One Prosperous Entrepreneur

CollegePlus! Student Succeeds in Her Own Business.

by Melody Dornink

Vander Hamm Becoming an entrepreneur is what many people dream about, but never have the opportunity to actually live out. It takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and creativity. One CollegePlus! student has found her niche in the entrepreneurial world, and believes that she is following God’s will by doing so.

Abigail Vander Hamm owns and operates her own photography business. She started three years ago, after taking several workshops from a Christian-based photography school, the Institute of Photographic Studies.

Work Your Passion In Life

Vander Hamm said photography has always been a passion, “I started as an 8-year-old with a little blue plastic camera,” and her interest in the field has only increased with years. “I feel that God has given me a love for people and art, so photography is the perfect mix.”

"When I was 18, I was confronted with the ‘what am I going to do with my life?’ question and I really just had to look back at my track record with God,” she said. “I just tried to piece together the talents that He has given me and the desires of my heart and realize that He had been preparing me for this plan my whole life.”

Where to Begin

Vander Hamm launched her business by doing work for friends first, and “giving substantial discounts so that people would not mind trusting an 18-year-old photographer,” she said.

“Once my reputation had been established, and I had gained more experience, I found that word-of-mouth recommendations, blogging, and using networking sites like Facebook and Xanga were my main sources of business.”

How to Keep Your Business Growing

Owning a business is “a lot of work—you have to be responsible and keep yourself on track,” Vander Hamm said. But it also has numerous advantages, in her opinion. “I can still live life. I’m not tied down. I can travel, I can spend time with my family, I can engage in ministry opportunities – it’s extremely flexible.”

Vander Hamm is working toward her BA in Humanities through CollegePlus! and started the program in May 2008. She plans to graduate the end of April 2009, completing four years of college in just one year.

Despite all the college studies she has had to do, Vander Hamm still had time this last year to photograph 10 weddings, travel all over the United States and even to Europe—twice—teach multiple week-long workshops for the Institute of Photographic Studies, and spend time with her family. All this, and she will still need to spend more time studying each week than the average college student in the US these days. To finish in the time frame she's set, Vander Hamm will have to put in around four hours of study each day.

Thinking About the Future

“I plan on sticking with wedding photography for as long as I can,” said Vander Hamm. “I see marriage and children on the horizon, but one thing about this owning my own business thing that I absolutely love is the fact that I’ll be able to work a couple of days a month–and a few evenings–and still be able to stay at home with my kids.”

Vander Hamm’s advice to other potential entrepreneurs is, “Be willing to work for less than you’d like until you’ve established credibility,” she said. “Try to live out those ‘good ol’ fruits of the Spirit’–patience, self-control, peace–and work hard! Be excellent in all that you do.”

you can Melody is a CollegePlus! English major and lives with her family in Minnesota. She works at a law office and writes for a local newspaper.

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One Prosperous Entrepreneur

CollegePlus! Student Succeeds in Her Own Business.

Don't Stop Here!

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