Looking to start a side hustle? These freshmen could teach you a thing or two.
Students living in dorms across campus have started to run their own businesses, varying from selling premade or custom buttons to doing other students’ nails or hair. These side hustles have quickly become a fast and fun way for students to make easy money while doing what they love.
Freshman students Story, Larson, Martinez and McKinley are suitemates living in Beacon Hall who run a new business called Buttons by 115. They started up their business in early September on a whim.
“One night we were really bored and we just decided we should make a button business, and five minutes later I had the Instagram account pulled up. We bought the button maker and just kind of started doing it,” Larson said. “It really stemmed from wanting more options and more affordable options. I mean, we’re all broke college students. This is a really good way for us to be flexible with our time while also providing something that’s more affordable and inexpensive for other college students like us.”
They’re even doing their best to expand their business outreach past the University of Tennessee, as explained by Story.
“We even wanna do it for our other friends at other colleges like ETSU. They (Larson and Martinez) have a lot of friends that go there so we wanted to be able to branch out and do custom buttons for everyone,” Story said.
Freshman Sydney Larson holds a button she produces and sells as a dorm side hustle with Hailey Story, Issabella Martinez and Kara McKinley.
Though they only recently established Buttons by 115, it’s already gained multiple customers. Larson went on to talk about their process making the buttons and how customers get to give their unique input during the design stage.
“We do it to their liking and let them customize it. We want them to like their buttons so much that they come back and buy more from us. We want them to be able to really love their buttons and feel like they got to help in the making of them. I think it brings them joy that they got to help make it happen in a way,” Larson said.
Another freshman student living in Beacon Hall East, Addy Woods, started a business designing and selling buttons and occasionally other crafts to fellow students.
“I started painting banners last year and being in the dorm has made that hard to do, so I decided to start making buttons as well,” Woods said. “It’s hard to get a job with my workload and class schedule, so this is a nice way to get some extra money.”
Woods has a focus on making affordable crafts for other students for any occasion they may want one for. She’s also found that running a side hustle has been enjoyable, especially seeing how much joy she brings her customers.
“I have made my pricing very affordable because I think everyone deserves to feel like their best self on game-day or any given day, and buttons are the perfect accessory to make an outfit even cuter,” Woods said. “I love seeing people wear my buttons and the joy in their eyes when they see them.”
Selling buttons isn’t the only business that’s become popular in the dorms. A freshman student living in Dogwood Hall, Sabrina Giolando, has started doing nails. It started with just her friends and quickly took off.
“I started doing my nails like I’d always done, and then my roommate asked me to do hers and she loved them, so I started doing them for all my friends,” Giolando said. “After I had done like five or so sets for my friends, I made a pricing chart and sent it along with some pictures of nails I’ve done to this Dogwood Girls group chat. From there people have been adding me on Snapchat and asking for appointments.”
Starting businesses like this can help provide students with jobs that allow for more flexibility while still making a solid income on their own. This is especially vital early in college when students may not have time to have a job outside of campus.
“I didn’t want to get an official job my first semester here, but I’ve been working since sophomore year of high school, so I’m not used to not having an income. I’ve been doing nails for 3 years, so I figured why not capitalize on my hobby,” Giolando said.
Businesses such as doing nails or hair help improve students’ confidence and overall satisfaction on campus, and having access to these small businesses just down the hall can improve the quality of life in dorms and around campus.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but I always feel so much more put together when my nails are done. Like it’s just an instant glow-up that makes me so much happier,” Giolando said. “Little businesses make Dogwood feel more like a village, it’s super cool.”
