Adriana Barragan wakes up at 6 a.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and heads to her kitchen to bake multiple batches of granola throughout the day. Barragan, a junior majoring in economics, is the sole proprietor of her small business, Grounded Granola, formed from her passion of baking with natural ingredients.
Creative hobbies are being turned into student entrepreneurial businesses on college campuses. This trend has heightened in the digital era due to social media helping students market their personal brand.
Entrepreneurship allows students to experience the workforce before graduating with their degree, establish a developed resume for a future career and enjoy their hobby as a side-hustle.
“I would honestly say that this is the closest experience I’ve had to actually applying what I’ve learned in my classes. I have noticed so much more,” Barragan said. “It’s actually very interesting to see how I’m applying a little bit of what I’m learning in all of my classes to this business.”
Barragan started her granola business this semester, selling her homemade granola at the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk Market on Saturday mornings as well as offering pickup orders. Her business sells maple cinnamon, chocolate chip cookie and double chocolate flavored granola.
Her granola is refined sugar free, seed oil free, gluten free, dairy free and nut free. She said she tries to use minimal processed sugars in her recipes.
Social media has helped Barragan market her business, with many customers saying that they saw her updates about her business on TikTok and decided to stop by her table.
“I feel like social media is definitely the main way that I’ve been able to connect with people at Bama. I think that it really helps that our school is very online,” she said, adding that all of her content has gained more than 30,000 views.
Krystal Vasquez, a freshman majoring in criminology and psychology said she has found most of her clientele of her decorating business, KLV Creates, through a more traditional way: word of mouth through her sorority.
She began her business over several years, with her business taking off by sewing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. It moved to a decorating business, offering Tuscaloosa clients balloon arches and decorative posters.
Vasquez said that her business is something that turns her brain off and allows her to relax, instead of the stress from the time commitment. She said it has not gotten overwhelming, except if she has many events stacked together.
She does not plan on expanding her business after college, but she said she will always have it in her back pocket. This was not the case for Olivia Rosado, a junior majoring in public relations. Rosado has a business called Portraits and Pins that she hopes to continue as a side-hustle and eventually expand to her full-time career.
Rosado began her business last fall, offering headshots and graduation photos. She also sells game day pins and custom pins for her sorority. Initially, this business began as a hobby to build future career skills, but Rosado fell in love with photography after taking a class last semester.
“I learned really how to be like myself as a photographer, like I learned how to use a camera, but I didn’t learn how to be a photographer, and my business has made me learn that,” Rosado said.
Rosado’s business has already taken off, giving her opportunities to host pop-up headshots and campus photo sessions. Her photo sessions were even attended by UA Maggie, a Community K9 Officer for the University of Alabama police department.
“She had stopped by like the headshot event that I was doing, and I took a photo of her, and now it’s on her Instagram,” Rosado said. “So it’s just cool seeing my photography in the wild.”
Student businesses are a way for students to connect with customers and other students at the university, instilling a sense of community while also fulfilling their self-expression. The monetization of student businesses does not only become a side-hustle resume builder for a future career, but also a positive experience for the student owner.
“I think my favorite part is the gratification I get out of it,” Rosado said. “I like seeing that my work is benefiting others. It’s a really great feeling.”
Hence then, the article about students monetize creative hobbies into side hustles was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Students monetize creative hobbies into side-hustles )
Also on site :
- French court denies extradition of ex-Tunisian President Ben Ali’s daughter
- ‘It all depends on the crop’: Gulf crisis hits South Asia farmers
- Ford and Toyota issue major South African car recall