By Amanda Gaupp
Order by order, junior Avery Stephens was overjoyed as she became the small business owner she had always dreamt of becoming.
Having had goals of starting a small business for the past year, Stephens has worked to make her aspirations a reality.
“Since I turned 16, I wanted to get a job,” Stephens said. “I decided instead of working for someone else I would rather work for myself, and be able to create and design my own things. If I just got a job at a store or restaurant I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. Getting to do my own thing is something I love to do, and it allows me to express myself through creativity.”
Owner of Drip Dezigns SA, Stephens spends time establishing a profitable business while remaining productive in school.
“I’ve only been open just over a month and I have been extremely busy with new orders,” Stephens said. “I’ve really learned to prioritize the important things as orders continue to come in.”
Drip Dezigns SA sells a variety of original products, such as custom designed sweatshirts, T-shirts, water bottles and glassware. Stephens creates the products herself using unique and fashionable styles.
“Since there is no mass manufacturing, each piece can be personalized to what the client wants, and my own personal designs are mostly inspired by current trends,” Stephens said. “Right now my favorite product is the CC Drip Sweatshirt because it has a designer inspired design which is usually otherwise pricey.”
Being a first time business owner, Stephens has encountered a lot of new and rewarding experiences as she continues to develop her business.
“My first sale was personalized glasses for an event,” Stephens said. “It was really nerve wracking to make the order at first, but then it was exciting to see the customer’s reaction in the end. After I dropped the glasses off at her door she sent me a message saying thank you. She was really grateful I had come to do that.”
Starting her own business was no easy task, pushing Stephens to pay attention to detail in order to ensure her business’s success.
“I’ve learned the importance of making a budget,” Stephens said. “If you don’t budget your expenses and your income you might not make any money. I learned how to do this once I was starting to decide what prices to put my products at.”
Starting up a business in the midst of a worldwide pandemic has proven to be difficult, forcing Stephens to find innovative ways for making her business profitable.
“With the pandemic, things have been kind of easy since it gave me more time to plan because things were canceled,” Stephens said. “But to get sizing in the right colors of apparel because of COVID, inventory is very hard to find right now. My mom helped me find the right sites for that.”
Stephens’ mom, a business owner herself, has helped to mentor Stephens, giving her valued advice as someone experienced in owning a business.
“My mom inspired me to be a business owner because she has owned one for 20 years,” Stephens said. “She used to have a business called Babykakes where she sold monogrammed onesies; now she has another one called Bling It On, which is a decorating business. So far she’s really helped me with her expertise on the business side of things by teaching me about social media, and how to run my business smoothly.”
An important aspect of Stephens’ business is that all of her products are handmade in her own home, with materials she has handpicked for making carefully crafted products.
“We have an extra bedroom that we turned into a studio for managing my business activities,” Stephens said. “Some of my essential tools are vinyl, apparel blanks, a heat press, and a vinyl cutter. I’ve used some trial and error with different types of vinyl to see which would work best for me.”
Looking to grow her business in hopes of collaborating with other small business owners like herself, Stephens administered a giveaway to help advertise her products.
“At this point, I haven’t been able to promote as much as I’d like, and I want to make more sales,” Stephens said. “I recently did a giveaway where followers had to tag three people and like my business account’s picture. Whoever did that got their name put onto a wheel and I spun the wheel to randomly pick a winner. After that, I announced the winner and gave them a free custom sweatshirt.”
As a student, it has been crucial for Stephens to properly manage her time.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on my business because it is a relatively new thing that I want to grow,” Stephens said. “Being in high school at the same time definitely makes me have a busier schedule because I’m trying to run a business on top of schoolwork. It has been really helpful to prioritize the way I spend my time carefully.”
Despite experiencing slight stress when customers change their orders last minute, Stephens thoroughly enjoys maintaining her business, encouraging others to pursue business ownership too.
“My favorite thing about being a business owner is creating my products and making a profit, while working for myself and making my own hours,” Stephens said. “If you are looking to start a business don’t be afraid to take the leap, it’s not worth letting obstacles stop you. For the longest time I was scared of starting a business because I didn’t think it would go anywhere but now looking at what I’ve accomplished I realize that was just my fear.”