Student Small Businesses : Stickers by Sydney
Adorable corgis, lively-looking ramen and minimalistic plant terrariums are only a few of the many designs that junior Sydney Liang was busy working on over the summer when she was planning her small sticker business.
A self-taught artist, Liang combined her love of stickers and unique art style to create the startup SimplyPigglyWiggly a month ago through Instagram and Etsy.
“I was always into art and drawing cartoon-like things and also I always loved stickers so I was like, ‘Why not make a business out of it?’” Liang said. “I wanted to help out with other charities so most of my profits go there.”
Liang allows her customers to select how much of their purchase to donate and which charities they want to donate to. Most of her customers donate between 25 to 35% of their purchase to charities that have included Breast Cancer Research Foundation, World Central Kitchen, Relief International and American Humane.
Liang first draws her designs in an app called Procreate, uploads them to Google Docs, prints them through her home printer on sticker paper and then hand cuts them. As straightforward as the process sounds, Liang explained the difficulty of having to create all her products by hand.
“Since I don’t have a machine… it takes a long time to cut [the stickers] out, and I’m really bad at cutting,” Liang said. “Sometimes if I chop something off, I have to redo it all over again.”
It’s an achievement for…small business owners when you see your shop start to grow and buyers start to come in because it means something you’re doing is right.
— Sydney Liang
All things considered, Liang explained that keeping track of the increasing views and visits on her Etsy page feels rewarding.
“It’s an achievement for…small business owners when you see your shop start to grow and buyers start to come in because it means something you’re doing is right,” Liang said.
Liang mentioned that running SimplyPigglyWiggly has given her a sense of purpose and is something she hopes to operate for as long as possible. She aspires to pursue a career in animation.
“It’s really fun, and I think it gives me a good perspective of how life will be outside of school and when I’m past college or even when I’m in college and I have a job. It gives me an insight to what being a business owner is,” Liang said.
Visit Liang’s Etsy and Instagram page @SimplyPigglyWiggly
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYp_lXAGas/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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