Youth Entrepreneurship as a Form of Advocacy
An Interview with Caroline Shimeall
About Caroline: Caroline Shimeall is a senior Urban Studies Major with a concentration in Psychology. Her passion for creating beautiful spaces led her to start Caroslilshop, a business aimed at spreading beauty to her community. With a background in urban studies, Caroline understands how the spaces we inhabit can impact our lives. She sources second-hand items from various places, including her hometown thrift stores and online platforms like eBay and Vinted, with a focus on sustainability and community-based exchanges. All items are priced on a sliding scale to ensure accessibility. Caroline is also dedicated to giving back to her community by spending a significant portion of her profits on the Housing Equity Project (HEP), a Columbia student organization focused on combating the effects of the housing crisis in her community, where she serves as Inventory Coordinator.
Q: What are some examples of successful initiatives that you and your business have been involved in that have impacted your community?
A: One recent Initiative I was involved in with my lil shop was the 116th initiative mutual aid art fair! At this event, vendors sold their items and donated a portion of the profits to the 116th Initiative, a mutual aid group supporting students. I loved participating in this event and had a great time with all the other artists supporting our local community.
Also, not just at this event, but part of the profits I get from my shop, always goes back into the community through my work with Housing Equity Project. Specifically, I buy clothing items online secondhand on platforms like Poshmark to distribute to the community.
Q: As an entrepreneur, in your opinion, what are some of the essential qualities or skills that we need to possess to be successful and positively impact our community?
A: One of the most important qualities an entrepreneur can have if they want to impact their community positively is centering that impact in everything they do. For example, even if it would be cheaper to buy from or source inventory from a particular source, you shouldn't do it if it’s less sustainable or ethical to buy from that place.
In terms of being successful, I think that’s the most important thing, at least from my perspective, and that, like I only do local buying, is to give people a good experience when they’re buying from you and to make sure that it’s personal to them.
Q: What is your opinion about youth entrepreneurship's potential role in addressing broader societal issues, such as unemployment and economic inequality?
A: Youth entrepreneurship could play a huge role in addressing these more significant societal issues. Given that a lot of companies and organizations are owned by one class of people and specifically older people, for us to improve lives, we kind of need to start on the ground, and that is what comes with doing your own business that comes with beginning stuff on your own, rather than trying to work your way up, a corporate ladder where you are catering to someone else.
Also, I think entrepreneurship is directly contrary to unemployment because it’s like if there are no job opportunities, you make one, you find a gap in the market, and you go. With advances in technology, social media, and overall communication, I think we have not entirely but almost leveled the playing field in starting something new and getting that out to people. So I’m grateful to be living in such a time.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for ways to encourage and support young entrepreneurs, in your opinion?
A: Some suggestions I have are potentially to have grant funds in schools or in just, you know, institutions that children usually are in that entrepreneurs or students with their little businesses can apply for or can take a vantage of because I think that a lot of the trouble in terms of starting something new is kind of the cost of getting off the ground and if we want to encourage more entrepreneurs, we need to meet them where they’re at make sure that they can cover the initial costs.
Q: Regarding advocacy and community impact initiatives, what are some of the most significant barriers young people face, and how can we overcome these obstacles?
A: Regarding advocacy and community impact, I think one of the most significant issues that young people face is the oversaturation of information and our problems. I believe that with access to information that so many awful things are going on, it feels tough to know where to focus your attention, and what I say to that is to choose something you’re passionate about. You can make a real impact and put your energy towards that because you can’t save the world as one person, but you can change people’s lives if you apply yourself in a particular area.
Q: Regarding your advocacy work and small business, what would you like to accomplish in the future?
A: In my next steps after graduating college, I want to continue centering impact in my work, and I feel like I will be able to do that, but I also don’t want to leave behind my creative endeavors. My shop and the collecting such beautiful things or even just art, and I don’t want to leave those creative parts behind. So I guess what I hope to accomplish is finding a way to incorporate kind of art beauty secondhand sustainability and impact all into my life in a way that works.
We thank Caroline for sharing her story and advocacy with us. Be sure to check out her shop @caroslilshop on Instagram.
