Students Starting Small Businesses
Pioneer entrepreneurs are learning more about what it takes to run a business after starting their own.
By Patricia Carmona
Pioneer entrepreneurs are learning more about what it takes to run a business after starting their own.
By Patricia Carmona
This past year, small businesses have been popping up thanks to social media making it accessible for regular people to become business owners without prior knowledge of business being needed.
Despite the current pandemic economy, students at Pioneer have been starting up their own business and learning what it takes to be an entrepreneur through this process.
Isabel Antunes, 9, started her brand, Isas Cosmetics (@isascosmetics_) over the summer of 2020. She sells all sorts of beauty products and cosmetics to promote self confidence to customers at an affordable price.
“The reason why I started selling what I’m selling is because huge brands (are) way overpriced, I want everyone to be able to use products that benefit self love,” Antunes said.
Antunes has encountered some difficulties in starting her own business as she struggled with budgeting and standing out in a field of young entrepreneurs.
“The difficulties starting my own business were trying to stand out from all the other small businesses, keeping a budget and figuring out ways that will help my business grow,” Antunes said.
However, Antunes is very grateful to have the opportunity and support of her family and customers by her side of her business through all of the challenges she faced.
Another student who started a business is Alicia Reynoso, 12, the owner of Sweets By Alicia (@Sweetsbyaliciaa) where she bakes and sells a variety of sweets.
“I sell all sorts of sweets such as chocolate-covered strawberries, hot cocoa bombs, heart cake bites, cakesicles and more,” Reynoso said.
Due to COVID-19, Reynoso lost her job at Great America last year and she needed to come up with a way to earn extra money herself and family.
“I got inspired to start my business because I always bake sweets for me and my friends, so I decided it would be a fun way to earn extra money doing something I already know,” Reynoso said.
She also enjoys being able to work at her own pace and having the ability to be creative with her own work but there was a time she wanted to close her business.
“There was a point where I wanted to give up on my business because when I first started I spent a lot of money on supplies and I was not making enough profit back but I didn’t want to give up because I loved what I was doing,” Reynoso said.
Principal Herbert Espiritu’s daughter, Nia, has also done something similar to a business where she sells clothes that she has thrifted online.
“She liked putting outfits together and selling them to a website, so she’s not a small business owner, she is just doing this as a hobby,” Espiritu said.
“She is into fashion but I did not know selling clothes would be an interest to her.”
As a parent, one of Espiritu’s main concerns was his daughter having enough time for both business and school while working during the school year..
“At first I wanted to make sure my daughter was not selling clothes during school time, so a lot of this happened during the summer time which me and my wife discussed if this was okay for her to do, we are supportive,” Espiritu said.
Espiritu is proud of his daughter and the students of Pioneer who have started their own businesses. He also has some advice to give out to not just the small business owners at Pioneer, but all students as well.
“Whether it’s a business or occupation, when you put passion and work ethic together I think you will be successful in anything that you do,” Espiritu said. “I always ask students to put passion and hard work together and you will find success.”
Despite the current pandemic economy, students at Pioneer have been starting up their own business and learning what it takes to be an entrepreneur through this process.
Isabel Antunes, 9, started her brand, Isas Cosmetics (@isascosmetics_) over the summer of 2020. She sells all sorts of beauty products and cosmetics to promote self confidence to customers at an affordable price.
“The reason why I started selling what I’m selling is because huge brands (are) way overpriced, I want everyone to be able to use products that benefit self love,” Antunes said.
Antunes has encountered some difficulties in starting her own business as she struggled with budgeting and standing out in a field of young entrepreneurs.
“The difficulties starting my own business were trying to stand out from all the other small businesses, keeping a budget and figuring out ways that will help my business grow,” Antunes said.
However, Antunes is very grateful to have the opportunity and support of her family and customers by her side of her business through all of the challenges she faced.
Another student who started a business is Alicia Reynoso, 12, the owner of Sweets By Alicia (@Sweetsbyaliciaa) where she bakes and sells a variety of sweets.
“I sell all sorts of sweets such as chocolate-covered strawberries, hot cocoa bombs, heart cake bites, cakesicles and more,” Reynoso said.
Due to COVID-19, Reynoso lost her job at Great America last year and she needed to come up with a way to earn extra money herself and family.
“I got inspired to start my business because I always bake sweets for me and my friends, so I decided it would be a fun way to earn extra money doing something I already know,” Reynoso said.
She also enjoys being able to work at her own pace and having the ability to be creative with her own work but there was a time she wanted to close her business.
“There was a point where I wanted to give up on my business because when I first started I spent a lot of money on supplies and I was not making enough profit back but I didn’t want to give up because I loved what I was doing,” Reynoso said.
Principal Herbert Espiritu’s daughter, Nia, has also done something similar to a business where she sells clothes that she has thrifted online.
“She liked putting outfits together and selling them to a website, so she’s not a small business owner, she is just doing this as a hobby,” Espiritu said.
“She is into fashion but I did not know selling clothes would be an interest to her.”
As a parent, one of Espiritu’s main concerns was his daughter having enough time for both business and school while working during the school year..
“At first I wanted to make sure my daughter was not selling clothes during school time, so a lot of this happened during the summer time which me and my wife discussed if this was okay for her to do, we are supportive,” Espiritu said.
Espiritu is proud of his daughter and the students of Pioneer who have started their own businesses. He also has some advice to give out to not just the small business owners at Pioneer, but all students as well.
“Whether it’s a business or occupation, when you put passion and work ethic together I think you will be successful in anything that you do,” Espiritu said. “I always ask students to put passion and hard work together and you will find success.”