A good idea can come from anywhere and at any time. But, what do you do with a great idea? You could start a small business! Help out yourself by making a side hustle, into the main hustle. It’s always a good idea to gain yourself some extra money, especially at this age where you can test out how well your goods or services are received. It may seem daunting, but you never know if you never try!

Here are a few of small businesses that we all should be getting around to, and learning from; mostly owned by students or young-pros - showing you that you can start it at any age. These small businesses take a regular idea and turn it into something personal to them, whilst engaging with the Gen-Z audience. Talking to them, just shows one that ideas really can come from anywhere. Make your lemonade stand dream a reality!

1. Closet by Katie

Instagram: @closet.bykatie

Website: www.closetbykatie.com

There has definitely been a boost of online thrift shops since the pandemic, but finding good quality thrifts is really a risk. However IMHO you can never go wrong with Closet by Katie. Managed by Katie Owen, a student and full time worker, she created this store initially as a way to let go of her own clothes and it grew from there. 

I have bought heaps of stuff from the store, when it was mainly her own clothes and even when she started outsourcing them, they still feel like they were loved by Katie herself. For starters, they’re affordable and the quality is genuinely *chef’s kiss*. I’ve always been adamant about buying secondhand items but more so, buying secondhand classic pieces. Aside from this, Closet by Katie offers amazing customer service and is very fair when it comes to consumer ethics! 

The best part, apart from Katie’s stellar sense of fashion (I mean, obviously, with the business starting with her selling her own clothes), is the fact she pays attention to sustainability. The curation of the drops don’t rely on the increase of micro-trends, which is a very important move that the Gen-Z audience should consider, even with thrifting.

2. Skip The Boat

Instagram: @skiptheboat  

Website: skiptheboat.com

Skip The Boat is an apparel company envisioned by Herman Jagpal. I met Herman as an internet friend during Valentine’s season in 2021. Skip The Boat did a limited drop of the Broken Hearts T-Shirt. He messaged me on my art account asking if I wanted one, and I’ve been thankful since. And a year after, that T-shirt is genuinely my favourite one. I wear it all the time! Herman takes the idea of 90s band tees or band merch (e.g. lanyards, trucker caps, etc.) and exercises them with regular thematics of life (whether that may be love, loss, or even covid!), through his designs and words on each item.

Skip The Boat also produces underground hip hop gigs that highlight local, up-and-coming artists as well. It’s a way for kiwis to gather and really appreciate hip hop, alongside wearing merchandise that isn’t necessarily based on the gig alone, but also about what unites all of these people together. 

Small businesses like Skip The Boat, make it important for the Gen-Z audience to somewhat turn their pain into promise. Talking to Herman, he says that he started the brand initially as a passion project after a heartbreak, and it grew from there. Now, with almost 13,000 followers on Instagram, the business will only move forward. Each clothing item released per drop only has a limited number of them, usually never to be released again! So if I were you, I’d snatch them up while I can, never thinking twice!

3. Made By Beth

Instagram: @madebybeth 

Website: shopmadebybeth.bigcartel.com

I asked around the small business community in Aotearoa, if they knew any crochet legends, a majority of them turned me to Made By Beth. An Instagram shop that is also managed on Big Cartel, made by Beth Willis. Her items range from crocheted drop-earrings to cardigans to bags to even a granny cover for your hottie pack! 

Kinda gutted I found her so late in the game, as her items sell out so quickly! My personal favourite is this sweater vest that had “nervous” on it. With the resurgence of crochet in fashion, it’s not a shock if the fight for Beth’s items becomes even bigger. Beth also does commissions, based on her availability all you have to do is ask kindly. Having seen one of her items in real life, the quality is truly impeccable. She really does take the time to curate the colours and the craftsmanship is unmatched!

The best part is that she aims to promote slow and sustainable fashion, with the method of crocheting. With such a kinaesthetically driven practice it makes her pieces more special as the essence of slow and sustainable fashion is truly at the core: not only are these items handmade, Beth also uses secondhand yarn! This is gathered through thrifting and online marketplaces. This just shows how unique her pieces are; cannot be replicated so easily, and made with such care using her own hands.

4. Baby Buck Baking

Instagram: @babybuckbaking

Baby Buck Baking is a small homemade baking business realised by full-time student,  Victoria Roebuck. Her cakes are absolutely gorgeous! They range from 6-inch baby cakes to three-tier masterpieces, upon request. Baby Buck Baking mainly works on a commission basis; to die for! Aside from this, they also taste as good as they look. I purchased a cake from her. Most of her designs do tend to be intricate whilst she weaves her own humorous spin on them, but I asked for a simple design that had a personalised message on it (image below), and it was executed so well!

Baby Buck Baking is truly easy to chat with, she interprets your ideas beyond expectation, and is the absolute sweetest! Their cakes are made out of such good quality ingredients, chatting with Victoria, she used Swiss Meringue for the icing of the cake, which is a tastier version of the regular buttercream one. Biting into one of her cakes, it just has a balance of richness and moisture. The cakes are dense but are not flat, so you know that she really knows her craft and you’re getting a bang for buck!

With the resurgence of picnics (whether that’s for a birthday or just a catch-up) since the multiple-waves of the pandemic, Baby Buck Baking’s cakes will definitely not fall out of place. It’s a way for friends and family to enjoy their company through the tasteful designs (you can even place inside jokes on the actual cakes!) and the yummy flavours that this small business offers. It’s perfect for the social media generation to enjoy as eye-candy and as actual candy.

5. Gabebe’s

Instagram: @gabebes_

Gabebe’s is an instagram shop I manage, selling handmade accessories - ranging from necklaces to bracelets to phone charms and now, branching out into crochet! Named after my high school nickname, Gabebe’s is just an extension of myself and the things I love! More specifically: Fashion and how accessorising is key.

The business started when my Ima (‘great aunt’ in Fujian) bought me a K-Mart bead kit for Christmas 2020 and the beadkit grew from there. Now the store mainly veers away from plastic beads and cheap locks. As much as possible, our items are made out of sustainably sourced semi-precious stones (via secondhand online markets, or stone offcuts turned into beads) or locally sourced ones. 

Coming from a Filipino-Chinese family, it’s very important for me to share a bit of my culture and a bit of myself through the way I design my items and where the beads are sourced from. To add, growing up in the y2k era I would always make handmade accessories with my mum as a pastime, it was a way for us to bond as well. Personally, when I got the beadkit recently, all that nostalgia came back. I never planned to sell my creations, I just made them for my loved ones. I posted a photo of some of my stuff on an Instagram story and people asked if I was selling them. I put two and two together, and thought maybe it could be something if I tried. Almost a year later, Gabebe’s is about to publish a website and is thriving more than ever, thanks to the support of everyone!

All in all, from all these businesses above, I just want to get across that small businesses can start from the oddest places. In moments where it seems really foggy, whether you’re questioning how serious the business is or not, if it’s just a hobby or not, as long as it doesn’t drain you (it will be tiring, but it is rewarding!), why not just keep on trying and eventually you will crack the code!