“Happy Birthday!” is printed as a pink paint-soaked brush glides across a tan colored paper. From birthdays to business parties, junior Mia Veneracion paints it all.
Veneracion’s passion for painting started in the Associated Student Body (ASB) class where she began by creating posters for various school events like pep rallies and football games. She realized that her hobby could be a business opportunity when she came across TikTok accounts owned by people advertising their banner making businesses. Her hobby evolved into her own banner business, Painted With Mia Love, featuring custom designs that are hand painted by Veneracion.
“I’ve always been into lettering, so I felt like that [skill] was something I could use to make some extra money and also help my friends and family who need a banner for any occasion,” Veneracion said.
Veneration’s parents play a role in her business by assisting her with any tasks that she can not do on her own and also expanding her customer base.
“My parents have helped me a lot,” Veneration said. “They help me cut paper [and] put it up on the wall, because I don’t know how to do that myself. They [also] help me drop [the banners] off sometimes and they receive requests for orders through their friends.”
Along with her business and ASB, Veneracion is also involved in other extracurriculars such as volleyball. She is able to handle her responsibilities using tactics like carefully scheduling the tasks that she needs to complete.
“Mia is really creative and she also made sure [my banner] was done on time, so she has good time management skills,”sophomore Caroline Lin said.
To place an order for a banner, customers fill out a Google Form located on her Instagram page, @paintedwithmialove, and give a description of what they would like their banner to look like. Veneracion then designs a digital draft and sends it back to the customer before she begins painting the banner.
“It’s very easy to order a banner from Mia,”sophomore Madison Joun said. “You’re able to work with her so that [your banner] is very personal and customizable.”
Managing Painted With Mia Love not only teaches Veneracion important parts of running a business, it also teaches her valuable moral lessons.
“[My business] has taught me to believe in myself and have confidence in my abilities and skills. I [want to] give back to the people who I care about and who have purchased from me,” Veneracion said.
