Entrepreneurship in high school. 

Opportunities are arising for students to begin a business. 

Despite potential adversity, many students strive to start their own self-run businesses. Some of the products they sell may be based on their own personal interests or something they are inspired by. Opening up a business can be a way for them to express themselves and make a living. 

Junior Michael Raymer started cleaning cars with his father at the age of 12, which sparked an interest within him. He began to consistently clean cars to the point he started to do it independently. “I started doing it with him. First, I started out real slow cleaning cars and helping him with that, but then I started getting cars by myself, but we still do it together, just getting them in and out,” Raymer said. In 2021, they had around 900 cars that they tinted in their garage. During the winter, they don’t make as much as they do in the summer, but they bring in about $600 to $700 during that time period. The summer is when they make the most money, pulling in around $900 to1,000.  

Raymer enjoys being able to see a variety of cars, including new and old ones, during his job. “I like working on cars. It is definitely fun to work with my dad,” he said. Despite the fact that he enjoys working with his dad, sometimes they get into arguments. “We butt heads sometimes,” Raymer said. 

In the future, Raymer wants to continue his car tinting business as a side job. “I’m planning on getting a job at Link Tech and doing tinting on the side, so I can still do it just as much with a regular job, so I can get benefits and health insurance,” Raymer said. 

On the other hand, there are many people who prefer to do business for fun. Junior Hanna Decker started making bracelets during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I got bored and I just wanted to make bracelets and stuff for fun, but then it turned into this,” Decker said. Her business began to gain a lot of attention last year. 

Decker would like to expand her business and use a cricut to make products other than bracelets. She wants to specifically make other items, such as shirts, to sell. In terms of the future of her business, she has no plans to greatly expand it, and instead focuses on doing it as more of a hobby than anything. 

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Raymer has been helping with cars with his dad since he was 12. He still continues to work with his dad despite having his own business now. "We still do it together," Raymer said.

Businesses allow hard-working students to sustain themselves financially and express their interests. For a young person, beginning a business can give students skills that they can use throughout their life, whether they do it for fun or as a career.