PLNU Student Businesses—Making Money on Their Own Time

Weekly grocery trip: $$$

Not knowing if the balance of your bank account will cover the purchase while waiting in check-out: priceless

The life of balancing bank statements and bookwork as a college student isn’t for everyone.

According to a 2018 summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the US Department of Labor, the proportion of the population that is employed or looking for work for “male and female high school graduates enrolled in college” is “41.2 percent and 38.8 percent, respectively.”

Although attending college may already feel like a full-time job, several Point Loma Nazarene University students are finding alternative routes to make the extra pocket change on their own schedule. With creativity and initiative, these student businesses are nothing to underestimate.

“I am my own boss and my own employee,” remarks PLNU junior and visual arts major, Gianna Tesone.

By creating and selling her own painted artwork, Tesone is showing love to her major, her passion for art and her finances altogether. Although the downtime of maintaining her own fine arts business is more convenient than working set hours, Tesone still feels the pressures that any other job can bring.

“I do not have to abide by rules set by others and work on my own time, yet I struggle with putting too much or too little pressure on myself to complete projects to the best of my ability.”

With the tedious process, the innovative creativity doesn’t start and stop here. A PLNU junior and graphic design-marketing major is catching onto the self-sustaining scene and running with it. This creative entrepreneur, Raeanne Bloemhof, is combining aesthetics and skill toward her business of creating and selling hair scrunchies. Bloemhof revealed that after watching a scrunchie video on Youtube—it clicked.

“I decided to do it myself,” Bloemhof said.

“I enjoyed making them so much that I made more and more. People started complimenting them and wanting them, so I decided to sell them.”

For many of our student entrepreneurs, Instagram has been a go-to social site for advertising their products and services to other PLNU students and beyond.

Hannah Hyon, PLNU senior and computer science software engineering major, supports herself and others by buying and re-selling thrifted female clothing pieces from local thrift shops.

“Another way we promote who we are is by asking our followers to model clothes for us. It’s a great way for us to partner with our fan base, encourage girl power, and style our clothes.”