While most college students are crafting their resumes, applying for jobs and stressing about the unknown of post-grad life, Samantha is busy growing her business that she started at just 16 years old. Not many 21-year-olds know what they want to do with their life but Samantha has always been focused on being an entrepreneur with astounding clarity and purpose. I love hearing about young women starting their own business because I didn’t have enough of those stories in my life when I was that age. It’s inspiring to see other young women follow their dreams and embrace a more non-traditional path for themselves. It was so fun chatting with another Augusta native and I think you’re really going to be inspired by Samantha’s passion, gumption and fresh perspective on being a young entrepreneur.
Use Social media For Market Research
When chatting with Sami about the different medium she used for her art, she mentioned that the industry really encourages you to digitize everything now so you can sell it over and over again as opposed to having one original piece. She’s absolutely right and I’m sure that her business has grown because she was able to notice that and make changes accordingly. I was curious about how she was able to stay abreast of those trends and how she did her market research.
She says that social media, specifically Instagram, has helped her really stay on top of what is most in demand in the art world. She uses it to see what people are drawn to and most importantly, what people are buying. Market research like this is so important because it helps you craft your strategy and allows you to direct your messaging towards that ideal client. You can spend all day creating art that you love but if no one is buying it, then your business will tank pretty fast. I really appreciated how Sami stayed true to her vision, but also kept an eye on the market so she could stay relevant.
Don’t let what you think you “should” do keep you from what you actually want to do
As you can tell Sami is very mature and was able to do some self-reflection early in her educational career which led her to a decision to change paths. For a while, she felt she had to choose a major that would make a bunch money or one that would look good on a resume, and that’s all great things min you, but she wasn’t inspired. Her mom and friends helped her realize that she was putting a lot of time and effort into something she wasn’t really passionate about.
So Sami decided to follow her gut and change majors to what she really wanted to do all along, which was graphic design. I am so impressed Sami was able to be this brave and self-aware this early on. For a lot of us, it takes years before we have the courage to leave behind what we think we “should” be doing and focus on what we really want. So check in with yourself every once in a while and reevaluate what you’re doing in your life. Whether it’s business, relationships, habits or even hobbies, make sure you have room in your life for those things that really set your soul on fire.
Resource List:
Rising Tide – Resources for the empowered creative economy
