Three seniors have started their own businesses to generate money for themselves and for their future. Money is a vital asset for students, especially those more involved in extracurriculars. With sports, friends, and classes all taking a toll on their individual funds due to expenses for gear, class fees, club fees, etc. students have been looking for new and creative ways to make money. With the burden of said sports, friends and classes it’s difficult for some students to participate in common jobs, which pushes them to be creative in how they make money.
The majority of students earning money during the school year look to minimum wage jobs that fit well with their schedules. These are jobs such as fast food, movie theaters, trampoline parks and more. A few students have looked past this, and are using their personal experience to start businesses.
Senior Billy McCown started a window washing business, “BM Window Cleaning.” McCown, after working for both a moving and commercial electric company, has noticed this about starting a new business, “ the other ones have been a given…but this is my own little thing, it’s hard to get going.” McCown’s biggest current challenge with his business is advertising. He says that, “It’s hard to get the word out, because window cleaning isn’t a demand, it’s a commodity.” Despite the challenge of spreading the word, McCown gets about two jobs a week, and makes $150-$200 off of each job.
Another senior, Karsten Iannotti, started a power washing business known as “Iannotti Pressure Washing Services.” Iannotti started his business by taking out a loan to buy supplies, and gradually paid that back over about four months. Ianotti gets a job at least once a week, and makes “a little more than $100” off of every job. Iannotti has been pressure washing like this since October of 2022. Being able to have less hours and still make the money he needs allows Iannotti to “do research…and plan for the future.”
By using her EVIT expertise, senior Kylie Rogers started a pet grooming business called “Kylie’s Dog and Cat Grooming Services”. She started this business in hopes to retain and practice what she learned her junior year in EVIT for veterinary assisting. This was a good practice for Rogers because she was able to “help people over the summer with their animals, as well as stay in practice with all of [her] skills.”Rogers provides many different grooming services to cats and dogs including giving baths, cutting nails, brushing fur, deshedding, and cleaning ears. Rogers travels to her clients homes, making her service more convenient. This allows her to get about two or three jobs each week. Rogers makes different amounts of money for each job, as each service she provides costs a different amount of money.
Having these specialized jobs provides a more efficient way to earn money for students. With fewer hours and higher pay, student entrepreneurs can both make money and optimize their time. Creating a business like this comes with a lot more responsibilities than being a regular employee. These students are in charge of branding, advertising, customer satisfaction and obtaining supplies. Having to balance all of these alongside performing their services adds some stress to these entrepreneurs, but in the end still allows for more free time and pay than the majority of jobs students take as employees.
