The majority of students at Morton East reported having a friend or family member that owns a business.
According to “Empowering Teen Entrepreneurs” from crimsoneducation.org, students having their own business in high school can help them develop essential life skills, gain real-world experience, boost self-confidence, and more. Interestingly, teen entrepreneurs can build a strong network early on and can also open doors to future opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships, giving students a competitive advantage. Moreover, this can positively impact a student’s life, featuring social interactions, personal development, and their performance academically.
In a random survey of 115 Morton East students, 66 said that they know a family member or friend who owns their own business/small business.
“I think owning a small business is a good way to achieve financial independence because you learn how to deal with money, what to buy, and trains you in investing to grow your business,” said senior Andrew Arteaga.
While some students at Morton East think that owning a business is beneficial, teachers have significant advice that could help individuals to start their business and eventually become successful.
“My general advice for students whom wish to start a business would be to start a business with something that they like, but not love. When you try to mix something you love with business things can get very complicated. Take for example, someone who loves photography and it is their favorite hobby. In this scenario, they way you value your work and time versus the costumer is very different. Once you start bringing in prices, it can kill your love for that activity. Do something you like, and keep the hobbies you do love out of business. Other advice would be to stay consistent. Businesses don’t make profit right away, in fact some take months even years to see profit, but if you stay constant with your business your likelihood of success is greater,” said Sebastian Mora, business/marketing teacher.
Even though some think that starting a business with something they love can kill the passion for that activity, students report otherwise and think that starting a business with something you love is a good way to start.
“What motivated me to start my own business was the passion that I loved for cooking/baking. It was something that I’ve always done and I’m self-taught since the age of seven. I take a culinary class in my high school years, and it just proves my point that it’s something that I do wanna pursue in my career in the future. So I started on early to get an idea of what I want to do, but the reason was the reaction I can get the community in a positive aspect with the smile a having somebody feel a certain way, even if it came from food,” said senior Bat Galvan-Mora.
While some teens were motivated to start their business with something they love doing, others were motivated by their artistry.
“What motivated me to start my own business was to be able to show and express my creativity and skills by doing nails,” said senior Kimberly Arellano.
However, some are motivated by starting off with something they love or to show off their skills, which can help them become successful in their future career.
“Starting early in life can benefit students because they have control over their lives, finances, opens up the doors to more opportunities,” said Sandra Sanchez.
