ASU Students Balance Business Ownership and Studies

In between classes, assignments, clubs and other commitments, college students at Arizona State University are still finding time for their passions, while also turning a profit.

“It’s definitely hard to run a business solo and be a full time student. There are times where I have to close my online shop to prioritize school and myself. My planner is my savior for time management,” said Quinn Conahan, a junior at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business and owner of Quinn Jewelry.

Conahan started her business during the pandemic, when she said she was bored and needed a creative outlet. Since quarantine, Conhahan’s business of making high quality jewelry as a ‘college student’ has grown, with almost 500 followers on Instagram and has had her work featured at local pop-up shops and events, such as First Fridays in Downtown Phoenix.

“To grow my business I try to wear as much of my own jewelry as I can so I can be a walking advertisement. I love when I get compliments on it I can say ‘I made this piece! You can find it on my website!’,” Conahan said.

Quinn Jewelry was not the only small business that came to be during quarantine. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 4.4 million businesses were created in the U.S. during the year 2020.

Jack Hipschman, a sophomore at ASU also found his creative spark for his business during quarantine.

“I decided that I wanted to get out of my house and explore local beaches along the Jersey Shore, taking pictures as I went. I began sharing the pictures on Instagram and quickly found out that they excited people, being that everyone was locked down in their house and longing for adventure and normalcy. My photography provided motion in a newly stagnant world, therefore Momentum Media was born, with the catchphrase ‘Capturing Motion’,” Hipschman said.

Hipschman started his business in his home state of New Jersey, and has since had to relocate to Arizona. Alongside being a full time student, he also faced the struggle of bringing what started as an ocean photography business to a land-locked state.

“I’m looking forward to overcoming this challenge by expanding my photography to different subjects. I’m looking at the transition as a positive since it challenges me to tap into a new audience, while still satisfying the audience I have at home,” Hipschman said.

For junior Alexis Devries, her passion for her business came long before the pandemic struck. Devries has been practicing martial arts for over 12 years, and this year began instructing her own class.

“I think the biggest challenge I face is not being able to dedicate as much time to it as I would like. I also face the problem of being young. female martial arts instructor so a lot of the time parents will come into the class be surprised I’m teaching their children,” Devries said.

To combat her busy schedule, Devries said she tries to work ahead, since she knows when her class will be and how long it will take her to instruct.

While balancing school and operating a business can be difficult, these students have been able to find an intersection of the two, as Maia Dilek, owner of Dilek Apparel, said.

Dilek said she uses ASU to help her market by “Using sorority life and different philanthropy events to market myself at and doing giveaways spread around campus as well as posting flyers around campus.”

Hipschman has also found ways to incorporate his business into his ASU life.

“To me, school life and business life go hand-in-hand, and are even encouraged through resources such as the W.P. Carey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which I work closely with for professional guidance for development of my business,” Hipschman said.