By Amna Faheem, Staff Reporter

Having shipped to over five countries and twenty-five states with over 100 total orders, Sophomore Anna Nguyen used the time during the lockdown to her advantage and began a crafts business on Mar. 21. Shying away from simple motifs, she develops more complex patterns, as well as new products-mugs, glossy paper- in addition to her stickers. 

Nguyen started selling on RedBubble, an online store known mainly for their print work- stickers, phone cases, and stationary- and decided to make the transition to Etsy, another commerce website focusing on handmade or vintage items, after noticing her business was growing. She made the switch on July 26 with the purpose of expanding and gaining flexibility.

Nguyen started this business on her own, investing her own money into it. Later on, her parents began contributing money to the business. A few weeks after the launch, orders began rushing in, giving Nguyen a lot of profit and financial flexibility. She recycles her profits, taking what she gains and uses it towards purchasing materials. 

“I started out putting money into it that I had and it just started growing really fast so I have money that I’ve already made off of it so I usually put that money back into the business and I just keep doing that,” Nguyen said.

Before starting her business, Nguyen enjoyed designing things on her phone, eventually utilizing an app called ‘Procreate’ on her iPad for layouts and production. She decided to turn her designs into stickers, and her business prospered from there.

Nguyen tends to create simpler designs like floral prints, her favorite. Additionally, she has experimented with custom stickers, logos, and profile pictures as stated on her Instagram bio: ‘_serendipity.by.anna’, an account boasting over 2100 followers. She increased the variety of her products and created custom Spotify mason jar cups, her hardest product, and prides herself in decorous packaging.

“My mason jars come in a box and they have extras inside and a card and stuff. My stickers come in nice bags with extras and a sticker logo design,” Nguyen said.

While there are numerous advantages to being a young business owner: learning how to be financially responsible, manage money, and build significant communication skills, there are still several disadvantages. 

“I really have to balance it between school work, and my social life, so it is a bit harder. But I think the advantages weigh out a little more,” Nguyen said.

In order to balance all of her responsibilities, Nguyen creates schedules to keep her on track. Prioritizing school responsibilities, she uses her free time during the week to layout the designs and the following weekend to deliver them. 

“So I usually have a schedule and in between classes or when I have free periods and don’t have homework I design on my iPad. When orders come in, I’ll do all designs one week, and then I make them during the weekend and send them out on Monday,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen has plenty of future prospects. She hopes to learn how to manage herself, her responsibilities in life, and gain more knowledge about the business world. 

Amna Faheem can be reached at [email protected]