May 1, 2023
  • 12:08 pm Fall Convocation 2022: “The State of this University is Strong”
  • 9:37 pm Ogrin Brings the Thunder in Toros 12-3 rout; team plays for playoff championship tomorrow
  • 7:00 am Outstanding Professor Award Recipient’s Mic Drop Moment at Last Month’s Virtual Ceremony
  • 9:10 am Bookworms of the World Unite!
  • 7:46 pm Breaking News: All Students Living in Campus Housing Required to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
  • 9:00 am CSUDH Esports Creates International Competition
  • 9:35 am Spring Commencement Ceremonies Get Brighter
  • 3:46 pm Breaking News: Spring Commencement Ceremonies Recieve Stadium Upgrade
  • 8:00 am Testing the Teachers (and All the Educators)
  • 9:30 am CSUDH Educators and School Employees, Vaccinated Next
  • 10:30 am For White People Only: Anti-Racism Workshop Addresses Racial Bias and Unity
  • 2:43 pm Greatness Personified: Remembering Kobe Bryant
  • 10:02 am Straight Down the Chimney and Into Your (Digital) Hands: Special Holiday Edition of The Bulletin!
  • 2:44 pm Did You Wake up Looking this Beautiful?
  • 11:43 am A Long History for University’s Newest Major
  • 5:15 pm Issue 5 of Bulletin Live! Collector’s Item! Worth its Weight in Digital Paper!
  • 4:06 pm Special Election Issue
  • 4:03 pm Three best Latinx Halloween & Horror Short Films available now on HBO Max
  • 9:49 am Issue 3 of CSUDH Bulletin Live if You Want It
  • 3:24 pm Hispanic Heritage Month Update
  • 2:00 pm South Bay Economic Forecast Goes Virtual
  • 3:52 pm BREAKING NEWS: Classes for Spring to be Online, CSU Chancellor Announces
  • 9:39 am “Strikes” and Solidarity
  • 8:30 am March Into History: Just 5 in 1970, CSUDH Growth Shaped by Historic Event
  • 8:30 am Will the Bulletin Make Today Tomorrow?
  • 9:04 am Different Neighborhoods Warrant Rubber Bullets or Traffic Control For Protesters
  • 5:07 pm STAFF EDITORIAL: Even Socially Distant, We All Have to Work Together
  • 5:47 pm Transcript of CSUDH President Parham’s Coronavirus Announcement
  • 10:46 am Cal State Long Beach Suspends Face-to-Face Classes; CSUDH Discussing Contingency Plans
  • 5:26 pm Things Black People Should be Able to Get Away with This Month
  • 10:25 am Latinx Students Need a Place to Call Home
  • 2:35 pm Will Time Run Out Before Funds for PEGS? [UPDATED]
  • 8:41 am Year of the Rat? What’s That?
  • 6:20 am Artist Who Gave Life to Death and Inspired Countless Others Gets His Due at Dominguez Hills
  • 5:16 pm Why I’m Rooting for Dr. Cornel West
  • 5:00 pm Under Fire from the Feds, Vaping’s Future is Cloudy
  • 3:28 pm We’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat; Tsunami 3.0 Hits Campus, Enrollment Swells
  • 1:22 pm THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE BULLETIN IS HERE
  • 4:48 pm University Weathering a Wave of New Students
  • 9:21 pm The Bulletin’s Public Records Request Offers Springboard to Launch Gender Equity Discussion at CSUDH
  • 4:27 pm Black is the New Black: Raising the Capital on the “B” Word
  • 10:53 am Guns Up for Arrest: Student advocacy group pushes for CSU No Gun Zones–Including the Police
  • 4:09 pm Staff Editorial: Words on the First
  • 8:42 pm Carson Mayor Blasts Media, Landmark Libel Case in Keynote Address
  • 9:27 am Free Speech Week Calendar of Events Update
  • 6:02 am Food for Thought: 40% of Students are Food Insecure
  • 3:12 pm Academic Senate Rejects CSU GE Task Force & Report
  • 3:06 pm Work To Be Done
  • 5:56 pm ASI Elections: What You Need to Know
  • 8:02 pm CSUDH President Parham Announces Cancer Diagnosis
  • 9:47 am CSUDH Art Professor’s 20-Year Journey Results in First Local Showing of Film
  • 9:13 pm Free Speech or Free Hate area?
  • 9:08 pm CSUDH’s Best & Brightest Shine at Student Research Day
  • 9:05 pm Academic Senate Approves Gender Equity Task Force
  • 12:37 pm When Dr. Davis speaks, Toros Pay Close Attention
  • 3:38 pm Investing in the Future: Dr. Thomas A. Parham Reflects on the Past Eight Months and Contemplates​ the University’s Future
  • 3:24 pm Green Olive to Open By End of Feb; Starbucks Not Until Fall
  • 3:20 pm Gov. Newsom’s Proposed Budget Hailed for Extensive Funding Increases
  • 3:08 pm Out of the Classroom: Labor and Community Organizing Course Aims to Teach Students How to Organize for Social Justice
  • 2:54 pm The Other Route in Professional Sports
  • 9:02 am Hail to the New Chief, CSUDH President Thomas Parham
  • 3:36 pm Career Center Holds Major/Minor Fair
  • 5:34 pm After Unexpected Delay, Undocumented Becomes More Intimate Theatrical Production
  • 1:30 pm What to Expect When You’re Expecting New Buildings
  • 8:00 am Spring 2023 Graduation Day Crash Course
  • 8:00 am A Former President Indicted: Now What?
  • 8:00 am ChatGPT Pioneers a New Landscape
  • 8:00 am The Good And Bad Of Technology For Adolescence
  • 8:00 am Women’s Resource Center Radiates Positivity At CSUDH
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Jessica Hollingsworth’s desk where she runs her small business. Photo Courtesy of Jessica Hollingsworth

By Jasmine Sanchez Staff Reporter

Walking into the endless sea of potential manufactures with a burning passion for art and creativity, and a dash of courage, the first step to starting a small business is never easy. It’s terrifying and sometimes, isolating. 

The public’s perception of owning a small business doesn’t inspire confidence but rather the fear of failure looms over like a blackened cloud. The common generalization of artists is that they will never be successful to make enough to sustain themselves. This perception trickles down to the people closest and while their intention is understandable, it can also be discouraging.

Jessica Hollingsworth, spirited entrepreneur and owner of Sivryn, owns a small online business primarily focused on selling art prints, stickers and occasionally tackles commissions. Hollingsworth faced doubts from family and friends when she began exploring the possibility of starting her business. Her family was stuck on the “starving artist” stereotype, while her friends wondered if anyone would be interested in her business.

“I chose to ignore this… my family and friends don’t make my business work. I make my business work,” Hollingsworth said. 

However, becoming a small business owner is not all gloom and doom. There are some silver linings that vary depending on the type of small business. For Hollingsworth, being her own boss is beneficial because she can rest more if any pain flares were to emerge.

“I was not able to hold my pen to draw, so instead I gave myself the task to do inventory… Had this been a standard job at a big box store, I would not have been given this luxury,” she said. 

For Hollingsworth, who suffers from chronic pain, being her own boss has been a godsend. An average job would penalize her for taking time off due to her disability. As a small business owner, she can announce the situation to her customers and rest as much as she needs without worry or stress.

Apart from this, running a small business is not as different from a regular job than many might think. There are certain responsibilities that a business owner must tackle to run a successful business, such as working more hours. Increased hours is the standard for most small businesses, and this depends on how busy or slow the day is. 

Dean Grayson, online shop seller and owner of DeanDraws, typically begins his day checking emails and messages while eating breakfast. He then goes to his office to pack packages and ship orders around three times a week. 

On off-days, he’ll be “creating new graphics, negotiating with manufacturers, quality checking products, or a bunch of other little things like creating social media posts.” The amount of work that is necessary for a small business to function successfully often frightens newcomers from the venture.

Starting a business is not a small feat. It requires an immense amount of work and perseverance. Many factors develop along the journey to either dispirit or motivate. It entirely depends on the individual and whether starting a small business is the right path for them. 

Grayson advises aspiring entrepreneurs to “never ever let yourself feel like your work isn’t ‘good enough’. As long as you’re enjoying creating something- if you like it- then there will always be someone out there who enjoys it too.” 

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