How I Went From A Struggling Student to a Small Business Owner Overnight

I’ve always known I was going to be a business owner… just not like this.

I always imagined it happening in a very put-together way—like I’d graduate, have a plan, build something from the ground up, and step into it when I was “ready.”

But that’s not how it happened at all.

There was a time not too long ago where I felt like I was barely holding everything together. I was in my senior year of college, trying to stay on top of assignments, deadlines, and expectations, while also going through one of the hardest periods of my life. On the outside, it probably looked like I was managing—but internally, I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and constantly trying to catch up.

At the same time, my family’s business—Sweets-N-Treats, a small candy shop in San Juan Bautista, California—was struggling in a way that felt just as heavy. My mom started Sweets-N-Treats back in 2023 as a local candy shop. It was something simple and fun for the community, especially for after-school kids to come in, get candy, and hang out.

I’ve been part of it since the beginning—but not fully in it.

At the time, I was living in Los Angeles, helping remotely as the marketing and branding director. I was the one working on visuals, ideas, and social media—kind of the creative behind the scenes. Back then, it felt like something we were building slowly. Something that had potential, but wasn’t fully there yet. When I moved back home from Los Angeles, I jumped straight into the business and took on the role of general manager—handling day-to-day operations, opening and closing the shop, and trying to create more structure.

But even then, something wasn’t clicking.

The environment, the energy, the overall vibe of the shop—it just didn’t feel fully aligned. It wasn’t reaching its full potential, and I could feel that something needed to change… I just didn’t know exactly what yet. At the same time, my mom began expanding into catering. We started doing candy and dessert tables for parties and events, and it actually did really well. But as catering grew, it started pulling attention away from the storefront.

The shop became inconsistent. Some days we were open, some days we weren’t. And in a small town, consistency is everything.

Over time, that inconsistency started to affect us financially. What once felt like a growing business slowly became unstable. We started losing customers, losing momentum… and eventually, struggling to pay bills. It got to the point where keeping the lights on became a real concern.

Not metaphorically—literally.

And at the same time, my personal life took another hit. I was working as a waitress at a well-known country club, relying on that income—and unexpectedly, I lost that job. I remember sitting there thinking… okay, what now?

No job. Struggling in school. Family business barely holding on.

Everything felt like it was happening at once. But looking back, that moment forced a decision that changed everything. Instead of finding another job, I decided to go all in on Sweets-N-Treats.

After years of talking about ideas, plans, and what the business could be, I finally stepped into it fully. In December 2025, I took over as the new owner. And from that moment on, everything shifted. All the ideas we had talked about but never executed—we started making them happen.

We renovated the store. We reimagined the space. We expanded the menu beyond just candy—we added food, drinks, and new experiences. We made hard decisions about what wasn’t working, and I took a risk that honestly felt terrifying at the time.

I chose to take over a failing business and try to turn it into something better.

But here’s the part people don’t always see:

When I stepped in, we weren’t just starting fresh. We were starting from almost zero. Back in 2023, we had strong community support. There was excitement, there was energy. But after being closed for most of 2025, that was gone.

We lost customers. We lost visibility. We lost trust.

So when I took over, I wasn’t just building—I was rebuilding.

The first quarter of this year became all about laying a new foundation. We focused on renovations, rebuilding the menu, and creating a clear marketing strategy. Everything became intentional. Everything had purpose. We weren’t just trying to survive anymore—we were trying to come back stronger.

And then life happened again.

In February, we received devastating news that a loved one had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Within weeks, we lost them. That moment changed everything. Emotionally, mentally, physically—it took a toll on every part of our lives.

And as much as we wanted to keep pushing forward, we couldn’t.

We closed the shop for three weeks. Having to explain that to our customers publicly was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Being vulnerable in that way, while still trying to hold a business together, wasn’t easy.

And what made it even harder was the timing. We had one of our biggest weekends of the year coming up—San Juan Bautista’s annual arts and crafts fair.

If you know, you know—this isn’t a small event.

Between 5,000 to 15,000 people come through, and it’s one of the biggest opportunities for local businesses. And we had five days to prepare. Five days after laying our loved one to rest.

I remember thinking… there’s no way. We weren’t ready. We were exhausted. We were grieving. But we showed up anyway. We pushed through everything and we made it happen.

And not only did we show up…

We succeeded.

That weekend, we made more money than we had in a long time. And honestly, thank God we did because that weekend became the foundation for everything we’re building now. That revenue is now funding our next phase—our second quarter plans from April through June.

And this is just the beginning.

I’m still a student.

Still figuring things out. Still learning in real time what it means to run a business.

But if there’s one thing this experience has taught me, it’s this:

You don’t become ready before you step into something.

You become ready because you had no choice but to rise to it.

I didn’t expect to become a business owner like this. But I stepped into it anyway. And I’m still stepping into it—every single day.

If you made it this far, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

And if you have any advice for a college student navigating business ownership at the same time…

I’m all ears.