Ballet Student Jessica Wang Makes Tiaras Her Business

August 21, 2026 - 03:11

For most ballet students, the focus is on perfecting a pirouette or landing a role in the spring showcase. For Jessica Wang, the real challenge came offstage: building a small business that makes the sparkly crowns worn by young dancers in recitals and competitions.

Wang, who is still training as a serious ballet student, started making tiaras as a hobby during her spare time between classes and rehearsals. What began as a way to personalize her own costume accessories quickly turned into a steady side hustle. She now crafts custom tiaras for other students, often matching the stones and metal finish to specific costumes or performance themes.

The business is not just about selling a product. Wang says she learned to manage her time carefully, balancing long hours at the barre with sourcing materials, responding to customer messages, and packaging orders. She also discovered that her dance background gives her an edge. She knows exactly how a tiara should sit on a bun, how much weight is comfortable for a long performance, and which designs stay secure during fast turns and jumps.

Her advice to other young artists with an entrepreneurial streak is simple: start small and be patient. She admits that her first few tiaras were far from perfect, but each order taught her something new about design and customer service. Now, she has a small but loyal clientele, and she hopes to expand her offerings to include other hair accessories and stage jewelry in the future.

For now, Wang remains committed to her own dance training, but she sees no reason to choose between the two passions. The discipline she learned in the studio, she says, is exactly what helps her run a growing business.