Freshman Chloe Bigham is no ordinary student. While she partakes in two sports teams and participates in many clubs as a typical student at Hudson High School would, she also runs a small business. Bigham runs her small business, CL Creation Cups with her mom where they both produce Starbucks cups with custom decals. Bigham speaks on what it is like being a student and co-owning a small business.
Apart from her business, Bigham spends most of her time playing sports as she is on the Varsity girls soccer team and JV girls lacrosse team. She is also a part of clubs like Outdoors Society and Hudson Community First, leaving her with a tight schedule.“Running and operating a business has left me with less free time and although it does make my schedule busier, it is very rewarding being able to use my creativity to provide others with a fun product.” Bigham also mentions that having this schedule has left her with more benefit than harm. “Because I have so much going on along with running a small business, I have learned to manage my time wisely. I am always motivated to get my school work done early so I can fit in everything and still have time to socialize.” Despite all of her work and activities, Bigham is still able to keep high grades in all of her classes too.
CL Creation Cups is not just run by Chloe Bigham but by her mom Lindsay, as well. “One of the coolest things about running this business is that my mom works with me. It helps to have another person running the business especially when it is someone I am so close to. My mom and I have very similar tastes artistically but we both are able to share different ideas to better our products.”
Bigham and her mom are a great representation of how beneficial having a close family bond can be. Although everyone’s family situations are different, one of the reasons CL Creation Cups is so successful is the family atmosphere it gives off. “I think customers like that it is a “family run” business. But whether it affects our customers or not, it has made me closer to my mom. Having this business has allowed us to bond in ways that are apart from typical family subjects.” Bigham reflects that she and her mom are able to split work fairly evenly and work together on their products.
When creating a small business, marketing the products is one of the most important parts. This portion is not one people always think of at first but it can make all the difference in the business’s sales. Bigham has now mastered her marketing techniques. “At first my mom and I weren’t sure exactly what would be our best source of sharing our business. Our business started to spread quickly just by word of mouth, but later we decided to focus on our social media accounts as a primary source. Now people make orders for our product in person but usually by dm-ing us on Instagram and Facebook.” As seen in Bigham’s case, social media is quickly becoming one of the largest platforms for marketing products. While in the past online stores like Etsay have been popular, it is now migrating away from that. “Social media has been the best way for us to sell our product because so many people are on different platforms daily. We are also able to gain feedback from the apps so we know what products people might like the best and who our typical audience is.”
Across many schools, many students might want to start a business but are afraid to begin it for a multitude of reasons. Although Bigham admits it has its challenges she recognizes that starting CL Creation Cups has been one of her best decisions ever. “At first I was skeptical as most kids probably would be but you can’t let it hold you back. When you want to begin a business, it is easy to feel anxious. At first I was very worried my mom and I wouldn’t get customers because I wasn’t going to be able to handle the extra workload but it all worked out.” Bighams advice to take risks can register with starting anything new, even if it isn’t particularly starting a business because whether it is playing a new sport or wanting to join a new club, it is easy to second guess yourself. “Having a business overall is very rewarding as it is amazing being able to translate different ideas and skills I have into giving others an enjoyable product. If I let my fear hold me back I would not have been able to experience this.”
Bigham gives an accurate intake of what it means to have a student-run business. Bigham shows students that starting a business can be easily done and that anyone is capable of starting a business if they set their mind to it. She reflects that her business has done nothing but benefit her and she is grateful that she has the opportunity to run it alongside her mom has been incredible.
