Archive for Youngest Entrepreneurs – Page 3

Asia Newson – Super Business Girl

When Asia Newson was just 5 years old, she watched her dad go door to door selling candles in the Detroit area. She decided she wanted to learn to make and sell candles for herself. From a very young age, Asia had an impressive understanding of different business concepts including developing her own sales pitch.

“Hi, I’m Asia Newson, and I’m known as Detroit’s youngest entrepreneur.” This simple pitch caught the attention of many.

Now, eight years later, Asia makes and sells her own candles, and she has expanded her business into one that trains other young entrepreneurs about the basics to owning and running a business. It is called Super Business Girl. On her online store, Asia also sells t-shirts, mugs, jewelry, and bags. The proceeds from both the online store and her training program go to help buy clothes and food for children in need.

Although Asia is a teenager now, she has easily adapted her sales pitch to focus on her training program. Super Business Girl targets middle school and high school students while encouraging entrepreneurial thinking to those who may not have thought about running their own business before.

Asia runs her workshop business under Bamboo Detroit, which is a business incubator for start-ups. One of the owners, Dave Anderson, met Asia while she was selling candles and took her under his wing. He gave her tips to improve her packaging and helped her with business techniques. Asia learned a lot about saving and investing money for her business.

In 2015, Asia made an appearance on Ellen where she talked all about her ambitions and goals as a young entrepreneur and woman in America. This ambition has given her lots of recognition and ultimately has played a huge role in her entrepreneurial success.

Super Business Girl and Other Treps Vow to Save Detroit

Makin Bacon Baby!

After Selling Millions, Family-Run Makin Bacon Battles Amazon CounterfeitersOne morning in 1993 an 8-year-old girl named Abbey Fleck and her dad were cooking bacon for breakfast. as she saw her dad’s struggle with all the bacon fat juice and cleaning it up with paper toils, she thought of an idea. What if there was a way to cook the bacon hanging as a dish of some sort collects the fat? That’s when Abbey and her father began to design what would eventually become the Makin’ Bacon dish. It’s a square, inch-deep skillet made of microwave-safe plastic. It has 3 T-shaped supports rising up from its center. The bacon cooks while draped over the crossbars of the central supports and the fat drips down into the dish.
Abbey’s solution and invention were not only an easier and healthier way to cook the bacon but it was also an inexpensive way. The dish itself only cost 7$. Knowing they had an amazing product Abbey and her father founded the company, A. de F. Ltd., and began selling Makin Bacon the next year. (1994) Since then the product has gotten tons of promotion from “Good Housekeeping” and they even negotiated a deal with Amour for the Makin Bacons packaging in the same year of release. Abbey even made a personal appearance on “The Late Night Show with David Letterman” and on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.
Abbey has gained a lot of entrepreneurial experience since then. She settled a patent infringement suit against a company in Pennsylvania that had begun to sell a similar product of hers. She acquired a patent for her “microwave cooking machine” in 1996. Still only 11 years old at this point.
Today the Abbey Fleck’s Makin Bacon is available on Amazon and at Walmart. She got the offer from Wallmart to distribute her product fairly soon after her release.

She is an inspiration to fathers and daughters out there that can work together to create something great. Even at that young age to she had a natural knack for business and entrepreneurship. Thanks to her bacon is better!

25 year old Woman turns Fun Candle Side-Hustle into £10m Business.

Think you are too busy to start a side-hustle? It is not worth it right? It could be rewarding but it will never pay off may be the answer to that. What if I told you the side0hustler could turn into a £10million business. Oh the sticker shock may not be in pounds, so how about 13,115,500.00 in US Dollars! All this from a side-hustle that started in a family kitchen 2 years ago.

Hannah Chapman, 25, worked a job dealing with social media two years ago, started melting wax at the age of 23 and it just took off. She started advertising on Instagram her candles and before she knew it she quit her day job to focus solely on making these candles. Chapman credits social media for her success, as without it she would not have the customer base she has today. She says, “That’s the beauty of social media – there are ways of leveraging it that don’t necessarily require money and I think that’s what makes it so exciting for budding companies and young entrepreneurs, it really levels the playing field.”

On top of all that, she is able to employ her dad as a worker in her supply chain. The business itself does not just rely on candle sales, also having wax melts, bath bombs, room sprays and other handmade items. What an accomplishment by Hannah!all information was found at https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/woman-starts-10m-candle-making-22993723

Mo’s Bows

At just 9 years old, Moziah Bridges became a ‘Kid-preneur’ and CEO of Mo’s Bows.  He appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank at 11 years old and furthered his journey with investor Daymond John.  Since then, Moziah has greatly expanded his company.

Moziah fueled his passion for this company based on a need – he couldn’t find any bow ties that fit his style or personality.

Mo’s Bows are unique, hand-made bow ties that “make you look and feel your best while catering to the sometimes conservative, fun-loving lady or gentleman.” Mo's Bows and Daymond John - Business Insider

Moziah stated that he wanted to expand his brand to eventually create a clothing line that has blazers and neckties.  Currently, his company sells bow ties, of course, neckties, and now face masks.  Graduating this past school year in 2020, Moziah dreams of being a fashion mogul and growing Mo’s Bows into a well known public brand.

When going onto Shark Tank, Moziah had sold over 200,000 bow ties.  Currently, his company’s net worth is estimated at $2 million.

Moziah says that one of his favorite things about Mo’s Bows is being his own boss and making decisions at every step of the way.  His mom is also very active in helping and supporting Mo’s Bows.

Bow tie baller: Memphis teen who started Mo's Bows partners with NBA |  WREG.comMany people can recognize that Moziah is an inspiring entrepreneur because of his young, passionate success.  However, they may not know that  Moziah also has a redemptive entrepreneurship aspect of his company.  His favorite bow tie is the Go Mo Bow because 100% of the proceeds are donated to help kids afford summer camp.  Moziah recognized that the summer time is when child hunger is at it’s highest, and he believes in the importance of kids going to summer camp and having a fun time.

There’s a lot to be learned from someone like Moziah.  From a young age, he took a passion and turned into a successful business all while having fun.

Playing Games with Caine Monroy

At some point in everyone’s life, they have played some sort of a game. Whether it is a video game or a sport such as soccer or baseball, or even a simple round of tag in the elementary playground, at some point everyone has played a game. What if I told you that a new game was created, based on arcade games, but it was made out of cardboard and built by a 9 year old. Would you believe me or think I was joking? Well that is precisely what Caine Monroy did.

Around 2011, Caine was helping his Father with work in the family’s used auto part store. Caine, being 9 years old at the time, was easily bored and wanted to do something more fun. He found some cardboard and some prizes, and created his first cardboard arcade games: soccer goals and the claw.

Caine's Arcade | A boy's cardboard arcade that inspired the world.

Caine continued to make these cardboard games, until one day a customer came in looking for a car door handle, but instead left with a newfound inspiration. This customer is named Nirvan Mullick, and he filmed the short documentary named “Caine’s Arcade.” The video was a viral sensation, and customers began to go the store not for used auto parts, but to play Caine’s cardboard arcade games. People were so impressed that they began to pay large sums of money so that Caine could afford to go to college. Eventually the fund had accumulated nearly $250,000 for Caine’s college education and Caine wasn’t even in High School yet!

Caine began to go to different colleges and universities, and spoke about what he learned from this experience. Eventually at 13 years old, Caine retired from the cardboard arcade industry to focus on Junior High School, as well as begin his new venture… a bicycle shop that repairs and remakes different existing bicycles. While this is certainly an intersecting way to pivot, Caine seems to have done well for himself.

Caines Arcade on Twitter: "Sign up for our 8th Annual Global #CardboardChallenge! Let's Play: https://t.co/9R7SJNKEen… "

What makes Caine’s story so unique is how young he was. While much of his success can be credited to Nirvan, who created the video that went viral, Caine created a unique product while he was bored, using old materials that otherwise would have just been thrown away. There are great example of this in third world countries, such as tire sandals, however for a 9 year old to initiate the process and design it himself, that is truly impressive. Another thing that makes this story unique is how Caine gained popularity. Without Nirvan creating that documentary video Caine’s wonderful idea may have gone unnoticed. The funny thing is that Caine wasn’t even trying to market his idea much up until Nirvan came in. Caine’s cardboard arcade idea was able to grow even without a strong liquid network.

 

 

 

 

https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/inspiration/opportunities/creativity

Caine Monroy

ManCans! Manly scented candles

 

Another young entrepreneur out of Ohio is Hart Main. Hart Main is a 13-year old that came up with the idea of manly scented candles. “Why don’t people make candles with scents that everyone likes?” Hart Main asked, while smelling the overly perfumed candles his sister was selling for a school fundraiser, he thought about guys who did not want their bedrooms to smell like, lavender soap. Although his sister did not expect him to fully pursue the manly scented candles idea himself, he did, and the idea has turned into a nationwide success. But before this success, before the company started, Harts’ wheels began turning, and the entrepreneur in him began to come out. He saw the opportunity right under his nose, the young entrepreneur combined his passion for helping his community with his interest in making a different sect of candle by donating to local soup kitchens and using the empty cans to hold his extraordinary scents. Main put in an initial investment of $100, his parents put in $200, and they all worked together to develop the candles as a group. Hart and his family work together to craft these handmade soy-wax-blend candles that possess the kinds of familiar smells from around the house that no man (or woman) would turn their nose up at. Hart’s current candles includes scents like dirt, fresh cut grass, sawdust, campfire, pizza, and coffee, bacon, Grandpa’s Pipe, and more. Each comes individually packed in a gift box. Today, ManCans candles are in over 60 stores across the country and have sold about 9,000 units. Main looks forward to improving his business, as well as moving into other entrepreneurial ventures, “I like the fact that I have control over things and can make decisions and see what’s actually happening,” he says.

 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hart-main-mancans-13-year-old-entrepreneur_n_909300

Omari McQueen – Dipalicious

At the young age of eight, Omari McQueen started his own dip and cooking business that stemmed from his original passion for cooking.

When he was seven, Omari’s mother became ill with migraines, so his father, who worked long evening hours, decided to teach him how to cook to help with meals. Even before his mother’s illness, Omari already had a passion for cooking and was excited to learn more. His passion grew stronger as he began creating his own versions of meals for his family to enjoy.

Continuing to pursue his passions, Omari discovered veganism after coming across a YouTube video about vegan pizza and was extremely intrigued. He was determined to learn more about vegan foods and decided to become vegan himself to teach other children about what they could eat as well. With this, Omari began his own YouTube channel where he filmed himself making his very own vegan pizza. He felt that the pizza was too dry, so he invented his own vegan dip to go along with it!

The first dip, the Caribbean Kick, allowed Omari to start his business at eight years old, Dipalicious. Now he sells a wide selection of vegan dips, snacks, juice packs, and seasoning. Omari is also saving up to turn an old bus into a small restaurant and create pre-prepared vegan meals for children.

Omari McQueen is a great example of a young entrepreneur. He started with his passion for cooking, found a problem with dry vegan pizza, and mashed the two together to create Dipalicious. Starting a business at eight years old is truly inspiring and really makes me think, “Wow, if Omari can do it so can I!”

Along with his business success, Omari is youngest award-winning vegan chef in the UK. He has won the TruLittle Award, the Compassionate Kids Award, and the Proud and Gifted Award for being a both a vegan chef and youth empowerment speaker encouraging other children to become entrepreneurs.

Cameron Johnson: An Entrepreneur Since Nine

When Cameron Johnson was 9 years old, he started making invitation cards for family celebrations. Cameron then realized that people really liked his cards, so he decided to start selling them. His little business was surprisingly profitable. At 12, he used his money to buy Beanie Babies, which he then sold online at higher prices. This venture was much more successful, making $50,000 dollars in under a year. Just a reminder, he was only 12 years old! Cameron then came up with My EZ Mail, an online service that would forward e-mails to a specific account without showing the recipients’ information. In just a few years, it was making $3,000 dollars monthly in advertising revenue. Another business of his was giving him $300,000 a month. In total, Cameron Johnson started twelve successful businesses before he graduated from High School, . When he was 15, he became the youngest American to join the board of a company in Tokyo. After graduation, Cameron went to Virginia Tech, but he soon realized that business was his true passion. So, he left after less than a semester to pursue a new company, CertificateSwap.com,  with his friend. This business sold gift certificates for lower prices than those on eBay. He and his partner eventually sold the business for a six-digit account. While he has sold all of his internet businesses by this point, Cameron still invests in many other start-ups, and he now gives lectures on entrepreneurship.

One thing that really impressed me about Cameron Johnson was his ability to adapt to the internet, which was still in its early years when he started working. Him choosing to be an entrepreneur instead of going to college also taught me that you should follow your passions. But personally, I think he was most impressive at coming up with products and ideas that people would want by considering their perspectives.

Airbnb

Airbnb, also called “Air Bed and Breakfast”, is a well-known company that allows people to rent out people’s living spaces to travelers. In 2007, two men, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, founded Airbnb. The company started off an email, from Gebbia to Chesky, about a design conference convention happening in their town. Chesky and Gebbia were roommates in San Francisco and could not afford rent at their apartment. Gebbia knew hotels would be booked out for the convention and many designers would need a place to stay. He emailed Chesky and decided to create a space in their apartment for an air mattress, a small desk, wireless internet, and breakfast every morning. Two men and one woman paid $80 to sleep on an air mattress in Gebbia and Chesky’s apartment. After realizing how much potential this idea had, they welcomed their old roommate, Nathan Blecharczyk, into their business. That’s how airbedandbreakfast was born. After founding Air Bed and Breakfast, they tried to create Roommates.com but it was already founded by Bryan Peters. Air Bed and Breakfast was changed to Airbnb because people were confused with the air mattress concept.

In April 2009, they received a $600,000 seed investment to help build their company. In 2011, Airbnb was in 89 countries and surpassed 1 million nights booked. There were some downsides of people renting their houses or apartments to strangers. Some would come home to find their place trashed and have to clean up the mess. They implemented a coverage policy and a cleaning fee when booking a rental property. They provide rentals all over the world and have over 30,000 tiny houses, 5,000 castles, and 3,000 tree houses to rent. Who knew?!

Their multimillion-dollar business started from not being able to pay rent. They have transformed their business into letting others rent out their own apartments, townhouses, houses, etc. to strangers.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-airbnb-was-founded-a-visual-history-2016-2#they-created-a-simple-site-airbedandbreakfastcom-bought-three-air-mattresses-and-arranged-them-in-their-loft-5

Stung By Success

Me & the Bees Lemonade

No one likes being stung by a bee – all you are left with is a painful red bump on your arm. Mikaila Ulmer’s bee sting left her with the inspiration to start a business. She came up with the idea to sell lemonade (her great grandmother’s recipe) and to donate part of the profits to help save the honeybees. At the age of 4, Ulmer entered the Action Children’s Business Fair where she pitched her idea. With help from her family, her business has grown by 500%. Ulmer now at age 15, sells her Me & the Bees Lemonade at a variety of major retailers and has even appeared on the show Shark Tank. The fact that Ulmer was 4 years old when became the founder of her own business that has grown so substantially shows her entrepreneurial gifts.