Gabrielle Jordan was 9 when she started her own business. Inspired by 4 previous generations of entrepreneurs in her family, Gabrielle started to sell jewelry to her friends at school and through that her business grew to what is now called Jewlez of Jordan which is a high end online jewelry business that goes to boutiques, trunk shows, fashion shows and other events. Gabrielle’s jewelry is unique and is inspired by a timeless beauty that she wants to reflect by her handcrafted one-of-a-kind pieces made with gemstones, crystals and cultured pearls. Gabrielle did not stop with her jewelry business but moved on to inspire other young entrepreneurs by co-founding the ExCEL Youth Mentoring Institute. ExCEL Youth Mentoring Institution is a youth-based online mentoring cite offering resources for entrepreneurship and leadership development. Gabriel also wrote a book, The Making of a Young Entrepreneur: A kids Guide to Developing the Mind-Set for Success. All this has given her the opportunity to become a speaker at many conferences, schools, and community events. Gabriel also has appeared on many news and online publications. Gabriel is also the host of The UV Effect Podcast, this podcast helps listeners discover their unique value, where it gets the name. Through all of this Gabrielle is an inspiration in the entrepreneurial world encouraging and educating new entrepreneurs in their journey of entrepreneurship.
Archive for Millennial Entrepreneurs – Page 5
Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman are the founders of the bracelet and jewelry company, Pura Vida. Pura Vida was started when Thall and Goodman visited Costa Rica in 2010 while they were both still college students. While there, they fell in love with the place, the colors, and the easy going lifestyle that was common in Costa Rica. They met two people who were making bracelets on the streets. Thall and Goodman were distraught when they found out that these two people, while making and selling beautiful bracelets, were struggling to survive and support their families. Wanting to find a way to help, they ordered 400 bracelets and brought them back to San Diego, where they proceeded to sell them all in one small shop within a few days.
Determined to continue to make a difference, Thall and Goodman started the Pura Vida company, which means “pure life”. The brand is meant to represent the little things in life and slowing down to live life to the fullest. Pura Vida is now working with numerous artisans in Costa Rica, selling the handmade bracelets in hundreds of color combinations, all around the world. They are currently working with over 800 artisans in Costa Rica, as well as in El Salvador, and India, giving the artisans an opportunity to generate a steady and stable income to support themselves and their families.
The simple action of seeing the struggle of bracelet makers in Costa Rica gave Thall and Goodman the idea to create a company and a movement to help not only the people they met on their trip, but others with similar stories, by giving them an outlet to reach a greater market with their bracelets. This simple idea of wax coated string bracelets has now turned into a company that sells millions of bracelets world wide every year, while supporting artisans who would not otherwise be able to have that type of reach.
A billion. It’s a number that seems impossible to picture in our minds. It’s one that counts our population, our galaxy, and it could make up seemingly infinite lifetimes. For most people, this idea of the billion exists only in the hypothetical or in the things beyond this world. So, when someone achieves it, it leaves the world wondering how.
In March of 2019, Kylie Jenner was listed by Forbes Magazine as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire at twenty-one-years old. TV jumpstarted her fame Kylie’s name when she appeared on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians when she was just ten years old. Since then, she’s used her name to create her brand. She started with endorsements for beauty companies. In 2013, Kylie had 2 nail polishes named after her as a part of a Kardashian Colors nail polish kit from Nicole by API. In the same year, she and her sister Kendall started a clothing line with Pac Sun and a jewelry line with Pascal Mouawad’s Glamhouse.
In 2015, Kylie decided to create a lipstick line pf her own, which she called the “Kylie Jenner Lip Kit.” Jenner said she took inspiration from her love of make-up tutorials and using makeup to make her lips look fuller. She started selling the lip kits for $29 online and they sold out right away. She created an app for the company and then changed the name to “Kylie Cosmetics” in 2016. Since, she’s started selling at Ulta Beauty, a decision that led her to make $54.5 million in six months. Being one of the most-followed people on social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, social media has been a major medium for promoting her products. It’s the power of social media,” Kylie said on the topic, “I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.” In fact, Ulta itself hasn’t done any marketing for the brand, which, the company has said just doesn’t happen. Kylie’s management of her social media pages has really made Kylie Cosmetics.
Part of the success of Kylie’s sales relies on scarcity. The company launches a set amount of products at a time, and each time, they sell out. The company continues to grow as it includes more makeup products, and Forbes magazine estimates that the company is currently worth 900 million dollars. Kylie Jenner is a successful entrepreneur by using her social media to market her brand to makeup users. In conclusion, Kylie truly captures the image of a millennial entrepreneur, using current media to create a brand for herself.
One of the most recognizable faces on the internet these days, Lilly Singh first got her start on YouTube under the name, IISuperwomanII. Her story really begins after she graduated from York University with a degree in Psychology. She has since stated in YouTube videos that after her graduation, she struggled with depression. When she started making videos later in 2010, she found it to be a therapeutic outlet. According to Lilly, she chose the name “Superwoman” because that’s what she called herself when she was younger when she “wanted to deal with life’s obstacles like a hero.”
Her channel soon took off and her tomboy, down-to-earth personality became her staple. As her fanbase grew, so did recognition of her “catchphrase” and signature red lipstick, so in 2016, she launched her own lipstick line called “Bawse.” The next year, she released her first book, How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life, for which she went on tour for a few months later on in 2017.
Lilly has always made sure to stay connected to her audience, going on tour in 2015 (for her documentary, A Trip to Unicorn Island) and in 2017 (book tour), filming daily vlogs on her second channel, and regularly having live-streams where fans can ask her questions.
Her success is likely due to her unique style, but also her constantly trying something new besides just YouTube videos. Just this past March, it was announced that Lilly will host her own late-night talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh, which premiered this September.
In just nine years, Lilly went from a depressed college grad to touring the world, having her own lipstick brand, writing a book, achieving 14.9 million subscribers, and hosting her own show on NBC. With the help of the internet, Lilly Singh branded and marketed her signature personality to the world.
Ever wondered if theirs someone out there whos just perfect for you? That just gets you for you? That’s what was on the mind of the man who gave us one of the most revolutionary dating apps of our time. Sean Rad, the creator of Tinder was asking himself those very same questions and more when he launched this app all the way back in 2012. He says the idea came to him when thinking about people want to communicate and how they want to introduce themselves to other people for the first time. He says “no matter who you are, you feel more comfortable approaching somebody if you know they want you to approach them.” While he designed Tinder so that people could find their potential partner, he also saw it as a way to alleviate the stress of meeting new people. It took less than a year for Tinder to become of the top 25 most used social networking apps online.
Initially, it was not a swipe left or swipe right match making system but started off as the user had to choose betweene clicking a green heart or a red X based on the photo. Shortly after their transition from clicks to swipes in October 2014, they starting getting more than a billion swipes per day and match making shot up to almost 12 million matches per day as well. Tinder was also allegedly the first “swipe app”, an idea that came from one of their co-founders Jonathan Badeen when he began to wipe off a foggy mirror in his bathroom. Something so completely and utterly random, yet it changed how we use apps to this day.
They also rebranded and added several features as years went on such as adding the “rewinding” function, that allowed users to go back and correct if they accidently swipe left or right. Again shortly afterward they introduced the “Super Like” feature, allows non-paying users to Super Like one profile every 24 hours for free. Tinder has quite literally changed the dating game and how we go about meeting and interacting with new people, even if we are not looking for a significant other.
Have had a last-minute cram? Tried to Google answers to a quiz (not that any Grover would)? or Tried needed to make and catalog flash cards online?
At 15 years old Andrew Sutherland started Quizlet. This online, and now app-based, service allows students to create, share, and view series of flashcards. These cards can be grouped be class/course number as well as a general topic title. As the service has grown- several subscription services are available to both remove adds and not limit content. Sutherland furthered his education by attending MIT for three years. Sutherland dropped out to further his venture. Quizlet, now approaching 40 Million Users, raised $30 Million in it’s last round of financing.
The new ‘Quizlet Pro’ gives users unlimited access and storage for a fee of $20 a year. This platform continues to expand, now offering ‘Quizlet Full’ in seven languages.
I find this platform intriguing as, aside from serves, the company does not have large physical assets- rather, the information and content is created and cataloged by users themselves. This self-perpetuating model is scale-able and long-term, as the more users, the more content, more content means appealing to more users, so on and so forth.
(L to R) Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper owners of 4Ocean, a company that actively removes trash from the ocean. Photo by Tim Stepien.
I’m sure we’ve all seen ads from time to time about 4Ocean – the company that sells bracelets and puts money towards cleaning up our oceans. In the last few months, I’ve seen an increase in these ads before Youtube videos and I’ve wondered who it is that’s behind this endeavor.
As it turns out, there are two people: Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze. Recently, these two made it to the 2019 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 for their efforts. So how did it all start?
In 2015, Cooper and Schulze went on a surfing trip to Bali and were appalled by the amount of plastic they found in the ocean. As we are learning in class, they found trouble and sought to fix it. By 2017, they were selling the bracelets we all know of today as a way to fund the cleanup effort. According to the organization, the bracelets are made of recycled materials and each represents a pound of trash that will be removed. 4Ocean has since created more products to help fund the effort, but the bracelets remain the most widely known. According to an article in PR Newswire, “By creating jobs, utilizing the latest technology and raising awareness about the impact of trash in the ocean, the company is building the first economy for ocean plastic and creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for the ocean.”
Cooper and Schulze are excellent examples of entrepreneurs who used their passion to change how the world sees a problem. They are both surfers, fishermen, and divers. They spend much of their time around the water and were perfectly suited to see and frame the problem of plastic in the ocean in a way that many people around the world have not known. They did not just say that there was a problem, but they showed pictures and gave people a simple way that they could help – all with the easy purchase of a recycled bracelet. Every time a customer would look at the bracelet, they would be reminded of the ongoing problem and the fight to clean the world’s oceans. By presenting the problem in a way that gave people something easy to do and inspiring them with the need, they made the daunting task of cleaning up the oceans seem very possible and even exciting.
Sources:
https://4ocean.com/about/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4ocean-co-founders-andrew-cooper-and-alex-schulze-named-forbes-30-under-30-social-entrepreneurs-300750165.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/07/4oceans-cleaned-up-1-million-pounds-of-ocean-garbage.html
Sam Kolder is a social media star from Canada who is best known as a filmmaker, editor and photographer. He travels the world in search of the next big thing to documents in some way and share with the millions of people he influences and inspires. He acquired this fame from his Beautiful Destinations video, which has been uploaded on his photosharing app and YouTube channel ‘kold’.
He has more than 7.1 million followers on Instagram and more than 145k subscribers on his YouTube channel. These numbers are no surprise to someone who has spent time looking through his Instagram feed or YouTube channel. The images and footage he captures are breathtaking and incredibly unique. He is sponsored by numerous companies such as Marriot and MVMT apparel. These endorsements give him the financial capabilities to travel the world and continue to inspire people. Being just 21 years old, he is quite the young entrepreneur. Another form of income for his is through editing footage for different organizations. He is one of the most skilled editors I have ever seen and is using that to his advantage to make considerable earnings.
Ben Shapiro was born in Los Angeles, California in 1984 to a Jewish family that was originally from Russia and Lithuania. At a very young age, Shapiro acquired impressive skills in violin and piano, a testament to how brilliant his mind was at such a young age. He skipped two grades (3rd and 9th) during his early life and ended up graduating high school at the age of 16. When he was 17, he began to write the first book he would publish, Brainwashed; How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth. Along with beginning his first book, he also wrote a nationally syndicated column. This is a wonderful example of a young person who embraced his talents and natural genius to not just provide a source of income for himself, but also to get his career rolling.
He attended the University of California, Los Angeles for his bachelors and Harvard Law School for his masters. Utilizing his education, experience in the world of politics, and incredible knowledge, he founded a right-wing, online news-source called DailyWire. Shapiro spends much of his time speaking on shows, running podcasts, and speaking at events.
At the age of 4, Mikaila was stung by a bee. She then became fascinated in honeybees and after taking on a research assignment in school, found out that their population is dying. Determined to make a difference, Mikaila set out to createa business to save the honeybee population.
Mikaila took her great grandmother’s flaxseed lemonade recipe, added local honey to it, and donated the profits to efforts to save the dying bee population. And we aren’t just talking about an 11-year-old’s lemonade stand. Mikaila received $60,000 on Shark Tank to grow Me and the bees lemonade. Mikaila’s now a millionaire from Whole Foods picking up her lemonade brand for $11 million.
What we can all learn from Mikaila, though, is to follow your passion and stick to it. Even though Mikaila runs a wildly successful company, she still sticks to her original mission—saving the honeybee population. A portion of her profits still goes to her original cause.