A Blogger with a Bigger Plan: Grad Student Turns a Hobby Into a Thriving Business

New Jersey Native, Laryssa Wirstiuk discovered her love for the written word during her teen years.  Growing up the daughter of an accountant and a real estate broker, in a home where Ukrainian was the primary language, she was set to pave a way all her own.  Armed with her love for writing, Wirstiuk attended Loyola College in Maryland where she graduated cum laude in 2007.  Having a Bachelor of Arts in writing and a minor in Spanish under her belt, she dabbled in many of styles of writing before quickly finding a niche.

A poetry enthusiast with an Internet obsession, Wirstiuk started her website TooShyToStop in May of 2008 upon the suggestion of her at-the-time boyfriend.  The name was inspired by a line from “In the Waiting room,” a poem by Emily Bishop.  It originated as a personal blog and she joyfully reminisced about her first entries on Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin Donuts and the Vietnamese restaurant where she celebrated her 23rd Birthday.  After a summer internship in North Jersey that turned Manhattan into her playground, Wirstiuk had a revelation.  Much of her writing was drawn from experiences in the city and wondered once returning to school if there were others out there wishing to make their voices heard.  She placed an ad on trusty Craig’s List … and the transformation from a one-person blog to an online arts and culture magazine began.  “TSTS grew from there, almost independently of me.  Sometimes I feel like this project is calling me to work for it,” she explained.

Now backed by an arsenal of weekly contributing writers that provide sundry and thought-provoking articles, Wirstiuk is the chief editor of TSTS.  She splits her time between the site and responsibilities as a full-time student at the University of Maryland where she is working towards a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.  The ability to provide an outlet of self expression for others like herself is one of her favorite aspects about TSTS and ensures content is of the highest caliber.  Single-handedly keeping all her writers on task has proven to be a primary challenge and Wirstiuk is aware of the possibility that catastrophe can happen; a concept she uses to her advantage, “I kind of like the possibility of what my brother and I like to call ‘epic fail’ because the risk keeps me motivated to work hard and stay focused.”

The varied experiences of her entrepreneurial evolution have taught her to be assertive and remain positive, “I can’t stand negative people!  I am really stubborn, and when I have an idea that I want to actualize, I do everything in my power to make it happen.  A ‘no’ is just a roadblock.”  It is this ambitious attitude that continues driving TSTS to thrive and flourish and as 2009 kicks off… so will the launch of its redesigned website.

Wirstiuk is a mere 23 years-old and her journey is still very much in progress, but everything she has accomplished is invariable to her future success.  She has acquired the skills not only to seek out her goals, but to help others achieve theirs along the way.  Looking back, her advice to others is, above all else, to stay calm and follow Nike’s lead, “JUST DO IT.  If you keep doing and moving forward, you’ll realize that after a bit of time, you will have at least learned something new, if you haven’t already accomplished something great.”

Passion, drive, and a little gumption make the perfect stones to pave a path of aspirations.