Building Independence One Bracelet at a Time

Amari’s* spark is bracelets. She loves to design and make them and is constantly wearing an armful of her creations! She always has the supplies she needs and uses all her free time to make bracelets. Her Friend, Poshlyn, recognized Amari's passion and encouraged her to explore it further. Amari decided she wanted to start selling her bracelets.

Together, Amari and Poshlyn started developing a business plan. Poshlyn found resources and broke the business plan down and each week at the beginning of their outings, Amari and Poshlyn discuss a different aspect of Amari’s business. They have talked about the name of Amari’s business, what types of bracelets she will sell, how much she will sell each bracelet for, how much her materials will cost, where she will sell her bracelets, who her clients are, and more. At the beginning of the process, Amari knew nothing about how to start a business, was quickly overwhelmed, and was not confident about her ideas.

But through these discussions and consistent encouragement from Poshlyn, Amari has gained a sense of independence and more ownership of and confidence in her work. She developed a logo for her business, and she started a TikTok Account to promote it. She decided she would start selling her bracelets at school and at a community center. While looking up how much the supplies cost, she learned she did not have enough money to buy more supplies. But she quickly problem solved and determined how many bracelets she could make with the materials she has and how much supplies she could buy if she sold all those bracelets.

Amari is determined, excited and has learned so much through this process. No matter the outcome of her first business, Amari is developing critical skills for her future. She is becoming more confident, independent, and a better problem solver all while nurturing her spark. This is the kind of skill building and growth only our long-term, individualized, and intentional program can provide. Poshlyn will continue to ensure Amari has everything she needs to pursue her dreams.