Ethan Hayes, a man who never thought he would be nominated for Grammy’s by 22. Growing up he knew he had a passion for music, and by his senior year he was creating “beats,” for songs by writing an initial melody and then, using computer programs like FL Studio, digitally layering in instruments like drums, pianos, guitars, and synthesizers. He was on the fast track, until COVID-19. But really, that’s when Ethan’s career started to rocket. He developed signature beats with his own style – operatic with grand melodies. He noticed that getting his music to be well-known was going to be hard, but slowly he started to sell his music to small unknown artists. After the rapper NBA Youngboy used one of his beats, more and more producers became interested. He created beats for Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s collab album The Voice of the Hero which ended up becoming a huge hit album in 2021. After an insane year that culminated with the 64th annual Grammy Awards, when Nas’s King’s Disease II, which included a beat produced by Hayes, Sony Music Publishing was impressed enough to sign him. A senior at Bryant University as an Entrepreneurship major, he is determined to ride his current success as far as it will take him.

Ethan’s determination to not give up is something that I think is necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. He obviously had a passion for music, and he learned more and more about how to make his music unique, and that’s when people started to notice him. It’s definitely very hard for musicians to become well-known, but I think that if Ethan keeps up the good work, he is on his way there!

Alyssa Hunt is the creator of The Life Hunt, a blog aimed at motivating people to hustle toward their business and financial dreams while navigating everyday life. After running into the problem of not knowing how to balance her writing time and her job properly, she went online to get some advice, but couldn’t find any. So, she innovated and created a website dedicated to helping people chase their dreams while working full-time.

Alyssa’s idea stuck out to me. It reminded me that to be an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be making products, because she is succeeding with a website that she realized people had a need for. She’s currently running a one woman show, so she keeps a journal to write down any ideas she come up with, even if it may seem silly. I’ve seen a common occurrence of many other entrepreneurs carrying around journals. I think this is a great way to let ideas settle, so that you can revisit and look at it from multiple points of view. Another tactic she mentions is having a 30 min meeting with herself every week. This allows her to reflect on the past week and her success, but also areas of improvement. It allows her to make a realistic to-do list and to set goals for the upcoming week as well. Alyssa is very goal oriented, and I think that’s so important for an entrepreneur!

Ryan Hickman has a passion for making the earth a better place. He realized at a young age, he didn’t like seeing cans and bottles lying on the ground everywhere, so he took matters into his own hands. It all started when Ryan would collect his family’s and neighbor’s recyclables by going door-to-door with a bag attached to his bike. By the age of seven, in Orange County, California, Ryan’s Recycling Company was brought to life.

Word spread and many other people started recycling in their homes so Hickman could come pick it up and take it to the recycle center. His goal is to recycle to prevent cans and bottles from reaching the ocean, where it’s harmful for the environment. He has been on many shows and organizations to talk about his business and sells t-shirts on his website from which all the profits go to a rescue organization called Pacific Marine Mammal Center. He’s also started a non-profit called Project 3R, which educates and stresses the importance of recycling and helps organize and manage community clean-up efforts. Hickman found an area of need that he had a passion for and was able to create a successful business that is cleaning up our economy. 

Ryan inspires me to be bold and follow through with my desire to make the world a better place. I love how he was able to start a business and make profit from it, but then also start a nonprofit. He is a truly caring person and I aspire to create impact like he does. I learned that being able to have close relationships with family, friends, and neighbors is a great opportunity to test your business ideas. Ryan did just that and people loved it, I’m sure he was then inspired to take his ideas to the next level, with the support of his community.