It is safe to say we all have heard that we will never have to work a day in our life if we love what we do. George Matus took those words to heart and did just that. At the age of 12, while everyone else was hunched over on social media, he built a flying quadcopter. For those who do no know what a quadcopter is, a quadcopter is a mini helicopter with 4 rotors. He had a passion for drones and fast flying technology. Matus flew everything that the drone companies made, and he was confronted with multiple problems with how restrictive the technology was. At that age of 16 he became an entrepreneur, whether he knew it or not, and decided to invent a drone that met his standards. He saw a problem and decided to do something about it, a great demonstration of what every entrepreneur some day hopes to do. Matus is the CEO of his own drone company, and had not even graduated yet. He has big goals for his business and plans on growing and expanding what other possibilities he can do. Matus says ,”The advice I would give to young entrepreneurs is to really find what interests you, and then it doesn’t feel like work.”
Archive for Millennial Enrepreneuers – Page 21
There is a Vitamin A Deficiency that effects 250 million children a year. This 350,000 children with Vitamin A Deficiency will go blind and half of these children will die within twelve months of losing their sight. Clearly this is a huge epidemic in our world and the founders of Jonas Paul Eye Wear saw this and created a social enterprise.
Ben and Laura Harrison founded Jonas Paul Eye Wear in 2013, using their son as inspiration. 
Their son was born blind but through a series of twenty-one surgeries, regained a small amount of his vision. Through the process of finding glasses for their son, they realized that there were no fashionable glasses for children. This is the main fuel for Jonas Paul Eye Wear. The couple began designing glasses to help children feel good in their glasses.
In addition to designing fashionable glasses for children, Ben and Laura Harrison also used this company as a platform to assist in the Vitamin A Deficiency. 
So, the Harrisons decided to partner with Christian Blind Mission (CBM) by donating to CBM every time a frame is sold. CBM promotes foods rich in Vitamin A and provides Vitamin A supplements to two children for a year just from one frame bought from Jonas Paul Eye Wear.
Jonas Paul Eye Wear did a fantastic job of finding a simple problem and relating that simple problem to a larger problem that is happening on a global scale. Ben and Laura Harrison saw their son’s need for fashionable glasses and saw the Vitamin A Deficiency epidemic happening across the globe. In addition to this, Ben and Laura Harrison also show their entrepreneurial spirit through the fact that they quit their stable jobs to establish this company. This proves that connecting something personal with something global and taking big risks can pay off.
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/
Ed Hollands: DrivenMedia
Picture a rainy-day commute through the city; traffic piling up, staring out your window at all the other cars and trucks. You can’t even enjoy your favorite view of the city because there are too many tall trucks and vans in the way. This is where 23-year-old Ed Holland found himself and then suddenly it hit him. What if you could turn a profit off the view that is blocked; more specifically what if he could find a way to sell unique advertising on all those blank trucks and vans? He took this thought and ran with it, creating a startup called Driven Media.
There was an unrecognized opportunity by many businesses that Ed had uncovered. His company will wrap trucks with advertisements. The innovation around Ed’s business comes in the form of tracking the impressions the vehicle advertisements have. DrivenMedia contracts with companies whose drivers are on the road at least 5 days a week and uses their GPS trackers to ensure the ads are being seen. Each day a typical trailer or truck is seen by an average of 55,000 people. When you break down the cost per 1000 impressions, it is quite a valuable deal for the companies that contract with DrivenMedia. Ed’s company sells 12-month packages and it has proved to be a very profitable niche.
Reading about Ed’s story it affirmed to me the simplicity and excitement that lies in the everyday life in respect to the possibility of innovation. Even when you are not necessarily looking to innovate thoughts can just materialize in your head and change your life completely. It has reminded me to not only recognize problems in life and complain, but to then continue those thoughts into forming possible solutions. No pain, no sale. Never underestimate the power hidden in your problems.
Click above to be directed to DrivenMedia website
Eterneva
“Makes memorial diamonds out of the cremated remains of loved ones.”
This startup was born from personal loss. The founder, Adelle Archer, lost her mentor to a battle with pancreatic cancer. She discovered the lack of options of ways to commemorate loved ones. The business Archer was working for at the time was researching diamond development that, combined with a trend in cremation over burials led her to wonder if the carbon from the ashes of loved ones could be used to create diamonds. She found a few other companies were successfully doing so and began working on her own way of sentimentally including passed loved ones in life. Eterneva sends a small portion of ashes to Amsterdam where the eight month process begins. Unlike competitors, Enterneva includes the buyers in the process by sending text updates throughout the eight months. They build close relationships with their customers throughout this time and appreciate the person being memorialized. Customers can also pick from a variety of colors- traditional clear, red, pink, yellow, blue,green, and black. Many families pick colors that were special to their loved ones.
Will this be an accepted way to move foreword in grief?
Admittedly, this does sound a bit strange at first. However, Archer explains, diamonds allow people to pass the memory of loved ones down generations where ashes in urns do not. At first I thought who would ever turn someone they loved into a piece of jewelry? The more I read about this idea, the more it began to make sense to me. Life is beautiful, why would we not want to commemorate it in a way that reflects the beautiful people we get to share it with? This is a deeply connective idea, I believe there is truth in saying the diamonds can be an excellent way to grieve losing a loved one and still feel connected to them.
What is the cost of Eterneva?
Diamonds made naturally are pricey to begin with, how does Eterneva compare? Eternrava asks $7,000 for .5 carat diamonds. It is in fact more expensive than natural diamonds, however these diamonds have a much more emotional factor to them.
I am sure nowadays everyone either knows or has in some way heard the name Airbnb or personally used the app. This app has completely revolutionized to travel and hotel industry and was created by some of the youngest entrepreneurs. The co-founder of Airbnb is only 37 years old named Brian Chesky .When he first got started with his business he was only 27 years old. I found him and his business interesting because he completely innovated the hotel business with his business. Before his business if you wanted to stay somewhere you had basically three options. You would have to stay in a hotel, motel, or with a friend or family. If you didn’t have any friends or family in the area you were forced to settle with spending the money. Airbnb changed that.
So far, about 44.8 million adults are using Airbnb worldwide. In 2014 their website surpassed 800,000 listings. That means they have surpassed Hilton Worldwide, the InterContinental Hotels Group or any other hotel chain in the world in logging numbers. The business is only getting bigger and bigger each year as well.
When asked about what he credits his success to he said, “childlike curiosity and wonder…[is] probably the most important trait you can have, especially as an entrepreneur.” His promotion of the importance of a young perspective is inspiring because it gives me hope that I could possibly come up with a successful idea just like he did.
I am also inspired to look for the mashups. He saw people who needed places to stay who also didn’t want to pay a ton and placed them with people who were willing to rent out their own property. They found a way for people to make money using things they already own and to satisfy the need for travelers to have a cheaper more homelike stay.
People like Chesky are helping to inspire young thinkers everywhere to believe in their ideas and try to make a difference in the world every day.
Diabetes is a disease which affects the lives of many across the world. In Cameroon, Vanessa Zommi has felt its affects firsthand, losing both grandparents to it and seeing her mother suffer from it as well. Vanessa, then just a teenager, decided that she could not just sit by and do nothing to help the 15% of people in her city of Buea who suffered from the disease. After researching a variety of natural treatments, Vanessa found the moringa oleifera tree. This tree, native to her region, has leaves which can be used to ease digestion, boost energy, provide nutrients, and, most importantly, lower the body’s sugar levels. Upon this discovery, she acquired leaves from local farmers to test her idea for a moringa leaf tea which could be a simple and inexpensive treatment for those with diabetes.
By the age of seventeen, Vanessa had begun a company for the manufacturing of Emerald Moringa Tea and was selling it locally at low prices so that it could be easily affordable to those in poverty. She also worked with the local farmers, teaching them how to plant and grow the moringa tree as a way to make money.
Vanessa grew up with a love and understanding of social entrepreneurship after helping her mother sell computers to support her family. Her innovative spirit got her far, earning her a place as a finalist for Africa’s Anzisha Prize for young entrepreneurs.
More information about Vanessa Zommi and Emerald Moringa Tea can be found here and here.
Moziah Bridges was only 12 years old when he become the CEO of his own bow tie company, Mo’s Bows. Inspired to start his company at the age of nine by his dad, who he would see dress very nice every day, Moziah asked his mom and grandmother for help on learning how to sew. This led Moziah to making his first ever hand-crafted bow tie. Believing that he had a good product, he started to sell his product online and in retail stores throughout Memphis. From there his business started to gain traction and the demand for his bow ties started to go beyond his local town, “I think the reason Mo’s Bows first caught on among consumers is the same reason it’s successful today. Every bow tie is hand crafted and made in America, and they’re all extremely colorful. There’s a lot of personality behind my line,” says Bridges. Throughout Mo’s Bows growth Moziah has stayed extremely involved in the entire process. He picks and approves all of the fabrics and patterns that go into making every bow tie. Of course everything is not solely run by him, his family helps out in every way that they can.
Mo’s Bows and Moziah Bridges become so popular that he started making TV appearances on a variety of different shows. Shows such as, the Steve Harvey Show, Today, and Good Morning America. He wanted to inform as many people as he could about the brand he was building. Things really started to explode after he made an appearance on an episode of Shark Tank in April of 2014. Moziah did not land a deal with one of the sharks but was offered mentorship by Daymond John. Moziah Bridges still is working with Daymond to help grow his business to this day, “Working with Daymond has really helped me take Mo’s Bows to the next level. He guides me through the practical aspects of running and growing a company”. Moziah’s goal is to grow into a full blown fashion line domestically and internationally. This growth has provided Mo’s Bows with amazing opportunities. These opportunities have involved being a fashion correspondent at the NBA draft and receiving an invitation to the White House where he was able to present Obama with his own blue tie.
The reach of Mo’s Bows company was growing, and Moziah wanted to do something good with it. This led him to start Go Mo which were bow ties where 100 percent of the proceeds went to send troubled Memphis children to summer camp in the summer. To date the charity has sent over 50 kids to summer camps in Memphis. Now Mo’s Bows has sold over $300,000 worth of bow ties and Moziah Bridges is still only in high school. Incredible!