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Don't Lose Hope


MGS businesses are thriving this week. Hope Smiley, from Pershing City, is the genius, businesswoman making the crocheted animals you may have seen on lanyards of many MGS delegates. Hope has sold out of all her crochet animals from the amazing support of the other girls. Hope has always enjoyed crafts and explains, “It doesn’t feel like a job to me…I just love doing it.” She elaborates on how the idea to sell these crafts came to fruition and it was actually at an MGS orientation: “Whenever I went to the orientation for Girls State, [the instructor] was like, ‘yeah there's a couple of things you can do’ and she mentioned a business. Then me and my mom both looked at each other and we were like ‘oh my god’ and it was like a moment. We were just like, ‘this would be such a good business idea’ so I started prepping right after that orientation and had a little over a month to prep.”

Hope has invested herself into this business heavily and has used strategies she thinks helped create her success throughout the week. You may have visited her Instagram account (@hopes_crochet_pals), she describes, “It's a way for me to get organized.” Hope also mentions: “It's really nice that everyone wears them on their lanyards and people talk and mention ‘she’s from Pershing city’. My best strategy would probably just be getting them out there right at the beginning when I got my license, so word of mouth could spread in time.”

Hope knew running a business was a better fit for her rather than running for a big position like governor, but also explains that she did experience self-doubt as a business owner. For instance, Hope didn't expect this kind of amazing response at all and you might be surprised to hear that she thought people would think her products “were kinda weird.” Other business owners should take note. Hope is an inspiration because even though she did experience self-doubt, she still brought her business to MGS and as a result, her products are the talk of the state!

Surely, MGS delegates would love to support Hope beyond MGS too. When asked about her future plans for her business, she was still unsure of the next step, but the “overwhelming support” is encouraging her to continue her craft. She and a fellow Pershing citizen, Lauren Rosenbaum, are already discussing creating a website or Etsy shop. Hope does mention having “a lot of responsibilities at home” that make it difficult to manage her time, but she does love her craft and MGS delegates should still follow her to see if there are any further updates!

If you experience doubts about your passion or business, take Hope as an example. There is plenty of support in your community and it’s important to go forward with your plans. There can be some amazing success!

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