WithLove Business Journey

Creation

Back in highschool, I was selling my old clothes that I could not fit anymore on a small instagram shop. I was interested to learn how I could start making my own money. Back home, in Saipan, Instagram was a common place for people to thrift clothes from, so I decided to try it out. There were a few people intrerested in buying my clothes and I would get so excited. I found myself going above and beyond with the packaging style and always ensuring communcation with the buyer was consistent and professional. For my 16th Birthday, I got a polaroid film printer. I utilized the printer often for adding small polaroid photos to my friend’s birthday gifts as it adds a personalized component. I then thought to myself, why not make this a business because some of my friends were asking if I was selling personalized film or if I could print photos for them. I thought it was an amazing idea and with this service I became more involved and serious about my small business.

From then on, I made my niche personalized polaroid film and little did I know I would be BUSY. I made a good amount of money through this small business doing what I enjoyed. I was able to create two giveaways where I gave away polaroid cameras and free polaroids! I loved seeing how much people enjoyed the product that I continued to add value to it as the years went by.

Responsibilites

I was responsible for every aspect of the business. From posting my products on a consistent time schedule, packaging the orders, to customer communication, and deliveries or shipments. I had also tracked the money I was earning and ensures money can be allocated to supplies, film, gas, etc. All while making profit. I engaged with my customers to understand what their wants are and essentially covered front to back operations. The feeling of getting an order made my day, and I looked forward to packaging every single order I received.

Valuable learnings

I honed many entrepreneurial skills managing a small scale venture. I learned positive communication skills with customers, creative marketing, adaptability, financial literacy, and consistency. Out of the many skills I have learned, I am grateful for the confidence I had to take on this project. Although this business is closed, I’m glad that I was able to provide services and learn such skills at a young age.