COVID-19 has created trying times for everyone, especially for small businesses that depend on public support and foot traffic. However, this pandemic has left many with more spare time and seeing how my friends and peers used theirs has truly inspired me. Ever since lockdown began, when Tiger King and whipped coffee were trending, I saw an increase in something I like to call ‘hustle culture’ on Instagram.
Hustle culture is when young people motivate themselves and others online to promote their own work and start their own businesses. This phenomenon amazed me because I got to see many interesting niches being filled in real time on my Instagram feed. I discovered so many hidden talents amongst my following. In my opinion, Gen Z really adapted and made the best out of a bad situation. They started this movement and persevered in a time where many are being pushed back.
Rachel Rose (rachelrose_design on Instagram) is a third year creative industries student. I came across her page when looking for a mask. What struck me immediately was the uniqueness of her designs and the variety of fabrics she has available for her customers. That is what really drew me in and led me to buying several masks from her page.
Rachel started selling clothes online through Instagram back in 2016, when she was in high school. It was through a class in school where she found her love for fashion. This launched her into a self-made educational journey into the world of garment design. Seeing her own hand made pieces walk a charity runway is what solidified her belief that this was her passion and true calling. It was then that she started selling clothes online. At the time, she had no idea how successful it would be. “Little did I know it would end up being my life” Rachel accounts.
COVID-19 truly helped Rachel grow her business and expand into a very lucrative market that no one could have predicted: mask sales. She didn’t initially plan on selling masks, but after making some for her family and friends she quickly realized that there was a need for high quality, fashionable and reusable masks. Word of mouth and shared posts made her new products spread like wildfire across Instagram. This brought a lot of new eyes and customers to her account. Soon, she was spending her days cutting fabric, sewing masks and shipping them out. The construction of her masks changed drastically over the summer, making them more adjustable and the packaging more custom.
Rachel believes in making her masks with fashionable designs because “if I wouldn’t put the fabric on my body there is no way I would put it on my face.” She believes that mask fashion is an important part of encouraging young people to partake in these important safety precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19. She also saw a hole in the market for these types of masks, which helped her business thrive. Now that people are returning to work, many are realizing that masks are becoming a necessary part of their wardrobe. This leads to customers wanting more styles and prints, which is where Rachel comes in.
I discovered her brand and bought her products on Instagram. This is where Rachel conducts business and she is very happy with how the platform elevates her business by making it easy to advertise and create an authentic customer experience. Specifically, Rachel loves being able to talk to each customer in the DMs when they place their order and she loves how Instagram offers a wide range of ad prices for its users. You can invest anywhere from 5 dollars to thousands in this function, and the app even gives you specific demographic data that can help drive more people to your page.
Rachel is a master multitasker, balancing work and school life is challenging for everyone. That is why she makes sure to set aside time everyday to work on her business. Sometimes, she even cuts fabric during zoom lectures to truly maximize productivity – which amazes me since my mind normally leads me to social media during those 3 hour lectures.
Since this business is hers, Rachel is her own boss and she couldn’t be more in love with that. Having this independence is something she has always wanted and strives to maintain moving forward. She believes that working on your own projects makes you care more about what you are doing, which in turn makes it that much better. COVID-19 has surprisingly helped Rachel’s business out a great deal, and even exposed a new, highly profitable pathway that she would have never discovered.
Her advice to others who want to become their own boss is:
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Throw yourself into it, you don’t need technical training in your field to succeed. To this day Rachel is completely self taught when it comes to clothing design and creation and that hasn’t stopped her.
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You don’t have to be 100% ready to get started. Back in 2016 Rachel didn’t have a website or many of the tools she needed to start her business. However, she is glad she started so early because it helped her create a strong support network that was there to celebrate her successes and help her when she needed it.
Rachel has big things in store, including new collections! The best thing about Rachel’s brand is she draws inspiration from fashion icons, but does not strive to be them. “I’m not trying to be Gucci or Louis Vuitton, I’m trying to be Rachel Rose” said Rachel. Make sure to check out her Instagram and grab a few fashion forward COVID safe masks.
In between binging shows on Netflix and zoom parties with my friends, I also found another amazing, new small business over the summer. @shop_brica on Instagram is an online sticker and handmade craft store. Her page is full of widely creative and aesthetically pleasing designs that left me in a loop of scrolling through her feed.
Brenessa Roach started her business in July, in the midst of the pandemic. Her inspiration came from working at Micheals, a craft supplies store, where she was constantly surrounded by creative materials and people. This is what pushed her to sell her own creations online, by starting her Instagram and making her own website complete with a shop functionality.
Part of her inspiration for this business came from her Tik Tok followers. After posting a video featuring a shirt she created as merch for the k-pop group, BTS, she noticed that people were commenting asking if they could get one as well. This gave her the push she needed to start profiting off of her talents.
She found the pandemic to have a positive effect on her business, which is interesting given that Shop Brica was born into the COVID world. Since people had more time at home, Brenessa found her days becoming full with sticker creation and packing products. The hustle culture phenomenon that was amplified by this pandemic, also played a major role in promoting her business, since many users wanted to support local companies. This effect was translated into her friends and peers sharing her content and driving more users to her website.
In order to balance school and work, Brenessa depends on making strict schedules for herself that keep her on track and accountable. Whenever an order is placed, she makes sure it is packed and ready the same day it was ordered, then shipped the following day. She also dedicates her evenings to sticker design and creation. This gives her tons of time to let her creativity breathe and truly thrive.
Though her business is new, Brenessa already loves all of the freedom that comes along with it. Even with the struggles that come with starting a new business; lack of engagement and reach, she still finds work arounds and keeps pushing to make her business a success. Instagram’s algorithm of prioritizing popular content makes it hard for new accounts to gain a following, which makes brand awareness difficult for emerging companies. That is why Brenessa is so thankful for all of the support she has received so far from her friends and peers. It is also what is driving her to invest her time and effort into making Shop Brica unique.
Brenessa’s advice for those thinking of starting their own business is:
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Really think about what you want from this experience and if you want to dedicate your time to making it work.
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If you know this is what you want don’t be afraid to start even though you may not have a huge following online, anything can happen and growing a business takes time.
Brenessa looks forward to creating more designs for her stickers, expanding her reach to different demographics and upgrading the quality of her products. I purchased some of her vinyl cottage core stickers and fell head over heels with them! The stickers were adorable and waterproof, making them perfect for any surface. Make sure to check out her Instagram.
Seeing all of this initiative and hard work during a time where the world has been turned upside down is truly incredible. I love that even when everything is looking down, these entrepreneurs and many like them found a way to not only survive but thrive. I truly believe that Gen Z can adapt to anything and that this pandemic has kickstarted the new wave of hustlers.