Archive for young entrepreneurs – Page 3

Sixteen Going on Thirty

Mya Furbert-Jacobs, a sixteen-year-old in Bermuda, has always had a passion for cosmetics and skin care.  However, many skin products are ironically bad for your skin.  Mya also hated that sticky, gooey feeling of having lipstick on your lips.  This did not stop her love for cosmetics though.  She took the entrepreneurial approach and decided to start her own makeup company.

She started with a simple lipstick that moisturizes your lips and doesn’t give that sticky feeling.  After her lipstick was successful, she moved on to other makeup and skincare products.  Mya competed in the youth division of a rocket pitch competition in Bermuda, and won second place.  Much of Mya’s inspiration comes from her grandmother who helps her find recipes for her products.  Her recipes include mostly natural ingredients such as: oatmeal, sugar, milk, and some witch hazel nut.

Mya understood that everyone’s skin type is different, so she interviewed her friends and customers to see how the products worked on them.  With this information, she asks her customers some basic questions to help them find what product is best for them.

One of the challenges Mya has faced with starting her own business is finding the time in her schedule.  Apart from running a business, Mya is in school, participates and a cheerleader, and works a part-time job.

Mya said, “The most important skill to have as an entrepreneur is the ability to try, and never give up. Businesses and entrepreneurs have their ups and downs, and it is vital to stay focused and never give up on a dream you believe in.”  This beautifully sums up what makes someone an entrepreneur: being willing to fail, but pushing through it.  Starting a cosmetics company at sixteen is a very risky endeavor, but Mya pushed through and ultimately succeeded.

Alexander Kulitski: A Driven and Young Entrepreneur

Alexander Kulitski is the founder and owner of Smart IT. AlexandAlexander Kulitskier was only 15 and in high school when he first had his idea. He participated in computer programing competitions in school, and this lead him to his idea. He realized that what he was working on for the competitions was very similar to commercial programming. He wondered, if he could do it for the competitions, why couldn’t he start some kind of programing business?

Alexander had both the right passion for computer programing and the right drive to make his idea work. He was able to look differently at his situation and see an opportunity there that no one saw before. His realization that he could take what he was doing for fun and turn it into profit showcases his innovating mind.

I think Alexander’s drive is what makes him unique. His drive to create a successful company helped him in the long run, because he did not have the easiest start. He originally started his search for programming job opportunities at the age of 15. He applied to several places even though he might not have had the right skills for the jobs. His attitude was, “I can figure it out as I go along.” He had an idea, and he didn’t let his current skill level stop him from reaching for his goals. He had the determination to succeed even when the odds were against him.

When he was a freshman in college the ball finally started to roll for him. He got some recognition and started picking up job offers. As his work started to grow he brought in friends around him to help him out. He faced bumps in the road all along the way. His first few projects were not successful. However, what was important was that he continued to work towards his dream. Alexander had the desire to run his own business ever since he could remember. It was something he wanted, and he saw his opportunity in computer programming. He slowly saved enough to rent out office space and equipment. He also as able to pay a couple of employees. Together with his friends in the new space they created Smart IT. “Smart IT builds custom software and web applications for small-medium business and supplies the development and support teams for prominent enterprises internationally.”

I think what helped Alexander to succeed was his persistence. He never gave up on his idea and his dream to own his own business. As soon as he had his idea, he went to work trying to achieve it. He didn’t feel as though he was too young or too inexperienced. He just knew that if he worked hard enough one day his goals would become a reality. I believe this is important in entrepreneurship, being able to keep going even when things get tough.

If you would like to read more about Alexander check out this article, here.

Maddie Rae: Slime Queen

There is certain types fun as children that you never grow out of…well at least that is true for me. I loved (and still love) mixing things together and creating some sort of ‘unique’ concoction which is probably why I enjoy baking because it is the grown-up way of mixing ingredients together to form beauty and deliciousness. But enough about sweet and treats, and let’s do full one eighty and talk about slime. Slime? Is it that disgusting looking thing that can turn up in who knows where or can it be that pretty sparkly thing that you can find in the store? Children’s slime is a simple way to have endless fun. Playing with it can be a blast and that is exactly what a young girl named Maddie Rae discovered.

Maddie started making her own slime but as time passed, the interest in slime increased and she found it difficult to find slime glue. But the shortage in glue did not stop Maddie. She decided to try and create her own original slime glue. Finally, after hard work and many experiments, the perfect glue emerged which became Maddie Rae’s Slime Glue. The slime glue was a success and the business decided to expand to an array of slime items that aid in the process of making of slime.

There was a problem when there was not enough slime glue, but Maddie took her twelve-year-old passion for slime glue to that problem and found a solution. Her solution turned into a business which produced Maddie Rae’s Slime Glue. Since then, Maddie had the honor in breaking the Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Slime in 2017 for thirteen thousand eight hundred and twenty pounds. (The record has been broken by someone else) The joy of making slime combined with solving a need caused a young girl to become an entrepreneur.