Southeast Students discuss starting their own businesses

Starting your own business in college is a unique and useful experience. Not only do students who start a business get to express themselves through their products, but they also make extra money while in school.

Some Southeast students have started their own small unique companies. These young entrepreneurs have gotten creative with their businesses by catering to the wants of college students, while still creating products they enjoy building.

Southeast Junior Education Major Morgan Foulks started MOmade Designs as an online women's clothing boutique store and now has grown into producing various products such as handcrafted stickers and T-shirt designs. Orders can be placed on Instagram and Facebook at MOMade Designs or on the website at MOmadeDesigns.com. Foulks started MOmade Designs to show off her creativity.

“I created MOmade Designs to allow myself to have a creative outlet and make extra money in college, while doing something I am so passionate about,” Foulks said. “I’ve always wanted to have a business and always had a passion for creating things.”

She started MOmade Designs as a side job throughout school but has big aspirations for her company's future.

“I plan to have the business for a very long time and design many different products. I would love for my business to boom and thrive for the rest of my life as a side hustle for all to enjoy,” Foulks said.

Southeast Senior Musical Theater Major Patti Meadors started her company called Patti Creates in July of this year. Meadors’ company is a designing business that creates a variety of “different products for everyone.” She dyes clothing with bleach and makes made-to-order resin art such as trees, coasters and jewelry. She started the business to show off her creativity and love for designing. Meadors loves having her business because not only is she passionate about meeting people and creating products, she loves being in charge.

“I love being my own boss because I can find that I hold myself much more accountable when I don’t have someone telling me what to do,” Meadors said. “It makes me so happy and motivated when a person wants to take time out of their day to buy one of my products or trusts me to design it for them. I love expressing myself, and it’s just been really fun being able to do that while meeting new people.”

According to The Princeton Review Poll, student entrepreneurs often struggle with finding the right balance and time between their businesses and school. Meadors believes time management is one of the biggest challenges she’s struggled with since creating her business.

“Time is so hard to find especially because of all the things on my plate. Trying to find that balance with being a senior and post-graduation things, other organizations taking up some time, too. It’s definitely a challenge to find time,” Meadors said.

Meadors and Foulks are two examples of Southeast students creating and trying to grow a business they’re passionate about. Starting a business while young is a great opportunity for students to gain business experience and knowledge about the real world, while having a chance to earn money.