Between homework, sports, and social lives, most high schoolers barely have time—let alone to start a business. But at The Columbus School, three teenagers have turned hobbies they love into side ventures, showing how passion can grow into something more with time and dedication.

“Always an interest outside of school is making sports and making my brownies for my business,” Mar Jaramillo, a 10 th grader said.

But enthusiasm only goes so far. For many young entrepreneurs, the help that they receive from their immediate network is of crucial importance. Whether in the form of encouragement, financial investment, or simply helping to get the word out, family and friends usually provide the initial and vital foundation.

“My family and friends are really important by supporting my business because they are the people that are around me and they buy me the brownies and they have contacts that connect me to other customers that can help my business,” Jaramillo said.

Once that foundation is established, the next step is finding an audience—and in the current world, that usually involves going to social media. Sites like Instagram and TikTok are more than entertainment to these students; they are marketing vehicles and online storefronts.

“I think that promoting a small business needs to be done in social media like Instagram and other things because people are often using those platforms and they can see your business so they can purchase things from your business,” Jaramillo said.

Even with a wonderful product and excellent promotion, no business can make it without sound financial knowledge. Learning to manage expenses, compute profits, and invest prudently is a skill many of these students are learning with little time to think about it and quickly.

“I think that is necessary to know basic things, like if you buy materials, how much they cost, how much you need to sell them, so you can gain money and also get them investment and profit and everything,” Jaramillo said.

“Starting a business requires mastering a wide range of skills that are applicable across various aspects of life. High school students who embark on the entrepreneurial journey develop valuable skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, communication, leadership, and financial management.” According to Entrepreneur.com,

These are exactly the kinds of lessons that students like Mar are picking up, often in real time and through hands-on experience.

Such commitment usually brings sacrifices. For students juggling school, their social life, and their companies, sacrifices are a part of the equation. Nights spent with friends or leisure time can be relegated to the backburner in favor of orders, preparation, and production.

“I think that they need to be aware of their business and stop hanging out a little bit with their friends because if they start hanging out every single day, their business gets like lost and they need to be aware of their business and make priorities,” Jaramillo said.

Naturally, there are challenges beyond time management. Some students discover that their market does not immediately respond to their product. The skill of reading the market and adjusting rapidly is another that becomes essential and usually decides whether a venture lifts off or stalls.

“So my biggest challenge was that for kids my age, jewelry that is really big isn’t as attractive. So I had to start wearing them and finding out ways that the people are gonna buy them because sometimes they can be really expensive,” Daniela Barrera a 10 th grader said.

Daniela’s skill at adapting her approach was what enabled her to continue forging ahead. She determined that price was a principal stumbling block to her classmates and reacted by arranging better bargains with her suppliers demonstrating that a simple discount, combined with a savvy sense of timing, actually expands demand.

“I had to talk with the distributor… and say like can we get them at a discount… like 40% so people will buy them and… they didn’t miss the opportunity to get them so low,” Barrera said.

Operating a business is not all about fixing problems or getting people to purchase it also makes students more disciplined with time. With school, extracurricular activities, and business commitments, many have had to develop strict routines and see the importance of discipline.

“I get from school and I immediately do all my homework… and then I try to bake and while that it’s doing I try to do all the things I have to do and then I go to my sport,” Amalia Correa 10th-grade student, said.

And although making money is a part of the equation, it is not the whole tale. For this group of students, satisfaction arises when people get to enjoy what has been created. That personal connection, that feeling of watching someone get moved by your work, is what makes the effort all the more worth it.

“You find success when you know that people like your product and when you have happy customers and look like you’re doing a good job,” Amalia Correa said.