Everyone has that random business lingering in the back of their head. Maybe it’s a charm bracelet brand, or a homemade dog treat company. Nails By Ambri, Bre Hasen Photos, and Kynlee’s Crafts are all high school students that took the initiative to just give it a go.
“Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you,” Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos said.
Nails By Ambri started as a hobby. Starting with herself, friends, and family, Ambri saw this as a way to express her creativity in a different way.
“I’ve always loved beauty and creativity, and doing nails became a way for me to express that,” Ambri said.
This was something Ambri built from the ground up. This business has been a hassle to balance between school work, family, and extracurricular activities, but Ambri manages.
“I schedule clients around my school and extracurriculars, and I set boundaries so I don’t burn out,” Ambri said. “Doing nails is more of a fun thing rather than a ‘job’ for me, so I make sure to take breaks and enjoy as much of my personal time as possible.”
Nails by Ambri provides an individualized nail experience-something unavailable at salons.
“I price based on the time, materials, and effort it takes for each set. I also try to keep my prices fair while making sure I’m valuing my work,” Ambri said. “For basic designs, I charge a little less because they require less work and time. But for intricate details, the price is definitely higher because of the skill and effort involved.”
Bre Hasen photos was inspired by her mother who has been taking pictures, and grew a business of her own in Bre’s hometown, before moving to Bismarck.
“She always inspired me the most and continues to teach me how to use different techniques and methods behind the camera,” Bre said.
Everyone starts somewhere, it is the act of staring that is hard. Bre needed to find a way to practice, so she reached out to people and offered them sessions to get practice in before she started marketing it on Instagram.
“I got my very first clients by reaching out and asking if they would be up to trying a free session so I could get more practice in,” Bre said. “Since then I’ve gotten to know them personally and we’ve had many amazing conversations. They are amazing people to work with and I’m glad I reached out to them!”
Some clients see Bre as a friend behind the camera, but she wants to be viewed just as professionally as everyone else. She has dreams to chase, and this is not stopping her.
“My absolute dream would be to do rodeo western photography primarily but as of right now I’m just taking baby steps,” Bre said. I have other goals now and if I reach my photography goals sooner than expected that’s great but I don’t intend to reach them until I am ready to fully commit to just photography as a career.”
Just like Nails By Ambri, and Bre Hasen Photos, Kynlee’s Crafts also started from scratch. It all started from seeing videos on a reel on Instagram of someone making a tie blanket. She started by buying some fabric and making one for herself. She instantly knew once she had finished that blanket that she wanted to make a bunch more.
“What really inspired me was seeing all the amazing crafters and creators at events such as the coffee house in Beulah, or even my Physical Science teacher, Mrs. Pulver, selling delicious caramel rolls on the weekend and at vendor events!” Kynlee said.
Between HOSA, Speech, FCCLA, working at the Energy Wellness Center in Beulah and being a Pro-Life Activist, Kynlee always finds time to pursue Kynlee’s crafts.
“If I’m not working and don’t have any practice for speech, FCCLA, HOSA, or any of my activities, I will come home and turn on some Netflix or YouTube and watch that while I make a hat or a blanket.” Kynlee said.
Clients can find each of these people on Instagram.
@nailsbyambri_
@bre.hasen.photos
@kynlees_crafts
