Many students at Archie Williams High School pursue traditional employment, often working at restaurants or retail stores for income. However, a growing number of students are taking a different route by choosing to start their own businesses. Owning a self-run business allows students to independently manage their own time and money to provide services and products for customers.

Sophomore Zack Levy runs Z’sCoastalCustoms, a business where he sells custom-painted plastic fishing lures. What started as an experiment in January, inspired by online videos, has bloomed into a steady small business. Zack is nearing 100 sales on Etsy, an online marketplace. 

Behind the scenes of producing a high-quality lure is a multi-step process that takes over an hour. Zack starts by buying clear lure blanks specialized for painting as his base. Then, on demand, he paints onto the lure with an airbrush, creating a realistic rendition of the requested baitfish. Frequently, Zack receives requests for shad-patterned lures, as shad is an abundant species that predator fish recurrently consume.

“Say you’re fishing for a predator fish, you’d want to use what type of fish it would be eating. For bass, you’d use a bluegill, a blue colored [lure]. The most common one is shad because it’s all over the U.S.,” Zack said.

After finding his fish pattern and painting it on, Zack moves on to the finishing touch of the lure. Using resin, he seals his artwork with his own homemade curing station. 

“I cure the resin with a curing station I made with holes on either side of a cardboard box with two black lights,” Zack said.

Similarly, sophomore Ben Doll uses his artistic skills to airbrush clothes for customers to purchase. Ben founded his own brand, Kwerks, a clothing line inspired by California skate culture and punchy 90s-style graphics. Kwerks is a relatively new business that started only a few months ago, with customers frequently coming from the skate community.

“I especially make connections with people when I wear my own shirts. [My] customers come from school, or since my brand is very skater style, I’ll meet a lot of them at skate parks,” Ben said. 

To expand his business with a reputation of consistent quality and signature look, Ben put effort into sourcing bases for his designs that would meet his expectations. To purchase his supply of blank shirts, Ben chose an in-state warehouse in Southern California.

“I spent like half an hour on Reddit researching. I found these 100 percent cotton t-shirts that are really nice, baggy shirts that look like Shaka Wear, or Cholo style,” Ben said.

Once he acquires the blank shirt, Ben can begin making his handmade wearable art pieces. Though he can take personalized orders from customers to customize any desired clothing article, Ben comes up with his designs on his own. 

“I kind of just draw randomly and whatever comes to mind. I usually do a sketch on paper first, then I do that pencil sketch on the t-shirt. After that, I go in with an airbrush, and at the end I ink with Sharpie,” Ben said.

While some businesses are based on artistic talent, seniors Josh Dixon and Ben Luka Sheddrick own a service-oriented company. The junk-hauling service, JB’s Dump and Haul, has been in business and in consistent operation since 2024, when it was founded. What began as a neighborhood idea has developed into a steady stream of clients.

“We started our business at the end of our sophomore year, in 2024. I came up with the idea after some friends of mine were doing dump runs for friends, and I realized how much work there was around my neighborhood. It has grown tremendously since we started, helping over 150 people with their junk,” Josh said.

Between driving, lifting, sorting, and hauling, the work is physically demanding, with jobs ranging from simple yard cleanups to large-scale household clear-outs. Some customers only need one truckload removed, but other projects require multiple trips, which is reflected in the fee.

“We do runs about twice a week, mostly on the weekends. The amount we charge depends entirely on the size of the run. The base price is 200 dollars, and that covers dump fees, gas, and labor, but we’ve done runs for one person that required five runs back and forth from the dump, and those cost substantially more,” Josh said.

Prices can fluctuate based on the demand for the service in nail businesses as well. Junior Izzy Rivera has turned her personal hobby into a growing nail business. What started as experimenting on her own nails caught her friends’ attention over the summer before her junior year. 

“I work with classmates, friends, and acquaintances that usually come to me for pretty basic sets, though I’m hoping for some who want more extravagant sets. My pricing starts at 25 dollars because I am unlicensed and not as experienced as professionals, but if it takes more than four hours, prices start to go up and land at around 40 dollars,” Izzy said.

Her process begins with careful nail prep, including sizing, buffing, dehydrating, and priming, before applying tips and designs. Each set combines technical skill and personal style, demonstrating attention to detail that mirrors that of other student-run artistic businesses.

“My process starts with nail prep, which consists of sizing the tips to the individual’s nails, buffing, then dehydrating and priming. I then glue the tips on with a strong gel-cure glue and do the design,” Izzy said.

Small businesses give students the chance to explore independence, manage their own time, and navigate the responsibilities of working with clients. Izzy is working toward feeling satisfied with her scheduling system for clients to have an efficient experience. Turning her nail hobby into a business has allowed her to take control of her work while also earning money for her own needs.

“In the future, I’m planning to come up with a schedule of when I am free to do nails so I can keep making some money on the side that I can save for any critical expenses in the future,” Izzy said.