At 14 years old, Abby Kircher was struggling with eating well and decided to make a change in her life. She found a nutritional health plan through a workout DVD. The new health plan involved giving up sugar of all types– but one of her favorite foods was peanut butter. She turned to almond butter to satisfy her cravings for peanut butter but found plain almond butter to be a little boring. Abby decided to take matters into her own hands and create her almond butter.

She spent her summer experimenting with different nuts and add-ins like strawberries and coconuts. She eventually settled on a recipe that was natural, delicious and good for the consumer. At age 15, Abby had solidified her brand- “Abby’s Better Nut Butter.” She began selling her product at local farmer’s markets in North Carolina. She now has her product in over 35 stores in NC and Tennessee. Abby’s goal is to get her product nationally recognized and on shelves in stores like Whole Foods and Fresh Market. She says “I always hope my butter will be an inspiration to people to have a healthier longer life without losing the pleasure and fun along the way.”

At the age of eight, Isabella Dymalovski started work on her line of products when her mother told her she couldn’t use hers. Her mother instructed her to either use products specifically intended for children or simply make her own– which is exactly what Dymalovski did. The skincare line is called “Luv Ur Skin” and includes a range of products, from body lotion to lip gloss. All products are made with natural, nonabrasive ingredients suitable for all skin types.

Dymalovski mentioned a classic complaint from young entrepreneurs— struggling to be taken seriously by adults and those older than her in the same business environment. However, Dymalovski takes this in stride, saying that her youth makes her a better provider of products– her line is made “by a tween for a tween.” Luv Ur Skin will soon be available in stores nationwide.

Shubham Banerjee, a California teenager, was brainstorming for a science fair in 2014. He began contemplating reducing the cost of a Braille printer- from $2,000 to just $200. It took Banerjee seven attempts, but with the help of Lego Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit, he accomplished his goal. Banerjee accredits his parents’ support as a bastion for his creativity– he mentioned that they would not mind buying him a toy like Mindstorms– because it is educational.

Banerjee called his final product Braigo– a compact and portable machine that prints efficiently. Banerjee went on to found Braigo Labs to develop his printer and its possibilities further. Banerjee brought in venture capital to help ensure the success of his company– with funding, he was able to hire engineers.

Banerjee stated in an interview that “I just think of myself as a guy who wants to solve random problems.” The young inventor has new projects in the works but wants to keep that secret for now. I can’t wait to see what this world-changing entrepreneur does next!

Noa Mintz began her first foray into the world of babysitting business at the tender age of 12, when she formed “Nannies by Noa” over her summer break from middle school. Mintz employed her friends and recruited more people from SoulCycle– she charged a few hundred dollars for each family.

Nannies by Noa eventually grew into a big business, serving nearly 200 clients and employing 75 people. The company has reported revenues of $375,000. Mintz realized that she needed a CEO– she hired from within the company, and 26 year old Allison Johnson, originally applying for a nanny position, took the helm as CEO. Though Johnson admits it is strange to be ordered around by a young girl like Mintz (now 15) she recognizes and respects Mintz’s tireless work ethic. Mintz says her motto is “Don’t let my age get in the way” She is a truly inspiring young entrepeneur.

In keeping with my theme so far, I will cover a second makeup brand– Glossier. One cannot log into Instagram and scroll for a mere 30 seconds before encountering a Glossier ad- especially a female user of Instagram. This targeted ad approach is part of the reason for the brand’s success.

And successful it has been– with a total investor funding amount of $186.4 million, it should come as a surprise to no one that Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, is taking the makeup industry by storm as an up and coming, young female entrepreneur.

Emily’s journey into the makeup industry is fascinating and gradual. In 2010, she launched a beauty website called “Into the Gloss.” She used this website as a stepping-off point towards her brand, the aptly-named “Glossier.” Glossier has been popular among consumers from the start– namely because Weiss went about selling her product differently- she strove to create products that lacked artificial ingredients and that really worked for their intended purpose. This was made clear through reviews– many customers rant and rave about holy grail products like “boy brow” and “cloud paint” that have become staples in a quick and easy daily routine.

Weiss still checks in with the community she created on “Into the Gloss” and I believe that is the main factor behind her historic levels of success– she is far from out of touch and actually takes her fanbase input seriously when designing and producing products. Weiss credits Instagram as her main source for keeping up-to-date on the beauty industry.

Weiss stated in an interview with Byrdie that the best advice she has received was “..Know what you don’t know. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are in different areas and learn from them. There’s no need to ever pretend like you know it all.”

This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking that has brought Weiss success and will continue to keep her company in high demand among today’s consumers. She is an inspiration to any young and hungry entrepreneur.