Student-owned business ‘Something Smol’ aims to make big difference, spread happiness

One question dominoed into a small business for one Grand Island Senior High student.

Two years ago, Esther Silva was spending time with her grandparents, when she noticed her grandma doing something with yarn.

“What are you doing?” Esther asked her grandma.

She was crocheting – something Esther didn’t know anything about at the time. 

“My grandma, she taught me how to crochet and I ended up just loving it,” Esther explained.

Fast forward to May 2024, when Esther launched her business ‘Something Smol’ where she sells small crochet plushies and keychains. The business was created as part of her Entrepreneurship Pathway class, as she is a Senior student in the Academy of Business and Communication at GISH.

Mr. Adam Zlomke, the GISH entrepreneurship pathway teacher, has one rule of thumb for students when they’re creating a new business. Esther built her business plan as part of her class.

“You always have to have a problem,” Esther said of Zlomke’s rule. “Once you have your problem, you find your solution, find who you need to sell to and then you price stuff. But it all starts with a problem.”

“Esther has been in my pathway since she was a Sophomore.” Zlomke said. “She started a business with a group of students last year that was focusing on desserts for those with dietary restrictions. Through that process, she started a small business on the side with what she was learning in class. At the end of the year she presented it to me and showed me the items she was making.”

Esther said in her class presentation she addressed issues that she felt her crochet plushies could help address – the lack of joy in the world.

“The biggest reason I wanted to do this is to make people smile,” Esther said.

Through many connections and with Mr. Zlomke’s help, Esther built partnerships with other local small businesses where she sells her products. Her products are available at Pham’s Coffee and Boba shop, and at Rooted Books and Gifts. She was also a featured business with GROW Nebraska at their shop at this year’s Nebraska State Fair.

The support, from businesses and from customers, has been overwhelming.

“I really just thought it'd be something I do just for friends and family to make some money throughout school. It turned out that people really want my stuff…it just seems unreal,” Esther said.

Zlomke said it has been great seeing Esther’s business flourish.

“I love that I get to learn with the kids when they are trying to create something,” Zlomke said.

“My end goal is that every kid has the tools to start something from scratch by the time they leave high school,” he said. “It is just an added bonus when I see them start to take off before they leave.” 

Since Esther started out making sea animals, she decided to donate 10% of purchase profits to the Marine Conservation Institute. 

“That’s another part of wanting to make a difference, even just a small one,” Esther explained.

The joy she gets from seeing her products being enjoyed by others may never go away.

”I was walking downtown one day with my boyfriend and I looked at this girl’s bag, and she had a little bee on it. I was like “oh my gosh, that’s mine!” Esther exclaimed.

“It's amazing, because the biggest reason I wanted to do this is to make people smile,” Esther said. “I get a lot of joy from the small things, which is why I called it ‘Something Smol’. To see people just be happy from little keychains and stuff, is really cool.”

Zlomke said his students are always out trying to sell their ideas. He encouraged people to ask his students about their business if they’re at a school or public event. 

“They get so excited to share what they've built and it is fun to see their passion behind it,” Zlomke said.

For the future of Something Smol, Esther hopes it grows into something bigger. She hopes to expand her product offerings, as “something small” could mean anything. 

Esther said it’s not impossible for others to start and grow their own business, just like she did.

“It is very hard,” Esther said. “But if somebody wants to make a business, it's not out of reach. If you are really dedicated and you really believe in what you’re doing, then you can do anything.”

Esther hopes to continue living these words, just like her business motto says: “Make something smol mean something big.”

Find and follow Something Smol on Instagram @something_smol4u.