With the expenses of college, students can relate to feeling like they are surviving off only pennies, but for Ryan Trahan, it was by choice.

Ryan enjoyed and excelled in high school, not only in academics but cross country. While in his junior and senior years of high school, Trahan noticed a gap in the market and decided to create a hip yet functional water bottle–The Neptune. With the goal of reducing plastic in the ocean and providing his fellow classmates with a sleek drinking vessel, Ryan and his friends jumped in to promote their product. During this time, Ryan had also started posting running content on Youtube, a platform he used to advertise his product. As Ryan grew in popularity, more people took notice of his product. Ryan entered college as an NCAA division I athlete, hopeful for the future and his growing business.

As much as Ryan enjoyed college, his academics began to suffer compared to his high school years. He had finally been able to make enough on Youtube and his waterbottle business to be financially independent until the unthinkable happened. Only a couple of months into the school year, the NCAA gave Ryan an ultimatum–Ryan either had to give up his water bottle business and Youtube channel, or he would no longer be able to be involved in NCAA. Faced with this opposition, Ryan made the risky choice of dropping out of college to pursue his YouTube channel and business full-time–with only 20,000 subscribers. 

Ryan’s entrepreneurial spirit, drive, unique personality, creativity, and wide range of content all contributed to his vast amount of growth. From running, to commentary, to mainstream content, Ryan dabbled in all genres of YouTube. In 2017, Ryan launched one of his best ideas yet–surviving on only a penny.

Ryan documented his journey, traveling across the United States starting with only a penny. His videos captured his audience as Ryan demonstrated creative and fun ways to make enough money to eat and move on to the next city.

Ryan’s journey of trial and error, his creativity, and his willingness to try a variety of venture ideas are an inspiration. His courage to take risks and his great appeal to his audience prove that it is possible to succeed in an area of passion.

“Daddy, look! A coloring contest!” Five-year-old Ellie gazed out the window at a bright, colorful billboard as her dad was driving her home after school. 

Her dad rolled his eyes even while smiling, “Do you want to enter?” A couple of weeks later, her dad received a phone call. Out of all the kids in their town, Ellie had won her first of many coloring contests. 

Between lemonade stands and cookies for her friends at school, Ellie’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age. With the support of her family and occasionally teaming up with her sister, Ellie didn’t hesitate to move from one venture idea to the next. As her passion for starting businesses grew, so did her love for art. She often spent hours designing handmade cards for friends or painting wall decor for her mom. 

As she entered high school, Ellie began to take her passions and skills to a new level. Adrienne, an experienced entrepreneur and family friend, began to encourage and mentor Ellie. In May 2021, Ellie set up her first booth for LighterRae at a local vendor show called Strawberry Days where she sold a variety of handmade goods such as bracelets, earrings, and wall decor. She also opened her first Etsy account to sell her goods online. Things were beginning to take shape.

That was when she hit her first snag. She opened her laptop to find a panic-inducing email–her Etsy account had been suspended. Because her family were missionaries in Guatemala, Etsy had grown suspicious when she logged in from a new location. That meant no more sales and lots of hassle. It went downhill from there. Soon, her Pinterest and Instagram accounts (her main source of advertising) were suspended as well. Earlier, she had experimented with opening another Etsy shop with designs for print on demand. It had only generated a handful of sales and after trying other tactics, Ellie had decided to put the breaks on that idea. 

Fortunately, Ellie did not let that stop her. Like a true entrepreneur, she cut her losses and came up with solutions. Her friend in the US shipped her orders and managed her accounts for her. Ellie began narrowing down on products that sold well and products that didn’t. In the summer of 2023, Ellie introduced handpainted, custom Bibles in her shop. 

In just a few months, she made more sales than she could’ve imagined. She had also begun selling at physical locations such as a local coffee shop called Beans on Broad and a craft vendor store at the local outlets. As she entered college, majoring in (of course) entrepreneurship, she took on her first partner in crime (or, business). Her shop, BrighterRae, has made over 200 sales to date on Etsy alone. Now, Ellie is working to create a website to sell directly. She dreams of one day selling her products in a physical location and changing the name of her shop to something that (she believes) is less cringy. Ellie demonstrates the traits of a true entrepreneur and her go-getter attitude and creativity are an inspiration to everyone, especially those in Dr. Sweet’s 9:00 am Entrepuneral Mind class. 

Visit her shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrighterRae?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1519020172

Look down. What do you see? Ok, sure, the ground but you probably also see your shoes, pants, and shirt. Have you ever considered where they came from–and I don’t mean American Eagle.

Krystle Marks decided to take a second look. As soon as she found out what was really going on behind the scenes of her favorite fall fit, she knew she couldn’t stand idly by. The excitement of a new outfit was quickly dampened when she discovered the reality of the poor working conditions and low pay given to the hands that produced it. There are over 40 million garment workers today, 85% of them women making less than $3 a day (and you thought on-campus jobs were underpaid). Extreme poverty makes women more at risk for sex trafficking, domestic abuse and slave labor.

Marks was determined to break this cycle. Through much prayer, Lev Apparel, a clothing brand, was born. Their goal is to stop trafficking by giving higher-paying, increased-benefit jobs to impoverished women around the world. By working with other businesses and organizations as well as hearing the stories of the women they seek to serve, Lev is truly making an impact. Lev Apparel seeks to create a work environment that seeks to break away from hustle culture while creating high-quality pieces. They allow flexible hours, shorter work weeks, and breaks, and nurture clear communication with employees–perks that are unheard of in developing countries.

Their clothing products, along with their mission, is equally counter-cultural. While the fashion industry seeks to foster comparison and an unhealthy obsession with body image, Lev Apparel encourages women to not let their outfit decisions be based on current trends.

Lev Apparel seeks to address real social problems in a unique way. I love how the owner combined her passion for fashion to meet a real need. Lev Apparel doesn’t just donate a portion of its proceeds, it actively implements its mission in an innovative way.

Check them out at: https://levapparel.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lev.apparel/

13-year-old Carolyn Jäger was in the cafeteria at school when she heard a loud beeping sound and sighed. Her blood sugar was low.  Embarrassed, she ducked toward her backpack and did her best to secretly pull out the ugly black medical pouch inside to check her blood sugar. When she finally retrieved it, she heard snickering behind her and sighed. It was hard to fit in when she had to carry that thing everywhere. Sensing her daily frustration, her mother soon handed her a hand-sewn, pink bag with a cute green turtle on the front. Carolyn strode confidently into school the next day. 

After years with no pretty alternatives for the one in ten people diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, Jäger decided to take matters into her own hands. In 2009 with two boys underfoot she designed her own colorful case for her diabetes equipment. A year later, Sugar Medical was born and her first case was released in five colors. Today Sugar Medical is one of the biggest of the few diabetes accessories brands on the market. They have branched out into backpacks, purses, and travel bags in a variety of fun patterns and chic styles as well as fun cases and stickers to decorate the insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors worn by those with T1D. Since diabetics have to carry a boatload of supplies everywhere, whether it be a short walk around the block or a trip to New Mexico, these fashionable and functional bags fill a noticeable gap in the market. 

Not only is Sugar Medical innovative in its goal of creating more personalized products, but they are innovative in how the products are created. Each bag is specially designed with diabetics in mind, including pockets and places for each item a T1D has to tote around. Insulin is the main treatment a diabetic receives and often comes in small glass bottles that have to be kept at a certain temperature. Because of this, many bags are insulated or have a protective slot for insulin. Bags even include a built-in, mini trash can for needles and test stripes, things diabetics often need to discard safely as they are used to administer insulin or test blood glucose. 

  Carolyn Jäger’s story is inspiring because she used the resources she had available combined with her intimate knowledge of the problems related to the current cases for T1D supplies to create an innovative, creative case to help those with type 1 diabetes. Her products are extremely functional and customized to the needs of diabetics, leaving no room for problems or compromise by the customer. Her story and the way her mom played a role in her idea demonstrate her entrepreneurial spirit and shows that seemingly small hunches can become profitable endeavors.