Student-Made Spotlight: Lily Ogrodowski

Students have the advantage.

Student loan debt, housing costs, car payments, and potential dependents all pile up on young adults after graduation. These responsibilities can form stifling environments for alumni pursuing new and risky ventures.

Many students are free of bills and financial burdens, which supports the common college motif of exploring interests and career possibilities.

Student-Made is partnering with OWU to give artists and creatives the opportunity to own their own business in this valuable time to take risks. Student-Made also simplifies entrepreneurship by covering mundane start-up tasks and costs such as sales tax, website building, shipping, and sales reports.

Lily Ogrodowski, a sophomore studying Environmental Science, owns Lilypad Crafts, where she sells an array of products from cup cozies to beaded flower earrings.

“The products I make bring me joy, and I hope they can do the same for my customers.”

Ogrodowski is one of the creators who is starting their entrepreneurial journey with Student-Made. What once was a hobby is now a business.

“I have a very experimental crafting style, so a lot of my products arise from new hobbies I pick up. I also frequently get inspired by the materials I’m able to source secondhand. The products I make are a manifestation of my joy of crafting.”

Student-Made provided Ogrodowski with the support to become an entrepreneur.

“Becoming an entrepreneur has helped me develop skills that go far beyond the scope of my business’s success. So much of owning a small business is trial and error, but it helps me become more adaptable and creative in my everyday life.”

“Without Student-Made, I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to start my business!”

“Not only does Student-Made help me organize my business finances, but it provides me a platform and an entire community of fellow creators and entrepreneurs with whom I can collaborate and find inspiration. “

Ogrodowski looks forward to sharing her creative talents with the OWU community and beyond.

“It has already been so fun to collaborate with the Student-Made OWU team, and seeing my fellow business owners and customers get excited about the products that I am passionate about makes me so happy that I joined Student-Made.”