When we were young, adults always told us that when we’re older, we should have a job we love and enjoy going to work. Instead, emerging young entrepreneurs are showing us that we don’t have to wait until we’re older and that instead of finding a job we love, we can create a business out of what we already love to do.
Sophomore psychology major Samantha Handler and junior communications major Faryn Brown both found a way to turn a hobby or a talent into a profit-turning business.
Handler, 19, started KicksBySammy in the summer of 2013, right before she started her freshman year at UMD. She was recovering from surgery and couldn’t go out and get a job or do many of the summer activities that we all love. Instead, she had the idea to doodle on her white Keds since that didn’t involve any physical activity. “I have always loved to draw and doodle and I took AP Art in high school,” Handler said. “I love to do art projects and do anything creative.”
Photo by Rachel Askinasi
Once she made her own pair of UMD Kicks, Handler used Instagram to share her creation with all of her friends. “I didn’t realize how much hype it would get,” she said, “and I began to get messages from friends asking to make them a pair.” From this, she knew that social media would lend itself as an effective marketing tool. She created a KicksBySammy Instagram account and Facebook page and then built her own website. Handler started out by designing pairs for her friends that were going off to college, but then expanded her clientele by creating Kicks as gifts for both boys and girls of all ages. Her newest creations that keep her business relevant are custom hats. Now, each pair of personalized sneaks goes for $100, plus the cost of the shoes.
Brown, 20, started BitesByBrown out of boredom and a hunger for the business world in the summer of 2014. “We would make these Oreos for my dad’s business and for their Christmas party,” Brown said. “People always told us to sell them so I thought, why not?”
The oreos are filled with additional things such as fluff, peanut butter, chocolate, just about anything you can think of and then are coated with a layer of chocolate. Photo by Faryn Brown
Baking was never something that Brown obsessed over, but it was something she had liked in the past and was able to see potential in it as a business. She started by sharing her treats with her friends and asked that they share them on social media. Oreo orders came flooding in for birthdays, visiting day presents and holiday gifts.
Brown has a team at home made up of her parents who are helping her fill all of the orders while she is away at school. “If it were to be successful, it would be unmanageable right now,” Brown said. She recognizes that keeping up with this particular business would be a huge time commitment so until she graduates, Brown has decided to keep it as a small start-up. To order, email at bitesbybrown@gmail.com and check out her instagram. A regular pack of the 12 original flavors is $25 plus shipping and customized ones are $30 plus shipping.
“I love it, love it, love it,” Brown says.
The Young and Hungry bites were made for a writer on the show — the writer’s sister bought them for her for the premier. Photo by Faryn Brown
Both Handler and Brown have taken something they love to do and turned it into something that we all want, a job. It is important to realize that the point of a start-up is not always to just set yourself up with a company for a long-term career. It is more about taking little things that make us happy and finding ways to turn a profit. Some of the greatest business people in the world are entrepreneurs. Just look at the panel on Shark Tank! Start-ups allow the entrepreneurs to test themselves in the business world and see how they fit. Handler and Brown are only two among hundreds of students starting their own companies. You have a cool idea? Sweet! Go find a way to make it happen.