Young Entrepreneur Award winner Abigail English turned her crafting hobby into a full-fledged business.
Her freshman year, Abigail English created Bows By Abigail not long after she started wearing her handmade bows to school.
Her peers noticed. Friends and fellow cheerleading teammates asked her to make bows for them before strangers began requesting orders.
“I started selling stuff through my personal Facebook account, and then it went from there,” English says.
Her first customers were high school cheerleaders and dancers. Bows By Abigail’s customer base grew to the general public, from high school bowlers to infant babies.
“Some people tell me exactly what they want,” she says. “Some say, ‘I trust you. Do whatever is cute.’”
Athletic teams, including those of rival high schools, have ordered Bows By Abigail products. The company creates custom vinyl boards, garters, wooden signs and quilts.
English credits her mother for encouraging her to start a business and assisting her at the countless craft shows and events. The experience of running a business has taught the 18-year-old organization, patience and money management.
Social media platforms–Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest–have been useful as a marketing tool, reaching customers across the country.
As English heads to Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, she’ll work toward figuring out new ways to garner more sales online. She also plans to continue to cheerlead while studying biology as part of her pre-med program. English hopes to pursue a career in surgery.
