Quarantine allowed many students to find new passions and interests. Dezaray Porter

is just one of the many people who have started something that might not have been possible without quarantine. 

At just 16 she has started her own business making her own products

to sell. It started as  just an idea for a school project and she had no intention of

entrepreneurship. 

“What made me start this business was Personal Project for school. I had to

figure out something to do for it and this seemed fun. Once I posted about it a few people said I

should start selling.” Porter said.

“Right now I make little things out of resin, normally keychains. I’ve been exploring my options lately though with picture keychains, trays and more.” Porter said.

Along the coattails of the pandemic have come many new ideas and businesses like Porter’s. Porter even admits that she doesn’t think she would have created this business if everything was normal.

“I really don’t think I would have done this if quarantine never happened. It was really just a random idea for school but it turned into something bigger once I realized I like doing it.”

Once coronavirus cases go down and things go back to “normal” for many people, it may still be much different from before the pandemic. They have started new hobbies, new workouts, new businesses and much more, so things may never be the same again. 

Porter agrees. “When and if everything goes back to normal I will continue my work, I may even go bigger and start doing pop-up shops.” Porter said. 

Quarantine gave students much more free time to develop ideas and create side hustles.. “This definitely introduced me to something new which was starting my own small business. I never thought I would come as far as I did and the growth and support I’ve had in such a short amount of time makes it so much better.”

With the internet, social media and books there is no shortage of ways to learn new skills. Porter gives her own advice to young entrepreneurs wanting to start their own company.

“One big thing when starting a business is planning out what you need for materials and what social media platforms you are going to use. Instagram has been such a big help in starting my business because it really helped me get out there and get support from all different types of people,” Porter said.

Porter also believes that understanding the economic side of it is important. “ And with materials you really have to understand how much they cost so you can make income while also paying for new things for your business. My last thing I would tell someone is

do not ever give up because everyone starts from somewhere. COVID has changed things but

you can still make it work,” Porter said.