Grant High School sophomore Max Shultz has been playing music since he was 5 years old. Over time, his passion for it has only grown. Today, in addition to being a member of a jazz band, he teaches piano lessons to elementary school students after school. Shultz began with just one client — a family friend who was also interested in music. Now, Shultz has seven clients and rotates lessons with them weekly. His teaching business doesn’t have any
kind of online presence, as he opted to not start a website or social media page. Rather, Shultz has gained clients solely through word of mouth over his two and a half years of teaching. He clarifies that, although he is interested in pursuing a career in music, he doesn’t teach for the money: He simply wants to give others the opportunity to find connection through music.

When it comes to drawbacks in his business, Shultz has found that there aren’t many. His lessons don’t affect his ability to do school work, but sometimes get in the way of seeing friends. Overall, his business is a small time commitment, and teaching others the basics has even allowed him to strengthen his own piano skills.

To anyone looking for a similar gig, Shultz says that it’s important to have genuine passion for the work. “If you’re not doing it for the money, then it starts to become fun,” he says.

Zoe Crews, a junior at Grant, owns a long-standing business that sells hand-sewn stuffed dinosaurs at craft fairs. “I’ve had an interest in sewing for a really long time,” says Crews. “I think I started back in second grade, and the first dinosaur I made, I named him Jerry.” She designed the stuffed dinosaurs she sells today in fifth grade.

The dinosaurs became increasingly popular after Crews started selling them in middle school. After witnessing the popularity of her work, she began to take her art to craft fairs. Crews says the biggest challenge of her business has been ensuring that her products are high quality while meeting deadlines. “I make everything myself,” she says.“I cut out all the fabric, I sew everything and then I stuff the dinosaurs as well.” This process can take a long time, as quality is very important to Crews. “I want to put a lot of time and care and love into each one,” she says.

In the future, Crews wants to continue her business but doesn’t have plans for major expansion. “It has really organically grown over the last few years, and I am pretty happy with how it is right now,” she says. “It’s important to not rush it and take your time with making sure you have a product, or a store that you are happy with.”

Grant sophomore Zach Taxy first found himself in need of a job in eighth grade, when he realized he wanted to have his own money to spend. This led him to start a landscaping business, something he already had experience with from working similar jobs for his grandfather. Taxy noticed that many of his neighbors weren’t able to take care of their lawns anymore, creating a business opportunity in his neighborhood.

It took some time, but eventually he was able to grow his customer base and build a strong reputation among clients. Taxy says this experience helped him grow as a person and made him feel “more like an adult.”He feels that a connection to his clients and a strong desire to provide good service invigorates him to put effort into the job. At the end of the day, he makes sure to not put too much pressure on himself because the plants will “always grow back.”

In the future, he likely won’t continue the business as he gets busier focusing on college and other jobs, but for now he enjoys the connections landscaping has brought him. To advise others looking to get into the landscaping world, Taxy says to not fear rejection as a part of growing a business. “The two (or) three weeks that I was walking around and asking people, I think I grew so much as a person,” he says. “Just be honest to yourself. Doesn’t hurt to ask.” l