Archive for education

Better Than McDonalds – Erik Finman

A common misconception is that the adolescents who “make it” in the entrepreneurial world are the kids who thrived academically and stood out as leaders among their classmates. Under closer examination, kids who choose innovative routes on their own are the same kids who stood out from the crowd in some way… and not always for being the best. In Erik Finman’s case, he leaned in the opposite direction—failing miserably within public school, his intelligence stifled by the constricting atmosphere. On all sides he was met with conflict and bullying—by teachers as well as students, one warning him he would end up working at McDonalds. Detached from the world of academics, Finman found himself more often looking outward. His recognition of the fundamental flaws in the public school system formed the basis of his first startup, Botangle, an online education company, which reflects this desire for young students to thrive in a school system that inspires them to pursue learning rather than view it as meaningless drudgery.

His journey from high school dropout to millionaire was the seed of an early investment in Bitcoin as a fifteen-year-old. Finman’s next step was to make a deal with his parents that if he became a millionaire by the time he turned 18, he wouldn’t have to go to college. He succeeded.

Finman cites his life goal as to “fix the education system,” and now at 19, he is the successful founder of an online education company called Botangle, which allows people to create a virtual “school” for any subject.

“Find what you’re good at, and find a way to make money doing it,” is Erik’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Indeed, Erik Finman’s seemingly arduous process of weeding his way through criticism and apparent failure to reach the pinnacle of success should inspire young people of all interests to think outside the apparent restrictions of what is considered possible.

Visit Erik’s business Botangle here: https://botangle.com/

All Natural Hair Product

Leanna Archer was only nine years old when neighbors and friends started asking what hair products she used, and where they could get some for themselves. She started packaging samples of her Haitian great-grandmother’s secret hair product recipes in Gerber jars and giving them out to friends until people began showing up at her door with money asking how much they could get with the money they had to offer.

Fast forward to age eleven, where Leanna was selling more than ever before and launched her initial brand, Leanna’s Hair. Her all-natural hair products, with no parabens, sulfates, or other harsh chemicals, started selling all across the country and expanded to world-wide. Surprisingly, one of her top buying countries is Singapore. A few years later she re-branded as Leanna’s Essentials, which has remained the brand’s name.

Leanna’s Haitian background influenced her greatly, and in 2008 she visited the country for the first time. After seeing the poverty and pain, she started the Leanna Archer Education Foundation, which supported over 200 Haitian children with their education and basic needs. She became the youngest person to ever ring the NASDAQ opening bell on Wall Street at age 13, and her foundation was endorsed by Janet Jackson. Leanna has also been featured on numerous major media outlets, including Forbes, CNN, Time, ABC, and NBC to name just a few.

When she’s not selling her products, Leanna is travelling the country as a motivational speaker and guest lecturer at universities. Her hope is to become a politician, and use her influence to help impact the lives of even more people. What started as a secret recipe from her great-grandmother grew to become a multi-faceted empire. While no longer alive, her great-grandmother saw much of Leanna’s success, and was proud to the very end. Leanna found a need in natural hair care, and that opportunity has become a chance to change the world.

Solar Schoolbags

When Thato Kgatlhanye was 18 and fresh out of high school, she knew she wanted to do something for the underprivileged communities in South Africa where she grew up. She and her friend Rea Ngwane immediately founded the social enterprise ‘Rethaka’ without a single clue what they were going to do. 2 years later, they found the idea that would impact thousands of children across South Africa.

At age 21 in 2014, Thato Kgatlhanye founded the social enterprise Repurpose Schoolbags which takes plastic bags, upcycles them into durable schoolbags, and installs solar-powered lighting on the outside. The bag charges in the sun during the day, and turns into a portable light for the children to study with at night. It is also made with reflective material so the children are easily visible to traffic on their way to and from school.

The idea was inspired by Thato’s mother and the local impoverished communities of South Africa. Thato’s mother studied by candlelight when she was a child, and usually the candle would only last until Wednesday of the school week, meaning she couldn’t study on Thursday or Friday. Currently, many children in South Africa use plastic bags as schoolbags, and don’t have adequate lighting to study after school. Thato wanted to provide a sustainable solution, and so Repurpose Schoolbags was born.

Thato plans to light up 24 African nations, and has won over $40,000 in business competitions to sustain the enterprise. Her business’s impact is growing, and she was featured on the front of Forbes in February 2016. In the future she plans to expand the concept of solar lighting to raincoats for children, but for now her organization’s focus is on getting the solar schoolbags to as many children as possible. Her work has inspired many others, and I hope to see her company featured more as her influence expands across Africa.

Photo courtesy of repurposeschoolbags.com