Aïssata Koné is a senior student who has a passion for creating jewelry. She runs a business, “GenZJewelz,” through which she sells her jewelry online and at various vendor events. She maintains a website and Instagram page for her business.

Growing up in a creative household, Koné was exposed to crafting and making things. Her inspiration to start her own business came from her mother’s own business, which centered around wellness products such as soap and candles. 

“I have a mom who makes and sells things and has a wellness business,” Koné said, “So she makes soap and all this cool stuff and sells them. We’re a really big crafting house and I just make a bunch of stuff. I then started making a lot of pieces of jewelry and I was like: why not sell jewelry?” 

Koné has flexibility with balancing her schoolwork and her business. She works on the weekends and in her free time where she starts making her orders. When she’s unable to work on her business, she is able to close her shop for a little while. 

Koné has a specific process she follows when selling and shipping her products. “So first, there will be a customer who buys something on my website. I look at it and then I automatically mark it as progress because I don’t want anyone to think I’m not working on their order… Once I finish, I’ll throw a business card in there. I then package it up and walk it over to the Swarthmore post office because I live right down the street. Then I ship it and then mark it as shipped on my app.”

Koné has expanded her business throughout the years. She recently started selling tote bags and cards she made from her cricut machine. As she gets further along in her business, she gains opportunities of meeting new people at vendors she sells at and learning how to make different things. 

Koné’s business is it allows her to express herself to others in a creative way. Many people not only get to see her creativity but also get to wear it. 

“My overall motive is probably just creative expression, because I don’t get a lot of time to creatively express myself on a day-to-day basis because I’m just worried about school and work and all that kind of stuff. So I don’t really get enough time to like, just chill out and listen to music and I find it kind of peaceful to sit there and bend wire.” 

Koné would like to continue her business when she’s older and in college because she enjoys making and selling things. Koné hopes to add more and learn more as she continues running her business.