From side hustle to million-dollar success: how she juggled college and a business
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Balancing a busy college schedule is tough but running a successful business while in university can be even harder. Elena Bonvicini, the founder of the popular clothing brand EB Denim experienced this challenge while studying at the University of Southern California. By her junior year, EB Denim was making over $1 million in revenue and Bonvicini was already managing employees and interns. As her business grew, she started questioning whether she needed to continue her education. “I realized I was already doing what I wanted with my future and I was making real money,” she said. While managing school and her business, Bonvicini spent weekends buying jeans at flea markets, then reworking them into new designs. She set up shop in her sorority house and invited her sisters to shop. With her business thriving, she wondered if dropping out of school would help her focus more on growing EB Denim. “I probably told my mom a dozen times, ‘Please, mom, I don’t want to go back!’” Bonvicini said. “I was almost in tears having to study for finals.”
But her mom was firm, and Bonvicini never got the chance to drop out. Even though it was tough to manage everything, Bonvicini kept pushing forward, sometimes missing class for Fashion Week or other business events. She would always inform her professors ahead of time if she couldn’t make it. To make the most of her time at USC, Bonvicini focused on public relations and entrepreneurship, areas that were directly helpful for her business. Even though attending classes was sometimes hard, she saw the value in what she was learning. Looking back, Bonvicini is glad her mom didn't let her drop out. She believes her college experience helped her approach her business more professionally. “My classes made me think about everything more professionally, which really helped me in so many ways,” she said. Bonvicini's journey shows that with determination, the right education, and a strong business idea, success is possible.
