Archive for Millennial Entrepreneurs – Page 2

Bella Weems: Origami Owl

Bella Weems is a 28-year-old who is the founder of the jewelry company Origami Owl. At just 14 years old, she turned her passion into a business after her parents told her she would have to earn her first car. Her passion for handcrafting jewelry turned into a multi-million-dollar business.See the source image

Origami Owls main product is called the “Living Locket” which is a locket which you can add in your own, personalized charms to. This is unique because each charm can represent the persons hobbies and interests and showcase them when they wear the necklace. Bella also sells bracelets, earrings, and other accessories.

Bella is a busy kid entrepreneur, but she still allots time to give back. She started the “Owlettes Initiative” in which she personally mentors young aspiring entrepreneurs ages 12-17. Bella shares tips with these kids and any advice from her success story. I think this part of her business is truly inspiring because she found a way to help others as well as keep up a successful business.

Bella says the best part of being a kid entrepreneur is, “…being able to encourage kids of all ages to not be afraid to reach for their dreams and never let anyone tell them they’re not good enough or their idea isn’t good enough.” Bella’s business Origami Owl not only lets people express themselves through their jewelry but inspires young entrepreneurs to take the risk to start making something they are passionate about become big.

11 Successful Kid Entrepreneurs Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize

City Bonfires-A Mini Mobile Bonfire

City Bonfires was created and is still produced in Maryland.  It was created by Chris McCasland and Michael Opalski when both of their jobs were impacted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Because of this, they were both at home a lot more than they were used to and started looking for something to do with all of this time they had recently acquired.  I think that it is really great that they make everything right in Maryland and with American made materials.

City Bonfires sells several different product packages on their website.  They sell just the “portable firepit”, three different smore packs (which include smore ingredients since these are safe to cook over, and scented ones which interestingly you can also still cook over.  I think this is a very interesting concept and something that has been missing on the market.  Yes there have been other little fire makers out there, but none that are made out of food grade wax and plant based materials that makes them perfectly safe to cook things like smores over.

I really like the idea and execution of City Bonfires.  I believe that with innovation cool niche products like this can really make a go of it.  There is nothing quite as perfect and well thought out as this product on the market.  I think it is very fun that this whole company came from the pandemic.

Shop Page – City Bonfires

Creating Temporary Housing from Origami

It’s amazing how the simple practice of folding paper has managed to find itself as the hobbies of many nowadays. Origami came from the ancient Japanese practice of folding paper into different shapes and figures. This seemingly simple idea of folding paper was the exact inspiration for Tina Hovsepian and her company.

Cardborigami is a combination of origami and cardboard. Tina’s idea for the company came to her during a senior design project when she was asked to rethink the idea of ‘temporary shelter.’ That’s when she made her first prototype of a temporary, foldable, and cardboard shelter for the homeless. It was immediately a hit, and she started her company in 2010 and it has been successfully running for the past 11 years. The Cardborigami website says, “Our centerpiece product provides immediate emergency shelter to homeless and/or disaster-impacted populations, allowing us to support the work of established partner organizations that offer transitional pathways into permanent housing and other long-term services.” This statement sums up Cardborigami very well and establishes what their goal is. Cardborigami even offers other programs like social enterprise, disaster preparedness, and pop-up homeless shelter sites in addition to their main product.

Carborigami’s mission supports the homeless, which is a big social issue nowadays, and their main product is very clever. Cardboard is biodegradable, so it’s healthy for the environment after it breaks down, and it’s foldable and easy to transport, so anyone can bring it with them for an easy and temporary roof over their heads. Tina even comments on design by saying, “Design fundamentally impacts the daily life of people. Architects are armed with aggressively creative ideas and innovative solutions to complex problems. With more designers taking leadership and focusing their talent on socially responsible design, the world would be a better place.” It is absolutely true that designers bring a lot to the table when it comes to coming up with new ideas and changing the world for the better. “Socially responsible design” could be this company’s mantra, and they are truly succeeding in their mission. It is a wonderful idea to address this issue in the world and I hope to see more Cardborigami products giving shelter to those in need.

Timothy Armoo Co-founder and CEO of Fanbytes

Timothy Armoo is the co-founder and CEO of the social media marketing company Fanbytes. Fanbytes helps brands market on social media platforms used by 13-25 year-olds. Because of the company’s expertise on social media platforms used by Gen Z, Fanbytes advertisements typically outperform traditional ads by 4:1.

Timothy started and sold his own media company at 17 years old, he then used his experience to co-found Fanbytes his second year of college. Timothy has noted that Gen Z has grown up with social media and has a buying power of 150 billion dollars, and so is an unavoidable marketing segment. Timothy Armoo gives this advice:

“Focus on serving the smallest possible market and delight them. It can be easy to think everyone is your customer, but focusing on being incredibly valuable to a small subset of your audience is critical to making you stand out in the market”.

Fanbytes has worked with many companies and organizations including Apple, McDonald’s, and the UK Government. The company has won Timothy Armoo many awards and accolades including:

“Most Influential Person in Marketing and Advertising” – Evening Standard.
“Leading the new school of marketing” – Forbes Magazine.
“Creating the WPP of Gen Z” – Huffington Post.

 

I think Timothy’s advice is very helpful. It’s great to see a company that is so specialized, successful, and has a clear focus on doing what it’s good at.

Shreyansh Gupta- Youngest Entrepreneur in India

Shreyansh Gupta- Digital Marketing Expert

Shreyansh Gupta became an astonishing entrepreneur by the ripe age of 14 and growing up he loved the idea of being his own boss and running his own business, but he wasn’t sure of how to make that possible. He gained a strong motive to learn, and he sought information on social media, online promotions, and web design. He started his own blog post and website based on the knowledge he gained from personal research. From there, he saw a need in digital marketing and focused his studies there.

Soon enough, the digital marketing field expanded, and it became a need in the workforce. Often times, Shreynash saw that brands would prefer digital marketing over traditional marketing. He started DevelopXmedia and expanded his business both nationally and internationally. Shreyansh Gupta became a “digital marketing expert” along with the youngest entrepreneur in India at that time. He is an inspiration to young entrepreneurs all around, that no matter your age, if you see a need in the community, pursue it. During an interview Shreyansh gives very insightful advice to up and rising entrepreneurs, “don’t wait for anything to happen as it is only you who has the potential to create and change a life.” What he means by this is that, if you have an idea, don’t wait for someone else to make the change, be the change yourself. Don’t procrastinate your projects and innovations, “I would suggest starting today” he says.

Shreyansh is a prime example of having the correct mindset. He did not start his business for the sole purpose of money, he started it because of an interest he had. This interest fueled his motivation and success in his business. He had many setbacks on the way and he says that those setbacks are what helped him to push forward and learn from his failure. “Success will definitely knock on your doorstep if you work with honesty,” he encourages to stray away from shortcuts that lead to quick and unlasting success; trust the process and do it right, then you will succeed.

Shreyansh Gupta (itsshreyansh.com)

Digital Entrepreneur Shreyansh Gupta: One of the Youngest Social Media Marketers | 711web

From Dogs to Diamonds: Adelle Archer and Eterneva

Adelle Archer wanted to change the way people remember their loved ones and pets. The funeral industry has been trending toward cremation for years now, an often cheaper alternative to burial. However, Archer felt that this process could be improved: instead of loved ones’ and pets’ ashes going in an urn on the mantle, they could be made into wearable diamond jewelry. She thought this would be a sustainable business idea and she was right. In 2019, Eterneva was featured on SharkTank, with Mark Cuban investing in it. Since, Everneva has grown into a successful company helping people remember their pets and loved ones.

This idea is great for several reasons. For one, it is unique and original. I have never heard of making diamonds from ashes before. It appears that since this company has launched there is considerable interest in the topic. The funeral industry is highly profitable and to be an innovator in it can be extremely lucrative. Eterneva seems to be an early player to the table with this idea. Additionally, this is a neat idea because it allows people to have a more interactive experience with their loved ones after their passing. Instead of sitting on a mantlepiece in an urn, a person’s loved ones can be taken with them in the form of a diamond. Their remains can be made into a bracelet or a necklace. They can even be made into a ring. These jewelry pieces can be worn to special events or even every day. No matter where you go you can have a piece of mom or dad on your finger or around your neck. This is a far more interactive way to remember loved ones than a burial plot or an urn on a mantlepiece. In the minimalistic culture in which we find ourselves, this is a fabulous way to remember loved ones without them taking up much space – something often valued highly by Millennials and Gen Z.

In conclusion, Adelle Archer has a great idea and has been building a company with a unique idea that will likely appeal to many young people today.

Sarah Anderson- A 19 year old small Business owner

Sarah, is a young entrepreneur who decided to also go onto college to study Entrepreneurial studies as well. Sarah is a freshman in college and decided to start her own Etsy business her junior year of High School into her senior year. Sarah is a very sweet girl, who devotes her business to creating inspiring, creative bracelets for young girls. She named her shop Amour Toujour Design, also known as “love always” in French. She was pleasantly surprised at how popular her business quickly became over time.

Sarah is very good at also keeping up with the trends, which keeps her target market customers coming back to her site. Especially these last few years, people are more and more interested with the current trends as well as online/small business shopping. With new trends every month, Sarah updates her colors, bead sizes/shapes, and creative sayings that fit in with what younger girls want at the moment. Along with bracelets, Sarah also has some rings she offers on her site as well. The smiley face, which has become more popular, is one of her featured rings.

Sarah’s Etsy shop, which she created at a young age, also shows kids of all ages that they are capable of doing whatever they put their mind to. Sarah had also found, that she is capable of creating something special as well. Sarah continues to continue her shop into college and hopefully further her designs with a few more entrepreneurial tactics up her sleeve after college. Etsy is a great platform for any young entrepreneur who wants to put their designs/products out to the public eye. Sarah is a great example of how you can take a product or design and make a little profit on the side. Her products are fun, creative, and trendy, and definitely worth checking out!

Hart Main and the ManCan

Hart Main went from a 13 year old with some soup cans to an entrepreneur making six figures annually. It all started when Hart wanted a $1,200 bike, and in lieu of mowing lawns and shoveling driveways like every other kid, he decided to pursue a business instead. His idea arose when a confrontation with his sister lead to his discovery of a hole in the scented candle market. He discovered this hole could be filled with a more masculine take on scented candles, and thus he created the company ManCan. After some R&D, Hart nearly perfected his product and began selling in his community. Soon, his story got so big that he got picked up by the Associated Press and thus sales boomed.

Hart Main’s product always had a philanthropic angle. When just starting out, the soup cans needed to make the candles were consumed by his family and friends, however production increased and thus the soup followed suit. He eventually had enough soup to donate 200 units to a soup kitchen with the stipulation that the empty cans were to be returned. Later, instead of soup, ManCan began donating 75 cents from the proceeds of every candle sale to soup kitchens in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan, thus continuing Hart’s philanthropic venture. As of July 21st, 2015, ManCan has donated $35,000 to soup kitchens in the United States, and thus that number is likely significantly larger now that it’s 2021 and ManCan is still in business.

After years of hard work and creativity, Hart Main has contributed to the economy as well as communities beyond his own. In four years, he went from packaging cans in his kitchen to a rented warehouse space with five employees. In his time as a teenager, Hart managed to create a product that is currently in stores in all 50 states as well as online as a part of Beaver Creek Candle Company.

Hart Main

Much of the information regarding Hart Main, as well as this photo, can be found here and here, and you can check out his candles for sale here.

Marlo Vernon’s CarePenguin

CU Boulder Graduate finds an Innovative Way to Care for the Elderly

Marlo Vernon, CEO & Founder

Marlo Vernon, a Colorado University Boulder alumnus, discovered a common thread of concern for senior citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic. She recognized a need for a peace of mind from families who could not necessarily see their elderly family members as often as they would have liked to. Marlo relates an all too real scenario where loved ones would make daily phone calls to the elderly simply to see if they were still alive; this was a terrifying situation that she found a simple solution to, because “that’s not a conversation anyone wants to have.” Driven by her own concern for her grandparents while she was away at college and during the pandemic, Marlo, together with her father Todd Vernon, created CarePenguin (Home – CarePenguin).

CarePenguin is a noninvasive hot water sensor. No one wants a camera on in their house watching their every move; this hot water sensor shows activity in a house without that feeling of invasion of privacy. This mechanism detects every day procedures such as washing hands, brushing teeth, doing the dishes, watering the garden, etc.. By knowing that their loved ones are up and moving, families can go throughout their day with peace of mind. Marlo demonstrates an eye for a need in the community along with a solution to the problem. The CarePenguin app is simple and easy to use. By looking at an app on their phone, family members can see the last time a faucet was turned on. The app also senses lack of movement that alerts the user that it may be time to check in on their elderly.

Marlo’s mission to provide security within the home is inspiring to up and rising entrepreneurs like myself. She exemplifies the idea that you can help others and make money at the same time.  At first thought, CarePenguin, didn’t make sense to me; but after further research, I saw how helpful the device really is. This shows me ideas that may seem “silly” or unhelpful at first, may have a different angle. Marlo and her father inspire me to reconsider ideas that I have downplayed in the past, and take a look at them from a different perspective.

Young Colorado entrepreneur dives into senior care with water sensor (thedenverchannel.com)About Us – CarePenguinHome – CarePenguin Read More →

Lani Boo Bath

Jelani Jones once was a 9 near old girl with a dream, she wanted to use her creativity in a bigger way. This is the reason she started Lani Boo Bath making bath products. Jelani utilized her connections in the local farmers market to get her feet on the ground in the industry. With the help of a mentor that she grew close with she grew her creative bath products into a lucrative business. She also takes advantage of her unique situation being so young. She has many supporters locally as well as across the world. She sells her products at markets, trade shows, and on her website. Her products are variations of scented bath bombs and soaps. They are all homemade by Jelani herself, with natural ingredients. She is a great example of using her creative abilities and connections to build her story in the community so that she can become successful!