I was quite the entrepreneurship in my growing days. My interest for creating my own gadgets and jewelry had always been apparent from a young age. My earliest memory of selling my own creations is 6th grade. I used to make objects out of duct tape, such as wallets, bracelets, bookmarks and binder inserts. I would sell each item at school and although I sold the objects for only $1-$3, I felt like a very successful businesswomen. The children at my school would use their lunch money to buy my handmade items, which gave me a huge sense of pride. I later got into selling jewelry, but that didn’t work out as well as the duct tape items. The bracelets would either be made out of rubber bands or string. Although I was still in middle school, I got a great sense of how business works by watching one of my businesses prosper and one practically fail. Looking back, I think that I was unable to sell the bracelets because almost everyone around me was making them for them self when they got home from school. I have always been aware that you live through experiences to learn from the outcomes. During my senior year of high school, I created an Instagram account where I sold clothes. These clothes were either from resale shops, thrift stores, or my own closets. Many of the pieces were remodeled before they were sold, even though I did not have much skill in that aspect of the business. The account ended up gaining a few thousand followers and almost every piece that I posted sold within 48 hours. This gave me another sense of pride because I felt like people were getting to see what I was doing and they enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed being in this business because upcycling clothing is great for the environment and a lot of people have been diving into second hand shopping. Although I no longer sell the upcycled clothing pieces, I learned a lot from the experience and realized that I enjoy being a part of the business world.
I enrolled in ENT 3003 so that I can learn more about the determination that is needed to be an entrepreneur. I am a small business owner myself and although there are many differences, both entrepreneurs and small business owners take risks in order to pursue their own vision. I own a photography business in my hometown, Naples, FL. I mainly keep my work in that city, so I go home pretty frequently. Overall, I would love to learn the ways of entrepreneurship for the future of my business. I think it will be very beneficial to learn more about how to keep a business running smoothly.
If you’re interested, check out my work here! :)
Hey Carlie, I loved hearing about your entrepreneurship in the making. I also made little bracelets growing up, but it is amazing that you have created a full business model from flipped clothing on instagram and a hobby in photography from it. I checked out your webpage and you are extremely talented. Keep honing your craft and I am excited to see where it takes you.
ReplyDeleteHi Carlie, it is interesting how much you can learn from previous experiences, even if you were very young when you made the bracelets. I like how you keep looking for new opportunities and throughout your life you have used your creativity to be an entrepreneur. One great entrepreneurship idea in Gainesville for you might be taking graduation photos. I know a lot of people are looking for those and it is hard to find a good photographer.
ReplyDeleteHey Carlie, I think it is really great how early you started your entrepreneurship experiences. It is also amazing how you stuck with it as you got older and gained more experience. You already seem like you have the determination to be a great and successful entrepreneur. I wish you the best with your future endeavors.
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