In 2007 the release of Apple’s first iPhone model drew mile long lines of eager individuals waiting to make an investment. Little did the world know that these small devices would rapidly evolve and hold such an importance in our lives today. Not only are we able to call anyone at any time, but essentially we have the luxury of carrying pocket sized computers with every app imaginable.

In the sixth grade I was privileged enough to own my very own iPhone. Compared to my previous flip-phone I was astonished that downloading games was as easy as clicking a button. My phone gave me the ability to have access to knowledge to help me succeed in school and sports at the time. Fast forward to my sophomore year of high school and this little piece of technology guided me to achieving many of my goals.

With my phone, I started two businesses and made them grow in ways I would not have had the time for otherwise. My life-long family friend and I competed for our local Crossfit gym and most days we spent five or six hours training. Our diets required proper nutrition for proper recovery in order to perform at our highest potential. To our dismay, there wasn’t anything that suited our needs and was sold either by the gym, or in close proximity. We began baking foods that all the athletes enjoyed and sold them in the facility. Through social media our phones helped us market to not only our gym, but other gyms as well as to the hosts of our competitions. Apps aided us in creating labeling, as well as designing our packaging. All of our contacts and customers would reach us by email, call, or text. We kept all of our finances on documents that could be updated in a flash. Even our banking information was readily accessible at the touch of a button. It made the running of our business much smoother so we could focus on our workouts versus having to do everything on pen and paper.

The rapid success in our small business due to modern technology was unexpected. The company eventually produced far too much demand for our busy student athlete schedules. I decided to transition to something that would still help me make money, but be far less demanding of my time. I started selling all of my old clothes through convenient apps I could download. I wear some things only once, and saw no point in having them take up extra space. I was surprised to find people willing to pay a steep price for merchandise that is simply sold out in a certain size or a style that was a season past. With my phone I took a picture of my clothes, uploaded it to the app or website, let sellers purchase the item, printed out a shipping label, and got money transferred into my bank account. 

The iPhone found ways for me to make money without having to dedicate my entire day to the creation of small business success. I am beyond thankful to live in a world where technology is constantly evolving, as it allows everybody the luxury of more time to do the things we love most.