Young entrepreneur balances classes and breaking into the corporate world, one sale at a time
Ever wonder what some of your classmates do in their spare time? Well, if they’re like sophomore Hannah Sterling, they run a small business — or two!. Sterling launched her very own boutique this past year, Faith N Curls, and has grown it through support from the Wofford community.
“Most days start for me around 7 am and I finish with actually working around 10. That’s not even including homework” Sterling said, as she walked me through her typical school and work load. Along with maintaining a social media presence for her small businesses, she works two on campus jobs that keep her on a tight schedule.
Sterling was enthusiastic about being able to connect with her clients over social media, and showing off her own personal style and flare when it comes to fashion trends. “I try to post my outfit every day…I also review the trends at the beginning of the week so then I know what to post based on my analytics,” Sterling said.
Sterling typically takes her weekends to gather content and create more “aesthetic” style photos of what she has in stock, so that her followers are able to repost and promote her brand on their own accounts. Utilizing apps like Canva and taking note of what the latest trends are on Wofford’s campus, makes things more complex than simply likes and comments.
When she’s not rounding up the latest batch of clothing and beauty products for her customers, you can find her on the football field — like she was this past weekend —snapping pictures of our very own Wofford terriers at their game.
She discussed how she has to balance it all when it comes to her obligations, making great use of “an actual planner for academic stuff and then [my] digital planner to list out all the events and work for the day.” “Running my own small business has definitely taught me the skill of time management,”Sterling said.
Sterling’s passion and close connection with her brand is evident even before speaking to her, as her close friends and family are often featured in her content on @faithncurls, and blowing up the comments section.
She made special note to the sophomore class at Wofford College in particular, stating that they are always on top of buying her items and promoting her whenever possible.
What’s next for this young business owner? Small victories would include “selling out on the first day of a drop would be huge”, and based on her restock alerts she is well on her way to just that.
She would also love to “open up a storefront and have the clients be able to come and look at all of the product in person,” but based on time and financial constraints as a college student, Sterling maintained that her degree is the primary focus right now.
View Sterling’s stock at faithncurls.com, or via Instagram @faithncurls.
