High school students spend hours at school preparing for their futures, playing sports and participating in various organizations. They play, study, entertain and have other activities. Many take part-time jobs. Every now and then, a student will step outside of the norm and start his or her own business on top of all the other activities and become student entrepreneurs, with love and passion for their business.
With her family’s full support, Caroline Parker, a Ruston High School junior, decided at the young age of 14 to take what she loved and start her own business, Sweet Caroline’s. Self-taught, she sat for hours while watching Netflix, writing Bible verses on card stock pieces of paper. She learned calligraphy and crafts and put all her learning and passion into her business.
“I named by business Sweet Caroline’s because my grandfather would sing that song to me whether fishing or just sitting around enjoying each other’s company,” Parker said.
Sitting in her shop alone, she was able to just focus on her work. She found the work to be calming, and in time, she learned that many found it to be high quality and great craftmanship, and that there was a market for her craft.
“Calligraphy can be hard to learn, especially with crafting, but by learning patience, it was good for me and allowed me to learn more and achieve my dreams – something that every kid needs a chance to do,” Parker said.
After high school, Parker plans to also express her creativity as a hairdresser. As she likes working with her hands and painting, she said she believes both hairdressing and calligraphy give her the chance to satisfy both. Thinking outside the box, Parker is considering eventually setting up her own big shop with both trades offered in one place.
Recently, Parker set-up shop at the Louisiana FBLA Northeast Regional Conference held at Louisiana Tech, where she joined other high school entrepreneurs promoting her business, entrepreneurship, and marketing for the business students. Her booth was a huge success and received favorable comments, from “I love these crafts” to “How does a high school student find time to do all this?” all day. Many left with her business cards and orders were taken on top of the publicity and excitement of having a public forum to show her skills.
Parker said she is proud of her work and her professionalism is obvious.
“If you do what you love, then you will never work a day in your life,” she said. Her mom and dad always told her that, and she said she has found that to be true.
For more information, email sweet.caroline.calligapher@gmail.com or find her Facebook business at Sweet Caroline’s Calligraphy and Lettering.
