STUDENT START-UPS

When student entrepreneurs start their brand, they have to overcome many challenges.

Senior Spenser Miller washed his car and uses it as an advertisement on social media for his detailing company. Photo Courtesy: Spenser Miller.

BY CADEN MCDERMOTT

When junior Dylan Neidermeyer started his small shoe resale business, it failed. Dylan began Sneaker Street a few years ago, he was passionate about shoes and was inspired to start the business after seeing others succeed in reselling. His love for shoes came from his big brother, Tyler. This first failure was an important lesson for Neidermeyer and it taught him about the hardships he would face as a student entrepreneur.

“Sometimes you are going to take some L’s in whatever your business is, but it’s a learning opportunity that you can apply to your future,” Neideremyer said. “Some of the challenges are how much work it could be finding, selling, cleaning and shipping shoes could be.”

Taking the path to be a student entrepreneur is not common. A majority of high school students will find jobs in restaurants or large name brand stores. This path may appear to be too much to take on, between school and extracurriculars, but in reality it allows for much more flexibility.

“There is a lot of work that is put into it and that can be challenging, which is why some people shy away from it,” Neidermeyer said. “I am my own boss though.”

Senior Spenser Miller, who started a small auto-detailing business shared the same sentiment on the value of starting your own business.

“I realized that working for myself gives me a higher ceiling in terms of profits and expansion,” Miller said. “Understanding the logistics of getting a small business off of the ground could help me launch a bigger operation in the future.”

By building their own businesses, these students are taking on a tremendous amount of responsibility and risk. There is also no clear outline for them to start; they simply just have to get out there and try.

“I was definitely nervous when I started, but I wanted to learn to build a successful business on a smaller scale,” Miller said.

For entrepreneurs, one of the most important things to do is to advertise and get their brand name out there. In this day and age, it is critical to do this through social media.

“I have posted on all the social media platforms I have about it and the best way to try to grow the brand is from people just talking to each other and spreading the word,” Neidermeyer said.

It is also imperative to understand who their audience is. For Neidermeyer, his target audience is his fellow students; therefore, he makes posts and stories on Snapchat and Instagram. Miller, on the other hand, is focused more on adults, which is why he uses Facebook for his marketing.

“I constantly contact potential clients via social media to gain respect and I also found that business cards and invoices can establish professionalism,” Miller said. “In a small community, it is important to leave a lasting impression on each client as word-of-mouth plays a big role in finding new clients.”

Owning their own businesses does mean they take on all the risk, and there will always be ups and downs.

“Yes, some scams have happened and I have had to deal with fake shoes,” Neidermeyer said. “Honestly the best way to deal with it is to have connections that can have your back and make sure your payment method is safe and you are able to get your money back if you get scammed or fake shoes.”

Being a student entrepreneur is a challenge; they have to deal with balancing school, extracurriculars, and work, however, building up a business that they are truly passionate about can be both financially and emotionally rewarding.

“I would say just constantly keep going even if you hit a slow point and just keep grinding if you are super passionate about it, and trust that when you really put time and effort into your brand, it pays off in the end,” Neidermeyer said.