Iowa State empowered Skylar Bundridge to turn a hobby designing stickers and T-shirts into a full-fledged business — and turned her into a full-fledged entrepreneur.
Skylar Bundridge realized the impact her business was having when she started seeing students she didn’t know around campus sporting her stickers on their laptops and water bottles.
The Iowa State 2022 graduate first started designing stickers and T-shirts in high school. Her products elevate inspirational messages and imagery meant to empower others. This evolved from a hobby, mostly selling directly to friends and family, to a legitimate small business, using online stores like Etsy to make her unique products available to a wider market.
“Having support from friends means so much, but from strangers it means even more,” Skylar says. “I feel like I am seeing the full start-to-finish of my products.”
From showcase to retail case
With entrepreneurial experience already under her belt, Skylar came to Iowa State to study event management. She participated in the Ignite Innovation Showcase, a week-long event where student entrepreneurs present their ideas. The showcase is part of Iowa State’s “Start Something” network, aimed at helping students to pursue entrepreneurship and innovation.
The opportunity led to Skylar formally launching Sky Ivy Designs through Innovate 1858, the student-operated retail store in the Student Innovation Center that provides a brick-and-mortar venue for entrepreneurs like Skylar to sell directly to other students and campus visitors.
“I was excited to have a place where I could actually see my products on a shelf,” Skylar says.
“Sky” is the limit
Skylar hand-draws her designs, striving to be unique, but also modern and simple. Some designs depicting aspects of campus lore, such as the beloved white squirrels or the Memorial Union’s bronze Zodiac relief, are exclusive to Innovate 1858.
—Skylar Bundridge
Upon completing her degree in December 2022, Skylar started working as a product development specialist for ETHOS Event Collective. She continues to operate Sky Ivy Designs on the side, often bringing the lessons she’s learned as an entrepreneur to her day job.
“I feel like I’m just having fun and being creative. I don’t feel like I’m working,” Skylar says. “I truly enjoy every bit of what I do, and I think that is what makes the biggest difference.”
