Leanna Archer began her entrepreneurial journey at a much younger age than most people. When she was 8 years old, she took her grandma’s recipe for an all-natural hair pomade. She began giving the product away for free inside of baby food jars, but she now sells her products nationwide. The line includes cleansing masks, skin lotion, hair treatments, shampoos, conditioners and more that she is able to distribute all over the world. Her company is called Leanna’s Essentials and Leanna is the CEO. The company that she started when she was 8 years old has now been recognized by popular publications such as Forbes and Success Magazine. She also started the Leanna Archer Education Foundation. The foundation was created to build schools for the underprivileged children that reside in Haiti. Leanna took a route that not many people her age are mature enough. She had a vision from a very young age and it is very rare for an 8 year old to begin a business. What is even more remarkable about her is the fact that she has stayed with it and grown the business into a nationwide project. She also is clearly a kindhearted person given the fact that she created her own foundation to help poor children receive an education. There is no doubt she faced doubters when she was pursuing her vision given the fact that she was so young but she ultimately overcame all of it. I cannot imagine having the confidence at 8 years old to begin pursuing my own business and being mature enough to stick with it. Leanna is certainly a special person given the fact that she is so accomplished at such a young age. Do not be surprised if you never hear of another 8 year old doing what she did because it is extremely uncommon. People like Leanna are unique because even though they have become extremely successful, they still look to help others first. It is important to reflect and realize that not everyone has the ability to pursue their dreams like we do. Leanna is doing everything she can in Haiti to set those kids up for success as they get older. Education is extremely critical. Leanna obviously did very well at retaining what she was taught or else she would not have been able to begin her own business at just 8 years old. Leanna taught that you are never too young to achieve even your wildest dreams; it is simply a matter of desire.
Archive for Great Ideas – Page 11
Shubham Banerjee is making big waves in the blind community. With a startup called Braigo Labs he is able to sell low cost printers that change internet text directly into Braille. This idea is revolutionary because before this technology existed all internet sights would have to be read aloud by the computer. This technology puts the power back into the hands of the blind. No more having to rely on a computer voice to tell you what is happening on screen
Banjeree has a vision to bring medicine and technology together in the right ways. To ensure that innovation is not being used for profit but to better the community around us. This is the vision that I believe many entrepreneurs should have. The “people first, money second” thought process, brings more people together and ultimately brings more people on board for the idea.
The world of charity has remained a sleepy industry for decades. Much of the general population is oblivious to the numerous opportunities available for monetary donation. A young man, Jack Kim, came up with a solution to this problem.
Benelab is a web-based non-profit organization founded by high-school student, Jack Kim as a means to provide foundations with the support they require. Through the creation of a new search engine, people can donate directly to various organizations. Although similar search engines exist, almost all of them are designated for-profit organizations that take a percentage of each donation for themselves. This platform was designed to create significant impact through what can be boiled down to crowd funding.
Featuring a unique practice of donating 100% of their search engine advertisement revenue to a unique cause every month sets them apart by making guaranteeing significant impact, creating a greater sense of community. Additionally, Benelab is made up of high-school volunteers exclusively.
Kim is pursuing a remarkable idea through Benelab. Very few millennials have the ability to take on the charity industry like he has and pivoted to solve a problem in a new, innovative manner. His tenacity and confidence inspires others to take action and pursue their entrepreneurial ventures, even if the timing isn’t perfect.
It seems as if entrepreneurs keep getting younger and younger. A 13 year old boy, named Hart Main created what would become the Beaver Creek Candle Company. The company started off producing and selling ManCans, a new kind of candle. ManCans are candles that have many manly scents such as bacon, campfire, coffee, fresh cut grass, and plenty more. The idea came about when Hart was teasing his little sister about the girly scented candles she used to sell for a fundraiser. With a bit of financial help from his parents they created the product, ManCans. ManCans is in approximately 150 different stores nationwide, and is very successful. From ManCans he has created other products for the company as well, including SheCans and specialty scented candles that smell and look like apple pie, cherry pie, and more.
Hart Main originally launched his business because he wanted to earn $1,200 for a bike to compete in triathlons. Hart has now surpassed his goal by a great amount. His business has given 100,000 cans of soup and $35,000 to 25 soup kitchens in four states. What is very interesting about this company is that all products are hand handcrafted, and each candle is carefully prepared, packaged and shi
pped by people in their workshop. They guarantee a high quality, long burning candle that pools evenly and delivers fragrance from the first light to last. This company has been surprisingly successful and they only plan to keep growing.
This young man, and his company are very inspiring to young people and he shows that entrepreneurship has no age. This young man started his company at 13 by simply noticing that candles are very femininely scented. Hart then created his product in pursuit of a goal, buying himself a bike. All entrepreneurial ideas start with a problem and I believe this demonstrates that concept perfectly. He noticed there were no manly scented candles, and wanted to do something about it. From that, the Beaver Creek Candle Company was born. As a person this shows that Hart is very goal driven, determined and innovative. Hart Main is also genuinely a great person and this is shown by his efforts to help soup kitchens by giving them soup and a portion of all of his sales. He is a great guy with great intentions and I hope this is an insight to others of what makes great entrepreneurs.
Creator of DrivenMedia, Ed Hollands (23)
One day, while in traffic, Ed Hollands had a “light bulb” moment. He saw three commercial trucks with completely blank sides and thought about how to utilize that space. The idea he came up with has made him a lot of money, 7,800 pounds per truck to be exact. On an average day in the UK, 55,000 people will view the advertisements that Hollands has placed on commercial vehicles. His startup, DrivenMedia, collects the, already mentioned, 7,800 pounds per vehicle plus VAT for a twelve month package. In addition to that, production costs for each vehicle is around 5,500 pounds. Hollands idea has proven to be very lucrative.
When questioned about his age, Hollands responded, “When making deals there have been some people who have doubted my capabilities because of my inexperience. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite, I am willing to bend over backwards to make opportunities work for my clients and investors.” He has taken on the stigma surrounding young entrepreneurs regarding experience and has flipped it on its head. Instead of focusing on the problem of inexperience, he has focused on his vision of innovating marketing in the UK. Traditionally, advertising done near transportation is on stationary platforms such as billboards. Hollands has innovated that industry by mobilizing advertisements. Companies now have the opportunity to advertise over a larger span of land, allowing for more people to view their advertisement.
Hollands has inspired me to think and work beyond the stigma that young people are too inexperienced. Rather than looking at that inexperience, I see youth as a new perspective to be brought to a situation. Clearly, Hollands displays self-belief in that he believes in himself and what he’s doing. He is motivated and is determined. His flexibility is displayed through his willingness to bend over backwards for his clients and investors. Hollands has found a niche in an industry for himself and has utilized his innovation to make money. His leadership and innovation are both impressive.
When people think of multi- millionaire estate tycoons, most don’t picture a 19 year old. However, most people aren’t Akshay Ruparelia. This young man has redefined the housing industry, owning the 14th largest estate industry in the UK. His company, Doorsteps.co.uk, makes selling your house easier than selling your car. Furthermore, they take away the steep prices of real-estate agents and help you sell your house from the comfort of your own home.
Ruparelia is the son of two deaf parents and currently is their main caregiver. When he was young, he saw first-hand many business practices that he deemed unfair. He especially saw this in the housing industry. Shocked by the high commissions estate agents charged for such a me
nial task, Ruparelia decided to do something about it. In December of 2016, he launched his online website Doorsteps.co.uk. This site created a network of quality estate agents that could guide customers through the process of selling their house without the steep prices of normal agents. It cuts away the massive overhead pricings, and allows the buyers to be more involved in the process.
Ruparelia found the niche in the stagnant industry by changing the way his company approaches customer service. “Why, oh why, do we give away £20,000 worth of bricks and mortar in our properties to estate agents? For doing what exactly? Putting the house on the internet?” he asked. Instead, he envisioned estate agencies that put their customers first and charged dues that reflected that mindset. Thus, he charges an upfront price and doesn’t get any commission on the actual sale of the house. Ruparelia leads the charge of agents, selling his first house in the middle of his exams, and ensures that customers receive the service he envisioned.
This site is simple to use, and allows people to sell their houses without ever needing to leave their couches. People simply fill out an online survey or call the 24 hour customer service hotline, and they are connected with an experienced, self-employed estate agent. The agent speaks with them and helps them determine the best package that fits their needs. After the package is approved and the listing is official, the agent posts the sale on different online sites. People sit back and watch their dedicated agent sell 
their house, all for less than one hundred pounds. ‘
As the teenager continues to take the industry by storm, he doesn’t forget his goals of a customer centered company. It seems this mindset is paying off, as his company is ranked in the top five for customer service. The press has described his company as the “Uber of the property world.” In an extremely competitive market, Ruparelia’s company has already taken 0.5% of the UK market and is valued at over 12 million pounds. With all of this success, Ruparelia shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to pursue simple selling so his customers can move on.
We often taken the websites that we use for granite and never tend to think about who exactly created them. Many people use “Tumblr” and the creator of that is a man by the name of David Karp. Karp created the website in 2007 when he was just 21 years old. He embodies the types of characteristics that all entrepreneurs must have in order to achieve success. He is driven, refuses to accept failure, and he made his vision become a reality by working at it everyday. Tumblr is a micro-blogging website for its users and he recently sold it to Yahoo and now has an estimated net worth of $200 million. What is unique about Karp is the fact that he did not let his age stop him from achieving his dreams. It was difficult for him to garner respect due to the fact that he was so young, but none of that bothered him. Tumblr is still extremely popular even with many others competitors emerging once they caught wind about blogging websites. It remains popular because it is often the first blogging website that comes to people’s minds and Karp made sure of that with savvy advertising and publicity. Karp was able to sell his empire to Yahoo for a reported $1.1 billion and the website is now valued at over $800 million. All of this happened with one man and a crazy idea. I learned that sometimes it does not take a large group of people and all kinds of planning in order to make a great idea. Sometimes all it takes is a self-driven person and a computer. An unstoppable work ethic and vision is the perfect formula to get someone started on their path towards success. He consistently worked towards his goal, and it did not happen overnight. Success takes time and Karp stands by that. If what he did was easy, everyone would be doing it, but they are not.
It is such a pain to move someone in or out of their house. It usually requires a team of people who are close with the person that is moving, and sometimes not everybody is available. Sometimes moving companies are hired, yes, but they can consist of some old dudes that move really slow and are not motivated to get the job completed. If only there was a way to help people move in and out a lot quicker. Now, we turn to the people classified as collegiate men. They are full of energy and are usually looking for a chance to make a quick buck here or there, whether it be for textbooks, movies or going out to the bar. There is definitely a connection here.
“On a hot summer’s day in 2003, two college buddies borrowed a beat-up cargo van and dubbed themselves College Hunks Hauling Junk.” Withing a short period of time, College Hunks expanded its franchising efforts and took off across the United States and Canada. College Hunks is a moving service that will also haul junk out of your house if that is what plan you pick. This just goes to show that you can literally start a company off of anything and you really do not need any experience to make a living (for certain jobs, of course). Moving houses is definitely a pain in the butt, and it is awesome to see that a company with smiling faces and dedication to what they do is out there.
I think that this is one of the best company ideas out there, and it was created pretty much out of nowhere and without any experience. They had the concept of thinking about what people struggle with and decided to do the dirty work themselves. On top of earning a bunch of awards since the founding of the company, they have a very good reputation and always leave their customers satisfied. That is a critical part in the business realm; without happy customers, you will not get any business… no business, no revenue. The idea of College Hunks is very inspiring and creative. I would definitely consider using their business one day.
Resource: https://collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/about/
Lindsay McCormick created a better product that you wouldn’t think needed changing. McCormick created toothpaste pills that come in glass bottles. She created toothpaste bits because 1 billion toothpaste tubes end up in landfills every year. The glass bottle is meant to be reused for refills and the pills become foamy like toothpaste right away after biting. This young woman took a problem and passion she had and ran with it. She created a product that saves people money on toothpaste, and reduces toothpaste tubes that end up in landfills yearly. Here is a link to a video to hear more on her story and the product, https://www.businessinsider.com/this-toothpaste-pill-comes-in-sustainable-packaging-bite-toothpaste-bits-2018-9?r=UK&IR=T
Lewis Hornby, a London student came up with a genius solution to helping patients with dementia drink water. Hornby noticed that his grandmother wasn’t drinking enough and that people with dementia, “no longer feel thirst, don’t know how to quench thirst, or don’t have the dexterity to drink”. So he created colorful “candies” which are made up of mostly water, with gelling agents and electrolytes making up just 10% of their composition. Which are presented in packaging reminiscent of a box of chocolates. He tested out how well the product would work on his grandmother and, “When first offered, grandma ate seven Jelly Drops in 10 minutes, the equivalent to a cup full of water—something that would usually take hours and require much more assistance”. Hornby created a solution to a problem by thinking outside of the box and presenting a life necessity, water, in fun and easier way for people with dementia to drink water and stay hydrated. Here is a video and the article about the “Jelly Drops”, https://mymodernmet.com/lewis-hornby-jelly-drops/