Jack Parsons’ story is a powerful story of overcoming trials and using his personal experiences to fuel his success as an entrepreneur. Growing up, Parsons faced a lot of major obstacles, primarily a lack of support and guidance. However, these challenges did not stop him from pursuing his dreams. At the young age of 26, Jack Parsons founded The Youth Group, a UK-based organization that works to support “vulnerable young people in achieving their potential.” Through his work, Parsons has created a group that offers endless opportunities to millions of young people. Parsons’ work with The Youth Group highlights the importance specifically of social entrepreneurship and the role that young entrepreneurs can play regarding these issues.
Archive for Social Entrepreneur
Shawn Seipler was once at a hotel in Minneapolis when the question struck him, “What do they do with the soap when I’m done with it?” When he asked the front desk, he was told they just throw the soap away. He saw how wasteful of a practice it was, and began to mentally brew potential solutions. Soon (once he was back at home in Florida), he created a makeshift work station in his garage, and had his family helping him to melt, sanitize, and reform bars of soap. Shawn was able to collect bars from several hotels around Orlando, and his first completed batch was 2,000 recycled bars strong. Shawn was able to bring himself and them to an impoverished area of Haiti. When he arrived at the church where he would hand them out, a crowd five times the size of his soap supply was waiting for him. Before this point, Shawn was aware of the great need that Haitian people had for hygiene supplies, but upon learning of how many of them died every day of disease, and seeing how grateful they were to receive soap, he knew his social enterprise had to continue. Shawn founded Clean the World in 2009, and since then the organization has expanded the scale of its operation, now donating to 115 countries (including homeless shelters in the US), it has diverted more than 28 million pounds of waste from landfills and donated over 87 million bars of soap. It has also expanded its range to include recycling the plastic of small liquid soap bottles.
The process of recycling the soap used by Clean the World is the same in its fundamentals as what Shawn Seipler used initially in his garage. Though at first his team was using potato peelers, meat grinders, and cookers, the work done by the industrial-quality equipment they now possess is doing the same things at a larger scale. The modern process is as follows: First, the bars are extruded into pellets and ground so that all foreign particles are removed. Then, the soap is sterilized by heating. Next, there is another round of pelleting and grinding to eliminate any potential remaining particles. Lastly, the soap is turned back into fresh bars. Clean the World now has recycling centers all over the earth, helping to prevent waste and provide for those in need.
My Sources:
The afterlife of hotel soap | CNN
How Used Hotel Soap Could ‘Clean the World’ | Inc.com
Shawn Seipler doing his part to ‘Clean the World’ – Kenosha.com
Simone Hufana is a great example to college students of how it is totally possible for students to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors and be incredibly successful at it.
Simone started out with a passion for bringing women of color to the spotlight. She developed a clear goal and started taking systematic steps towards it. She was purposeful about engaging in the community and understanding how people felt and what they experienced. Thinking through the ways that she could make the most impact was crucial for her. She networked, attended workshops, used social media, and soon developed a brand with a specific audience.
Her initial idea was to create a coloring book that represented women of color who were influential. ColorHerStory was trying to change the lack of representation of successful and accomplishing women specifically in education. Market research consisted of understanding the needs of her target audience. she sent out surveys engaged with educators and parents
In 2017 she hit a milestone when she won Shopify’s beast mode a business competition. This showed that the business world recognized her work and the talents and passion that went on behind her business.
Simone’s still developing story is inspiring to young people who have passion’s and visions that are just waiting to come to life. She exemplifies creativity and bravery additionally; she was not afraid to go into coloring books which one would think are a boring market but that actually have a lot of value interest and impact especially in education. In a way she discovered a secret that nobody else was solving in the way she chose to and she has been relentless in pursing success for her mission.
If you’ve watched Stranger Things on Netflix, I bet you’ve heard of the starring actress Millie Bobby Brown. She took the world by storm as Eleven, kickstarting her career as a talented actress. Many people know her, but fewer know her as an entrepreneur. She gained huge amounts of recognition and popularity from her roles in Stranger Things and other shows and movies in her teenage years. This fanbase gave her a platform to launch her own business at only 15. In 2019, Millie started Florence by Mills, a clean fragrance and cosmetics company. She named her business after her great-grandma, Florence, whose love for life and self-expression inspired her. After sitting in hundreds of makeup chairs for acting roles, Millie discovered her cosmetics preferences and realized that makeup should be about self-love. The vision of her brand is focused on the enhancement of natural beauty and artistic expression. She was adamant about making her products clean with no harsh chemical or toxic ingredients or animal testing. Millie created the Olivia Hope Foundation, a fund inspired by her friend Liv, who battled leukemia. Florence by Mills donates to this fund in support of finding a cure for childhood cancers. In February 2024, Millie expanded her brand by launching Florence by Mills clothing, a sustainable clothing brand with an emphasis on loungewear and activewear designed for comfort and style. This brand dominates a portion of their revenue to Girls Inc., One Tree Planted, and Joey’s Friends as Millie has expressed her passion for charity work for women, the environment, and animals. Millie’s businesses have both flourished because of their quality products and positive impacts. She turned her commercial endeavors into social enterprises that give back to the community. Millie’s positivity, creativity, and empathy are embodied in her brands, and her products are high quality, affordable, and fun to use.
Check out her clothing and beauty brand.
Safiya Nygaard is a very successful American Youtuber from Chicago, Illinois. She attended Standford University, studying English and Drama. She quickly noticed her love for production and began working for BuzzFeed in 2015. She started her career at BuzzFeed creating the popular show called Ladylike with a few others. After she left BuzzFeed she was able to put more effort into her own YouTube channel. She has gained over 10 million subscribers since she started posting on her channel in 2017.
Collabs, New Brand, and Other Opportunities:
YouTubers certainly are entrepreneurs but not what some people would think. YouTubers advertise content and as they come into their “voice” that then turns into a brand and this has been successful for many YouTubers including Safiya. Safiya has been able to be a part of many great projects and opportunities. Some of these projects include creating a lipstick collection with popular makeup brand: ColourPop. Aswell as collaborating with fellow YouTuber Cristine Rotenberg AKA Simplynailogical with a limited-edition collection of nail polish from Cristine’s brand Holo Taco. Safiya also owns her own apparel brand called Fiendish Behavior which is a perfect embodiment of who she is. She has added her makeup experiments to her hoodies, t-shirts, stickers, tote bags, blankets, and sweats. Safiya would call her clothing style as “comfortable vampire” which means wearing all black in comfortable styles and textures.
She is known for her series called “Bad Beauty Science” which essentially means mixing large amounts of a single type of products and creating a “Franken” etc (She has mixed almost every type of makeup product together). This has iterated into many off shoots of channel topics. She loves testing “Weird Fashion” such as Platform Crocs, 9-foot-long jeans and many many more. Recently she has moved into showcasing her cool travel opportunities with her husband also fellow YouTuber Tyler Williams. They have visited an underwater hotel, slept in an Igloo, slept in a Japanese Capsule Hotel, and again many other places. As a fellow viewer and subscriber, I like to say she is an investigative channel of weird things but weird is a good thing because that makes the content very interesting. I found her channel in 2018 so I have been a loyal lover of her content for 7 years and still enjoy every aspect of her videos. One other detail I would like to mention is when she has a video idea she will do whatever it takes to complete it just because she is that interested in the topic. Some of my favorite longer more deep dive type videos include, “I Stayed At Every Hotel On The Vegas Strip”, “I Ate At Every Celebrity Chef’s Restaurant On The Vegas Strip”, and “I Got An 18th Century Makeover” just to name a few. In her 18th Century Makeover video she got the opportunity to live out her childhood dreams and visit Colonial Williamsburg and get to wear 18th century attire and get to participate in activities there. In her earlier videos she would mention how she wanted to go to Colonial Williamsburg and now she finally got to go. It was really cool for me as a fan to see her get to visit a place she always talks about, and I was very invested in videos like these.
Conclusion:
These videos take a lot of time, planning, and funding. I am amazed at the work that is put into these videos from Safiya, Tyler and their team. Both of them are also relatively young being 32 and 33 years old. They all have been working very hard on this channel and brand since they graduated college. As a long story short I really wanted to showcase at least one YouTuber in the blog post agenda and I think it is a very interesting type on Entrepreneur to research.
Here is Safiya’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbAwSkqJ1W_Eg7wr3cp5BUA
(I tried every method but I was unable to add any pictures, her thumbnails are really eye catching)
If you thought MVP meant Most Valuable Player, you would be wrong. When Tim Tebow uses MVP, he means Most Vulnerable Person.
Years ago I was able to hear Pam Tebow speaking at a fall fundraiser for AbbaCare Crisis Pregnancy Center in Winchester, Virginia. This connection has prompted me enjoy a glimpse or two of what her son Tim Tebow is up to. Pam was encouraged to abort him, and told her story at that fall fundraiser. Knowing that Tim’s life was disposable, and seeing how he has such a heart for the Lord is inspirational!
During his college years, he played football and won the Heisman trophy as an undergrad. Tim’s life has been full of changes and pivoting. He had planned to play NFL football for years but God had other plans for his life. After playing in the NFL for several years, he played professional baseball for a time, and was a college football analyst with ESPN. He was well known for his Christian faith and his willingness to be unashamed to be a witness for it both on and off the field.
Please read Tim’s story ! Tim’s love for the Lord drives him. He has been through a lot after college in terms of a hopeful career in football that never transpired as he thought it would. (A Romans 8:28 example to be sure.) However, Tim not getting discouraged or down caused more good to so many. He took the focus away from his own disappointments in life and focused on others, the MVP’s, with an entrepreneurial idea!
He began an organization called the Tim Tebow Foundation in 2010. His founding of the Tim Tebow Foundation has giving hope to so many people. The TTF’s mission is:
“Our Mission is to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.”
The TTF accomplishes this in many ways. They have worked in over 86 countries. They are involved in caring for orphans, saving children from trafficking and also helping children with disabilities. One wonderful event is called Night to Shine. This entrepreneurial event is hosted by volunteer churches. “Night to Shine” is for people over the age of 14 who have disabilities. From the website “Night to Shine is an unforgettable celebration event, centered on God’s love, honoring and valuing people with special needs.”
When we go through rough times in life, so often we tend to feel sorry for ourselves and can easily give in to despair. Tim Tebow is a good example for everyone, in that when things didn’t work out like he dreamed they would, he took the focus off of himself and served others!
Sofia Overton noticed at just 13 years old a common problem: many clothes for children and women lacked pockets. She came up with an idea to solve this problem, socks with built in pockets. With the help and support of her family and friends she turned this idea into a business and started selling them. Deciding to go on shark tank was one of the best choices she ever made. She rigorously prepared and made a massive effort to improve her presentation skills. The Sharks were impressed by her pitch, and they offered her a deal. The deal was $35,000 for 25% equity in wise pocket products. After this win, her company grew through new problems and challenges. The company started to use social media to grab interest in their products and carved out a unique space in the fashion world. The socks come in fun colors and patterns and in many stylish choices.
Sofia’s business endeavors serve as a great example to young people today who have a dream of starting a business. Not only did she find a problem with a unique market, but she competed on shark tank and earned a deal. This deal launched her business into a new level of success. While navigating new problems and challenges the business grew into different areas of interest for a unique market.
It’s inspiring to see someone take an idea and run with it. We can learn from Sofia and learn to take risks and grow through great opportunities. Her developing story goes to show that there’s no substitute for following a dream with passion.
Dude perfect is a YouTube channel that many of us have grown up with. From the trick shot videos to the stereotype episodes, Dude Perfect never fails to entertain people of all ages.
This athletic and creative group of friends started out as a few college students doing trick shots in their backyard. One video quickly collected millions of views, and using their platform of fast-growing fame, they didn’t stop at making videos. Now they have launched different product lines and continue to develop their brand and video style.
One thing about Dude Perfect that is unique is they have never lost track of their original brand look and identity which is why viewers love them.
They now have Streaming Platform which is advertised as family friendly content perfect for all ages. They’ve been intentional about sports industry involvement and have a share of the premier league football club. This connects them to digital content creation and traditional sports. Dude Perfect goes on tours that sell out extremely fast. These live tours are fun for their fans and are an opportunity for growing their fan base. They recently announced their plans for Dude Perfect World, this ambitious project will have trick shots and games in person.
Dude Perfect is so successful because of their reliable authenticity. This is a lesson for entrepreneurs to stay committed to their passion and principles in their vision for their business or idea.
The Dude Perfect group has also exemplified great innovative principles, they constantly look for new opportunities in the developing society and technology. They successfully balance this with staying true to their authenticity. They show us not to be afraid to imagine the seemingly crazy or impossible but to pursue opportunities with courage and strategy.
Motor16.com. (2023). Wes Watson with his Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://motor16.com
The end seemed imminent for Wes Watson. Busted, arrested, and incarcerated, this California man’s life could have been defined by one word: doomed. The story of Wes Watson is one of incredible transformation, the epitome of reinventing oneself. He took his life of crime and ten years of incarceration, reshaped his direction, and nearly instantaneously forged a multi-million-dollar business empire. A few years ago, he was an inmate; now, he lives atop the world in a Miami penthouse. This is the story of Wes Watson, a man who overcame all odds, turned imminent defeat into victory, and is now thriving at a level comparable to Fortune 500 CEOs.
A millionaire within 18 months, but his story doesn’t start there. Wes Watson was born and raised in San Diego, California, where he embodied the coastal California lifestyle of surfing and skateboarding. At 12 years old, Watson began his journey down what would eventually become disaster, experimenting with marijuana. By the time he turned 14, Wes transitioned from merely using marijuana to dealing drugs, which eventually inclined him towards other illegal activities. Throughout the years, Watson’s involvement in crime escalated, with him frequently partaking in violence. In the end, his lifestyle caught up with him. After a dispute with a customer, Watson was arrested and imprisoned for assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious injury, among other charges, resulting in a 10-year sentence in California prison.
It could have all ended there. Instead, immediately upon entering jail, Watson resolved to reinvent himself. Confinement was the crucible for his self-transformation. Instead of sleeping in, Watson began waking up at 3 AM, a practice he continues to this day. He focused on generating a meticulous daily routine involving physical fitness, discipline, and mindset development. Programming was also huge for Wes Watson. A topic he talks about frequently in his content, programming the mind is one of his keys to producing meaningful results in life. Watson’s strict adherence to programming while in prison earned him the admiration of fellow inmates.
Ten years later, in 2018, Watson was released and was miles away from financial freedom; he had hardly $200 to his name. However, he had something much more valuable: a deeply ingrained sense of discipline and an entrepreneurial plan for domination. In an age when people are pursuing fitness more than ever before, the former Californian prisoner launched Watson Fit, an online coaching business geared beyond just fitness but also to the entirety of life. The market differentiation of Watson Fit was this: it revolved around mindset, rather than a by-the-book workout plan. His philosophy is simple yet powerful: “Do the things you hate like you love them.” This saying of his is basically a proverb when applied to entrepreneurship. Much of his advice resembles the teachings of David Goggins, the American ultramarathoner whose bestseller Can’t Hurt Me is a commonly recommended book for modern entrepreneurs. Watson Fit takes individuals to the next level when implemented. His mission is to make clients the best version of themselves by making self-development a lifestyle. When one reaches the highest levels of self-development, Watson believes that money will automatically flow to them. The company quickly became a hit, attracting clients who not only sought gains in the gym but a complete overhaul of their lives.
One successful entrepreneurial endeavor was insufficient for the high ambitions of Wes Watson. His next income stream was personal branding, in the launch of his YouTube channel, GP Penitentiary Life, where he diffuses raw, unfiltered stories from his time in the prison system, in addition to motivational and gym content. His channel, which caters to the fitness and self-development communities, is a massive hit, with over a half-million subscribers. This led to a surge on Instagram as well, with him boasting nearly one million followers at the time of this article. Having such a large presence on social media allows Watson to monetize not only his posts but also serves as free marketing for his coaching program. What sets Watson apart from influencers in the way he markets his personal brand is his street-level intensity and raw advice on how to better oneself. Sugarcoating life is not something Watson specializes in, and this rawness appeals to his target demographic.
Ultimately, his core philosophy is extreme discipline in the face of competition. He is a strong defender of the belief that in order to achieve a high level of success, one must do what they hate, stepping outside their comfort zone. Suffering is not an option; it is mandatory for people to arrive at the destinations they desire since it yields mental resilience and opens the mind to higher levels of wisdom. In an age when the majority of people take the path of least resistance, his message stands out as bold. His daily routine is a testament to his beliefs; waking up at 3 AM consistently is something most Americans do not want to do. He understands getting up early as gaining a foothold on the competition. But waking earlier than others alone will not get high-aspiration individuals across the finish line. Suffering ought to be encountered in every area of life, according to his philosophy. Rigorous physical fitness, such as performing hundreds of burpees before other prisoners woke up, earned him respect in the penitentiary then and as an entrepreneur now. Lastly, Watson believes that self-love is essential, and that self-investment—in all forms, physical, mental, and spiritual—will forge a foundation of self-respect necessary to accomplishing a flourishing life.
Today, the entrepreneur Wes Watson expands his empire further. He owns mansions in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and Miami, Florida, living an extravagant bi-coastal lifestyle fueled by his profits. The other day he moved into a penthouse in Miami, his third luxury residence. He wears a half-million-dollar watch to the gym, and his supercar collection is highlighted by a bright-orange Bugatti Chiron. His net worth is estimated to be around $30 million. Fortune 500 CEOs get paid as much as the value he has personally created through his mindset. Despite his outward success, he remains committed to his core principles. He still wakes up at 3 AM, constantly seeks self-improvement, and posts loads of daily social media content. To maximize self-development, Watson now brings together groups of like-minded individuals and entrepreneurs who are dedicated to making money and achieving freedom. His success story is not merely one of entrepreneurial triumph but one characterized by breaking free from limitations and creating a lifestyle that incorporates growth in all spheres.
Wes Watson got out of jail just six years ago. Instead of letting his ten-year incarceration define him, Watson is the epitome of an entrepreneur. He creates value and impact through an innovative mindset. His net worth was $200 upon release from California prison, but now he lives a wealthy lifestyle in the beautiful towns of Rancho Santa Fe and Miami, pulling up to the gym in a Bugatti Chiron. He went from prison to helping millions break out of their own prisons by teaching people to do the things they hate. The story of Wes Watson shows that no matter where you start, you can achieve greatness in entrepreneurship if you’re willing to embrace discipline and work relentlessly.
Written by Carson Batzel, 9/23/2024
When thinking of modern-day entrepreneurs, I think of social media influencers. Social media has become such a life-changing career for a lot of people, and it has truly become a major influence on the younger generation. One entrepreneur that has proven himself to be influential and successful is Jimmy Donaldson.
Under the username MrBeast, Donaldson has built a social media empire, and is worth an alleged $700 million at the young age of 26. Along with his YouTube channel that has over 315 million subscribers, he is also the founder of the snack and candy company, Feastables. Donaldson got his start in 2012 on YouTube, and gained fame years later with innovative but silly ideas like counting to 100,000 while on camera.
Donaldson has proven he is the one of the most influential people in the world today, but he has proven that there is more to his life than just earning money. One thing that is very respectable about Donaldson is his redemptive aspect to entrepreneurship. Even though he has never really publicly talked about religion, he comes from a Christian school background. He is a very philanthropic person, and has given millions of dollars to people and businesses in need.
Overall, even though I am not a fan of MrBeast, I think he needs to be included in the greatest entrepreneurs of the Gen Z era. He has created a very entertaining and family-friendly environment, and is not afraid to share his wealth with the world.