Pandemic Start ups: Experiences of Grade 10 to 12 Students of St. Stephen’s High School in Starting Small Businesses During the COVID 19 Pandemic

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused challenges that affected people’s lifestyle, including those related to business operations. However, with it emerged numerous small businesses run by student entrepreneurs. This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of student entrepreneurs in opening up their own small businesses during the pandemic, specifically tackling their experienced advantages and disadvantages, their inspirations, management styles, and insights on legal procedures. The six participating grades 10 to 12 student entrepreneurs from St. Stephen’s High School who opened up their own small business during the pandemic were interviewed via Zoom. Three master themes labeled “Situationer: Small Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic”, “Inspirations: Motives for Opening a Small Business”, and “New Normal: Management Adaptations During the COVID-19 Pandemic” emerged from the data coded. Referencing the Theory of Entrepreneurial Opportunity, the results suggest that despite the challenges and difficulties brought by the pandemic, it is still possible for business owners to adapt and operate under the new normal and for the future to come. It is ideal for future researchers to expand the study by employing other research designs to accommodate a larger sample size, so they can invite more student entrepreneurs from different schools and year levels. They can also include business professionals and make comparisons between the experiences of novices and experts in the field