By Charlie Vannatter
With every sharp edge cutting along the green lawn, another stack of green cash adds to his secret stash in his room.
Instead of spending their free time hanging out or working standard jobs, some students are taking matters into their own hands and starting their own businesses.
Using just their phones, laptops or other basic equipment, these students are doing everything from lawn care to car repair to photography. They’re turning their hobbies into real money before they even graduate.
“Since I’ve been working for myself, I really like the ability to make my own hours,” senior Colten Cruea said. “Now down the line, I’d like to set up my own engineering practice and do my own thing.”
Cruea owns a lawn care business that he started because he said he wanted to start making more money than what he was earning and he wanted to work fewer hours.
Cruea has clients that he does weekly trimming, mowing, and edging for. He also does landscaping jobs such as rock installation, mulch installation, and more to bring in extra cash.
For day jobs he charges a couple hundred dollars depending on what it is and for multiple day projects he charges around a couple thousand dollars.
And that’s just part of it. However, owning your own business comes with its ups and downs. Colten has experienced these both although his biggest challenge has been the advertising.
“It’s really, really tough to convince people to book with you because, one, a lot of people already have people that mow for them,” Cruea said. “Also once you kind of get someone that’s been mowing for you for a while, it’s hard to try to get someone new.”
Cruea’s biggest piece of advice for the students and kids that want to start their own business is to go for it. Cruea said that people are scared because there will be times where you make a lot of money and times where you don’t make the amount of money you want to but that’s just part of it.
Sophomore Drew Durkovich runs his own media business.
Durkovich started his photography journey by taking pictures of his little sister’s soccer game and decided to keep doing it that summer.
In his job he gets clients that are usually middle schoolers and high schoolers and they book him for a certain date to take pictures at their games.
Starting his business helped Durkovich realize he wants to pursue photography in the future.
Durkovich said he has learned much on the job that school has not taught him. He said he has learned to reach out because when you reach out then you will most likely get an answer.
Another student photographer with his own business is senior Ron Baucom.
“I wanted to start my business from seeing my mom enjoy it,” Baucom said. “Then I got hurt, and I kind of started getting into it.”
Last season, Baucom had heart issues during cross country causing him not to be able to run. He still went to the meets and took pictures.
Baucom’s friends have positive reactions and like that Baucom does photography because they get their own photos.
He says that the biggest challenge for him is to get himself out there and for people to notice him.
Photography and lawn care aren’t the only areas where students of Delta High School build their own brand.
Senior Carter Jackson found a different way to help others. He owns a car detailing business.
Jackson realized that he wanted a job to make money but said that he wanted to have his own schedule
He said that he got into this because he has a huge attention to detail and that he has always focused on the little things, so it just came naturally to him.
The biggest challenge that Jackson runs into is communication.
“I’ve learned that it’s super important when talking to complete strangers, you have to know all the little details about a schedule or something,” Jackson said.
Jackson says that his biggest piece of advice for students trying to make their own business is to just get yourself out there and to reach out to different people.
While Jackson has had this job he says that he has learned to be more professional and to be more meticulous when it comes to talking with people.
Jackson isn’t the only entrepreneur in the car business.
Junior Reid Cardemon has his own business, Car Demon Auto Sales, where he buys cars, repairs them, and then sells them to people.
Cardemon is in the car business because he said that he has loved cars ever since he was a kid and enjoys working with them.
Cardemon’s advice to students that want to start a business is to do what you love and to always give it your best effort.
Whether it’s mowing lawns, taking photos, detailing cars, or flipping engines, these Delta students are proving that no matter how old you are you can take initiative to turn what you love into profit.
