Today we’d like to introduce you to Saanvika Gandhari.
Hi Saanvika, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In middle school, I’d always wanted to start a small business, especially after seeing ones flourish on social media. However, the goal became one that I constantly postponed, namely due to feelings of uncertainty and doubt over whether the idea would yield success.
That cycle of delaying continued until my sophomore year of high school, which is when AnE came to life – specifically during the week in which our school’s club applications were due. Everyone was scrambling to secure teacher sponsors, find the mandatory ten interested members, finalize their application responses, and work through all the other ordeals that came with creating a club promising enough to get approved and strong enough to sustain success.
It was the morning of the day before the application was due that I got the thought to finally create the small business I’d always wanted to, but in the form of a student club. I knew there would definitely be other business-related clubs trying to get approved, but how many of them would involve creating an actual business? In hindsight, if I’d have further contemplated, there are chances I would’ve dropped the idea. However, time was fleeting and I didn’t have the option to think past the initial burst of excitement, only to act. And so, I too joined in on the scramble – marketing the very preliminary idea as best as I could to all of my friends and each of my teachers, all the while still working out the details and concept of the club itself. Ultimately, my efforts coalesced, and amongst the one third of clubs that were accepted, Art ‘n’ Enterprise was one of them.
Since then, my fears of failing have only been disproven time and time again. Although everything from the scope of materials and skill to student participation and customer reception was uncertain, each concern ended up being one we would grow past, and abundantly at that. We went from selling solely polymer clay earrings to having an ever-expanding product line. We grew from making $126 at our first market and $24 at our second market to pulling in over $1,500 in gross revenue. And although we started with just a small pool of sophomores, we have had 40+ students pitch-in over the course of the year – whether it be as members, occasional crafters, or material suppliers.
Ultimately, while there have been some struggles and our starting point was an unconventional one, we’ve built strong and consistent growth in just the one year we’ve been operating, and are excited to see how much further we can take it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While it would have been wonderful if everything about Art ‘n’ Enterprise had gone smoothly, that unfortunately was not the case. As we began growing our organization, we faced several challenges, both because of the nature of the project itself and because we were, ultimately, a group of high school students learning as we went.
One of the biggest issues early on was financial strain. We started with no funds, and spending on vendor fees and supplies felt like a gamble. Another major challenge was managing the workload. Naturally, since all of our members were students, turnouts dipped during busy times of the school year. As a result, our leadership team often had to shoulder most of the work. Thus, maintaining momentum throughout the year was difficult.
Coordination was also a significant obstacle. We had dozens of members, all working on different products, with different materials, at different stages of progress. With such a large school, some members never even saw each other outside of our bi-weekly meetings, so we had to set up a chain-like system to transfer materials and products. For example, someone might be drawing designs for shrink plastic earrings but didn’t own a hole puncher, so we’d pass their work to someone who did. Then those earrings would move to a member who could bake them, and then to someone else who could attach the earring components and package them. The same went for markets – availability varied, and we’d have to coordinate who could bring tables and chairs for morning shifts and who could take over in the afternoon. It required constant organization and a lot of careful planning.
However, as we’ve entered our second year of operation, many of those struggles have become easier to manage. Our profits have exceeded what we initially imagined we could reach, giving us the financial stability we lacked in the beginning. Our experience, and growing membership, means we can now produce inventory more efficiently.
Overall, Art ‘n’ Enterprise has taught us that progress requires persistence, and that persistence culminates in results that reflect your efforts – even when the work is demanding.
As you know, we’re big fans of Art ‘n’ Enterprise. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Art ‘n’ Enterprise is a student organization where every product is handmade by our members. Our inventory includes necklaces, rings, bracelets, keychains, charms, painted canvas magnets, earrings, crochet pieces, origami works, pipe cleaner flowers, and more to come – with each item representing a student who learned a skill, experimented, and eventually figured out their process for creation.
What makes us unique from other clubs is that we operate like a real small business. As students, we navigate having limited time, resources, and experience in the world of business. However, we’ve learned how to budget for supplies, track inventory, prepare for markets, and make decisions that directly affect our future. The profits we earn from markets are donated to various organizations around DFW, allowing us to make a tangible community impact.
Additionally, as a team, we all work on different parts of the process so everyone can respectively contribute their different strengths. Most items pass through multiple people before being completed, making AnE truly feel like a team effort rather than a collection of individual creators.
We want readers to know that supporting us is really supporting students who are trying to better their community through utilizing their passion and creativity. We are learning, improving, and adjusting our skills and products as we progress. We are proud of where we have gotten but also excited to see where this journey will take us as we continue to build our business and community impact.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What we appreciate most about our city is its strong sense of community. The kindness and openness we’ve experienced from people at markets, both customers and other vendors, is what has made our growth possible. We have found that people are often very willing to engage, share ideas, and support our work. That local support, paired with the wide range of free events and markets, really allows creativity to thrive. As a small student-led business, we have personally benefited a ton from the abundance of local opportunities and community-based events. We are grateful for the fact that we’re able to have consistent markets that we can attend to sell our products and engage our community.
That said, there are still challenges. The Dallas weather can be unpredictable, making outdoor markets difficult to manage – especially during extreme heat or cold. A specific market stands out – one from last December in which the air was so cold that we couldn’t move our fingers and took turns rotating a single glove that one of our members brought. We have also had markets where the heat had us sweating bullets, and strong winds that necessitated taping our products down to the table.
While there may be obstacles, the sense of community, abundance of opportunities, and willingness of people to support each other are really what make this city special to us and our business.
Pricing:
- Knitted children’s hats: $8
- Hand-sewn felt plushies – $5-7
- Hand-painted canvas magnets: $7
- Hair bows: $6
- Earrings (shrink, wire, clay): $5
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ko-fi.com/artnenterprise
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ane.chs/
