As I sit at home writing my next column, I wonder how many other people in the Victor-Farmington community are in their homes right now working at a job. I began to ask residents if they knew people who have a “home-based business.”
There were so many recommendations that I didn’t know what to do with all the names. Then, by sheer coincidence, a week later Kelsey Kober’s grandmother, Kathy Jacobs, mentioned that Kelsey had a business out of her home and I realized right then and there that my focus would be high school students. How many high school students in our community have “cottage industries” or home-based businesses?
The term “cottage industry” originally referred to home workers who were engaged in a task such as sewing or lace-making before the Industrial Revolution. The business operator would travel around, buying raw materials, delivering them to people who would work on them, and then collecting the finished goods to sell. Once the Industrial Revolution evolved, the business owner expected his employees to work in a factory so to supervise and maintain higher efficiency. The cottage industry continued, but it was unusual and the small amount of people who worked from their homes were less respected.
The term “home-based business” was coined by Marion Behr in 1978. She was the originator of a study to find out what businesses women throughout America were running out of their homes. The book she wrote on the subject sold 50,000 copies and the idea spread. At the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986, one of the major resolutions was a recommendation that favored lifting restrictions on home-based business.
Home-based businesses are usually defined as lacking a shop frontage, customer parking and street advertising signs. Such businesses are sometimes prohibited by residential zoning regulations.
Today, it is common practice for people to run a wide variety of businesses at their home. With all the technology available, businesses can even have a satellite business at their employee’s home.
I interviewed three teens who were in Victor High School. All planned on attending college and using skills from their existing businesses to earn additional money.
Kelsey Kober, an artist, received her big break when she participated in an American Cancer Society benefit. Kelsey never felt confident as a painter and chose a decoupage method instead. Decoupage is the art of decorating something with cutouts of paper or other flat material and then applying varnish. As she worked on the chair she discovered her passion for this art form. The American Cancer Society then auctioned off all the chairs. Kelsey’s chair went for one of the highest bids and a business idea was born. She finds her clients by word-of-mouth. She works on any recycled item: scrapbooks, chairs, picture frames, etc.
“I use magazines, children’s books, music sheets, and Mod Podge (a glue and sealer for decoupage),” Kelsey said. “It takes me about 13 hours to collage a chair. My parents and grandparents have definitely given me complete support.”
Usually visual artists have a specific artist that inspires them but Kelsey’s inspiration comes from another source.
“I love to read, write, and collect quotes,” she said. “I believe that words inspire me. Words can empower you, guide you, and comfort you. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of my favorite writers.”
Kelsey plans on pursuing an English degree in college next year.
Kelsey will have a booth at Hang Around Victor Day on Sept. 11. All of her work will be showcased at that time.
Kelsey’s Collages at http://www.kelseyscollages.webs.com, phone (585) 208-6428.
Nick Lathrop always loved magic. He started doing tricks when he was 6 years old. He would watch magicians with fascination as they performed on television and then try the tricks himself.
“As he grew,” his dad, Dave Lathrop, said, “he began to buy professional props and practice for hundreds of hours. He lives and breathes it.”
Nick has worked for the YMCA, Salvatore’s, Street Magic at RIT conventions and private parties. Performing magic is expensive. He travels to the National Magic Convention every year to buy new props, keep up with new tricks, and talk with fellow magicians.
“Nick enjoys entertaining people — he gets a kick out of it,” his dad continues. “Occasionally, he improvises if a trick goes wrong or there is a heckler in the crowd.” He also prefers to entertain teens and adults.
So, who is the magician that inspires him? His dad wasn’t sure. Nick is at camp and wasn’t able to disclose the magician’s name. “He has a stack of old magic books with magicians in them and he knows every single thing about them.”
Nick plans on pursuing psychology in college.
Nick’s Magic. To contact him, leave message at Victor High School Office, (585) 924-3252
Nate Sprague is already a seasoned photographer, and what he hasn’t learned yet, he soon will.
“I started borrowing my mom’s EasyShare camera and caught the ‘shutterbug’ early.” He joined the Young Entrepreneurs Academy and when he started his photography business, he hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since. In one-and-a-half years, he has photographed for Wi-Pics (product photography), Fat Tire Fest (Media), Blue Swan Media (wedding), Magic Moments (sports), Victor Parks and Recreation, and interning at Peculiar People Apparel. He gets most of his income taking senior pictures, weddings and family photos.
“The first time I sold my work was when I made Mother’s Day cards and sold them to kids at school in my junior year,” Sprague said. “I used that money to buy equipment. Then I sold calendars to buy additional equipment. Camera, computer, studio space, studio lights, and lenses; all of which I have bought off Craigslist.”
What preparation was necessary to set up his business?
“A DBA, business plan, purchasing equipment (very expensive), a website, e-mail address, business cards, and a portfolio were all steps that I had to take to start my business up,” he said.
Nate plans on pursuing business in college.
Although Nate has given up a lot of free time, consistent wages and sleep, “Working for myself is a definite plus,” he said. “It’s given me a sense of responsibility and self-determination.”
A Thousand Words Photography. Contact: http://www.athousandwordsphotog.com.
All of these teen business owners have so much enthusiasm and they all agree that making a business out of their passion is not really work.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.”
