A new wave of entrepreneurs has taken the Jamaican business market by storm.

No longer waiting expectantly for jobs to come their way, the millennials of today are starting a new tradition and creating employment for themselves.

It is no secret that running a business can come with its own fair share of challenges; add to that being a student, starting medical school online, in the middle of a pandemic and you’re left with what sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Despite the many challenges that have been thrown her way, however, 20-year-old, Sandrene McKenzie, University of the West Indies, Mona student and owner of the customisable gift-giving company San’script has risen above it all and found success.

Having only started her business in March of 2021 and already “receiving the blessings” of her superior customer service and unmatched professionalism, Sandrene in a follow-up interview with Our Today, shared her top tips for running a business while still being in school.

Our Today: You are running a business while going to school full-time. How are you able to manage the two?

Sandrene: “Honestly, it has its challenges at times but support from family and friends, who are always there to provide that sense of encouragement, as well as you might be stressed and then you package an order and the customer receives it and they give you that positive feedback, which serves as a motivation that you are doing something right.

“Other than that, for me it comes down to systems. I am always one that relies on systems, I am very keen on time management, so I generally plan my days and, while it may not always go as planned, as much as is possible I try to stick to a particular schedule.”

“I also have different accountability measures set in place. For example, I have different reminders both in my phone or I’ll ask a friend to hold me accountable to something and say okay make sure that 8’0 clock you call me to ensure that I am studying or at 8’0 clock I am doing this order.”

“Additionally I will ask for help whenever I may be feeling overwhelmed. I remember my first time printing on T-shirts we had a large order, our biggest order yet and I left Kingston and travelled to St. Ann so I could get the help I needed. So asking for help really does make a difference.”

Our Today: Do you ever feel that you give more of your time and energy to your business rather than school or vice versa?

Sandrene: “Well due to the fact that I am a lover of YouTube, I can easily lose track of time when I am watching craft related videos and that is where the importance of accountability comes into place. For example, earlier this week my mom said to me remember you have school work to do.

“So for me, because I have a love for both sometimes once I start with one I may end up finding myself leaning more towards that one, so again I have found that having persons around me to keep me accountable has helped me to maintain a balance between the two.”

Sandrene is a small business owner who offers vinyl printing and embroidery services to customisable gift-giving lovers. To learn more about Sandrene and the launch of her business, San’script, click here.