurt while playing sports, she said, which fostered her interest in the arts.
At her high school lunch table, Roska would display her handmade jewelry, where it quickly gained popularity. In her sophomore year of high school, she started her business luckykatstudio, which takes commissions for art, jewelry and crochet pieces.
Roska said the transition from running a business in high school and now in college has been difficult since she doesn’t have much space to work in her room and her schoolwork takes up most of her time.
“School comes first, and I try to keep (the business) as something that relaxes me instead of stresses me out,” Roska said.
As she creates more personalized pieces, Roska said she’s learned a lot about customer service, like how to be professional, flexible and ensure customer satisfaction.
Roska said starting a business can seem intimidating at the start but proves very rewarding since she is able to do what she loves while earning a profit.
”I think a lot of people get in their heads like, ‘I have to wait for this to be perfect. I have to wait for this to go viral.’ I think the hardest part is starting.” Roska said. “A lot of these things with my jewelry and art, I learned along the way, and you will never know that unless you start.”
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