Where Are They Now: How an Envision Alumna Launched Her Own Business in High School

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m Savannah Slinkard and I’m a senior from Farmington, Ark., a small town in the northwest corner of the state. I’m very interested in entrepreneurship, but I look forward to learning more about all sectors of business, from supply chain to marketing to retail. My dream is to start my own clothing line and travel the world writing about my adventures.

Tell us about your business:

PigPin is a company that designs, manufactures and sells unique lapel pins and stickers specifically created with the younger generation in mind. PigPin started as a monthly subscription box, but after receiving input from customers we decided to focus on e-commerce and retail. Starting a business at only 16 years of age was very challenging, but I leaned heavily on my dad for advice as he is an entrepreneur himself. He has given me tremendous feedback and I have found it’s key to have a mentor to help you along the way. My mentor just happens to be my dad.

How did your experience at NYLF Business Innovation help you?

NYLF Business Innovation taught me the importance of teamwork. I have always had a tendency to do things by myself rather than ask for assistance or delegating work to others. My hesitation was trusting others to meet my high level standards. I realized after NYLF that this was a weakness of mine that I needed to work on. The amazing group of students I met at NYLF helped me realize it is critical to surround yourself with key individuals and form a team based on trust in order to grow your idea into a successful business.

What was your favorite part of NYLF Business Innovation?

My favorite part of NYLF Business Innovation was the connections I made with so many like-minded entrepreneurs. For several days we collaborated and shared ideas, while gaining knowledge about the business world. The business camp could not have been better -- from the speakers to the networking to the projects. NYLF truly showed me what the business world is like and how stressful starting a company is. I really enjoyed crowdsourcing our ideas because it pushed myself and the other attendees out of our comfort zones, especially teaching us how to handle both positive and negative feedback. The week was perfectly balanced with a combination of hard work, fun with new friends, and learning all about the business world.

What speaker inspired you the most?

Personally, PeiPei Zhou inspired me the most. Her story and all she has accomplished really motivated me. After listening to all she has been through and learned I came away inspired to go after my dreams. It really hit me when she was speaking that I can accomplish anything if I never give up.

What advice do you have for another scholar who wants to start their own business?

Don’t give up. It can be tempting to throw in the towel when something doesn’t go as planned, but you have to work through it and you will learn through the challenges. Find something you are passionate about and have fun along the way; that will make it so much easier when you encounter potholes on your road to success. The biggest struggle for me has been finding a happy medium between work and play. I was only 16 years old when we launched PigPin and there were times it became very overwhelming and stressful to balance work and play. Simply tell yourself starting a business is going to be hard and you’ll have good days and bad days, successes and failures. But if you stick with it and adapt along the way, your hard work will pay off. And most importantly, be proud of yourself.

What are your next steps, both for you and your business?

We have made the strategic decision to take PigPin to retail instead of strictly focusing on e-commerce. Currently, we have our products in a number of local gift stores and are adding more pins to our website every week available for online sale. Another exciting thing we have planned is taking PigPin to Dallas Market Center in January in order to show retailers from across the country what PigPin has to offer. As for me, I plan on attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville next year where I plan on continuing my dream of being an entrepreneur in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

 

 We were so pleased to have Savannah at NYLF Business Innovation and to learn more about her challenges and successes in the business world. She has a great career journey ahead for her! Oh, and don't forget to follow Pigpin on Instagram!