Home > Business > Startup The 50 Youngest Kid Entrepreneurs in the US
Generation Z-ers don’t want jobs—they want to create them. Business.org has compiled the youngest startup wunderkinds in the country.
By Bill Frost | May 28, 2019 Many new grads will be kissing high school goodbye and preparing for higher education this summer. Although college is the traditional trajectory for young adults at this stage, research shows that more and more high school students are actually looking ahead to an entrepreneurial-focused future. In fact, our study below shows that many young business owners are getting started on their entrepreneurial adventures years before they even think about submitting a college application. If you’ve ever thought, “I probably should have started a business when I was younger,” we have good news . . . and bad news. The good news: you were right. The bad (or maybe inspirational) news: we’re going to tell you about 50 young people who’ve become successful entrepreneurs at around the same age you may have been investing your time and resources in Super Mario Cart. At least Generation Z (those 23 and younger in 2018) learned a few things from you. For one, 60% of them want nothing to do with the kind of crushing student loan debt that the generations before them are stuck with. They see carving out their own earning paths post–high school as more attractive than attending—and perpetually paying for—college. For another, 36% don’t want to be tied to a job at someone else’s company for life; they’d rather start a business themselves or freelance on their own terms. Generation Z statistics During our research, Business.org also learned a few things while compiling our list of the youngest entrepreneurs in the country: Unlike previous age groups, Generation Z has grown up with the internet, and they inherently know how to market themselves through social media. They also grew up through the recession of the 2000s, which has made them wary of the “security” of working for a corporation. Over 50% of high schoolers say that their parents are encouraging them to gain work experience early. 77% of people aged 14 to 21 are already earning their own money. 42% believe they’ll invent something that changes the world. Shark Tank really loves Gen-Zers. Also, Generation Z’s interests are wide—we found everything from artists to bakers to sock imagineers to hot dog purveyors to electric skateboard innovators and beyond. Now that you’re curious, here are the youngest entrepreneurs among the nation’s business-savvy youths in each state of the US, listed youngest to oldest. Young entrepreneurs in each state Louisiana Chloe Smith, 7 Chloe’s Teacakes In 2012, DeRidder, Louisiana, resident Chloe Smith wanted a $249 electric scooter; her parents told her earn the money herself. So, she used her great-great-grandmother’s recipe to make tea cakes and other baked goods to sell. Chloe made enough to buy the scooter within six weeks, then continued her business. Missouri Raelynn Heath, 8 Raelynn’s Materials Raytown, Missouri, entrepreneur Raelynn Heath, now 8, began making and selling her own jewelry at age 4, and she plans to branch out into other areas of fashion and become a millionaire by 16. Raelynn crafts with new and recycled materials and regularly donates her creations back to the community. Virginia Jelani Jones, 9 Lani Boo Bath Jelani Jones of Fredericksburg, Virginia, caught the entrepreneurial bug after attending a farmers market class on making bath products. Soon, she was creating her own bath bombs and promoting them on Facebook; now, Jelani serves customers across the country through Etsy. Illinois Jahkil Jackson, 10 The Project I Am Chicago’s Jahkil Jackson created his social program Project I Am at age 8 to help the homeless population of his city. His program distributes Blessed Bags of toiletry essentials to the homeless and those in need; in 2017, Project I Am gave out over 6,000 bags to areas in and outside Chicago. Massachusetts Hanna Grace, 10 Hanna Grace Beyoutiful On New Year’s Day 2016, Hanna Grace accepted a casual challenge from her father to create her own beauty products—within weeks, she was selling her bath bombs in stores. Now, the 10-year-old runs her own e- commerce website, which donates 20% of its profits to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. Wyoming Ava Kelly, 10 Ava’s Cookie Jars In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Ava Kelly wanted to travel to see a theatrical production of The Lion King; her mom advised her to raise the money herself. Within months, Ava was selling her homemade cookies in signature mason jars. She’s since expanded her business vision with the Kids Travel Channel. Connecticut Maddie Rae, 12 Maddie Rae’s Slime Glue Fairfield, Connecticut, native Maddie Rae was a slime enthusiast with a problem: local stores were sold out of the glue she fashioned slime from. So she set out to create her own glue specifically for playtime slime- ification. After selling thousands of jars, her SlimeMaking.com is a one-stop shop for all things slime. Georgia Patrick Hutchinson, 11 Patrick’s Farm Fresh Eggs Patrick Hutchinson of Carrollton, Georgia, became fascinated with chickens at age 6 and eventually figured out he could sell the delicious eggs from the chickens he cared for. At 11, he now has his own customer base, LLC, and bank account, and he’s the youngest member of the state farm bureau. South Carolina Gabby Goodwin, 11 Gabby Bows Gabby Goodwin of Columbia, South Carolina, like most girls, was tired of hair bows that were either painfully tight or loose and inevitably lost. With help from her mom, she created a double-snap barrette design that’s since won praise and awards. Gabby Bows now sell online and in retail outlets. Oklahoma Haley & Dylan Landress, 12 & 11 Arctic Blast Snow Cone Stand Haley Landress, 12, and her brother Dylan, 11, had no grand plan when they pooled their money to open their own snow cone stand in Dibble, Oklahoma—they just didn’t want to spend the summer remodeling rental units with their dad. Arctic Blast has since invested in branded reusable cups. Florida Brandon & Sebastian Martinez, 12 & 10 Are You Kidding Kendall, Florida, brothers Brendon and Sebastian Martinez turned their passion for crazy colorful socks into a business model, designing 30 of their own patterns with markers and crayons. Eventually, they sold 70,000 pairs of custom socks and donated portions of the profits to charity. Arkansas Sofi Overton, 12 Wise Pocket Products Fayetteville, Arkansas, local Sofi Overton initially set out to solve the problem of where to keep her phone in stockings and leggings, but she soon realized she could help out kids who also needed to store EpiPens and inhalers. Sofi says Wise Pocket Products will eventually donate one item to charity for every item sold. California Kheris Rogers, 12 Flexin’ in My Complexion In 2017, Los Angeles’s Kheris Rogers became the youngest designer to ever present a line at New York Fashion Week at 11. Since then, her line—which she started after being teased as “too dark-skinned” by schoolmates—has blown up, being featured everywhere from Huffington Post to CBS News. Colorado Jack Bonneau, 12 Jack’s Stands & Marketplaces Some kids get the idea to start one lemonade stand; Broomfield, Colorado, resident Jack Bonneau thought franchising many stands to other kids was a better idea—so did Shark Tank in 2016. Since then, Jack has put thousands to work in his stands, and he educates young people on the value of entrepreneurship. Kentucky Seanna Mullins, 13 Healing Hearts In Somerset, Kentucky, Seanna Mullins and her mom hand-sew and sell Healing Hearts therapy dolls with personalized messages addressing depression, anxiety, pain, and grief—a gift she wishes she’d received when her own father passed away. Seanna’s idea won a local investor’s prize of $1,000. Minnesota Jaequan Faulkner, 13 Jaequan’s Old-Fashioned Dogs Jaequan Faulkner of Minneapolis, Minnesota, received some unexpected national publicity in the summer of 2018 when his Old-Fashioned Dogs hot dog stand was reported for operating without a license. Local officials were so impressed with Jaequan’s work ethic, they covered his permit fee. Texas Mikaila Ulmer, 13 Me & the Bees Lemonade Mikaila Ulmer went from selling lemonade made from her grandmother’s decades-old recipe in front of her Austin home at age 4 to shipping 360,000 bottles of Me & the Bees lemonade to 500 stores at 13. Mikaila received accolades along the way from Shark Tank, Time, and even President Barack Obama. Idaho Brighton Hood, 14 The Change Bands Nampa, Idaho, teen Brighton Hood fashions bracelets, pendants, and rings from coins, hence the name Change Bands. The aspiring silversmith, who finds materials at antique stores and coin shops, sells his custom items at craft fairs and through Etsy, and he donates 5% of his earnings to charities. Hawaii Maddie Lee, 14 E Nani Hawaii Maddie Lee began trading and selling her colorful, handmade jewelry at her Honolulu school playground, eventually finding a wider clientele on Instagram. The attention bolstered her confidence enough to approach local stores, which now sell her creations for as much as $120 apiece. Maryland Gabrielle Williams, 14 Glorious Pastries by Gabrielle Accokeek, Maryland, native Gabrielle Williams had to prove her commitment to baking to her mother before gaining full-time access to the household kitchen. After whipping up an impressive chocolate-espresso frosting, Gabrielle was literally in business. Now, Gabrielle sells 22 varieties of sweet concoctions. Michigan Asia Newson, 14 Super Business Girl Asia Newson got her start in Detroit at age 5, reselling candles while also learning how to make them from her father. Today, she produces her own custom candles and trains other young people in entrepreneurship. Asia has also appeared on Ellen, on NPR, and as a keynote speaker at TedXDetroit. New Hampshire Gus Schoenbucher, 14 Gus’s Eats & Treats New Durham, New Hampshire, teen Gus Schoenbucher began his food-service business in an unusual location: a boat on Merrymeeting Lake. He’s still on the lake, just with a bigger boat and menu, selling hot dogs, ice cream, chips, soda, and—thanks to social media attention—Krispy Kreme donuts. New Jersey Cory Nieves, 14 Mr. Cory’s Cookies Cory Nieves started selling cookies in his Englewood, New Jersey, neighborhood at age 6 with the goal of buying his mom a car. A few years later, he was successful enough to appear on Ellen (who handed his mom the keys to a new car) and count Aetna, Viacom, and Williams-Sonoma as cookie clients. New Mexico Donovan Smith, 14 Donovan Discovers Albuquerque’s Donovan Smith learned how make soap in order to donate it to homeless shelters, as he and his Navy veteran mother were once homeless themselves. Word reached Returning the Favor TV host Mike Rowe, who surprised Donovan by building him a soap store in downtown Albuquerque. New York Michael Wahba, 14 Hover-1 Cruze New York skateboarder Michael Wahba didn’t like the commercial electric boards that were on the market, so he made his own, with a game-changing twist: a foot sensor in place of a remote control. Now, Michael’s Hover-1 Cruze board sells online through Best Buy, Walmart, and other outlets. Washington Vignav Ramesh, Tej Singh & Rishab Mohan; 14, 15 & 16 Zigantic In Clyde Hill, Washington, STEM students and coders Vignav Ramesh, Tej Singh, and Rishab Mohan created Zigantic, a validation platform to connect high-school hopefuls with influencers and game developers to ultimately lead to better-quality games. Maine Dana Purington, 15 Dana’s Dogz Gardiner, Maine, teenager Dana Purington works Monday through Saturday (his parents told him he has to take Sundays off) running his Dana’s Dogz cart and keeping the menu simple: five bucks for two hot dogs, a bag of chips, and a soda and $1.75 for just a dog. He expects to pay off the cart by summer’s end. Nebraska Nic Bianchi, 15 Bianchi Candle Co. Omaha, Nebraska, local Nic Bianchi was gifted with a candle-making kit on his 12th birthday. Three years later, he’s a commercial candlemaker with a full line of all-natural scented soy candles that he sells in several local shops (including the Omaha Scheels) and online at BianchiCandleCo.com. Utah Caleb Nelson, 15 Romeo’s Rickshaws In 2017, Cedar City, Utah, resident Caleb Nelson, in an Elizabethan shirt and all, launched his Romeo’s Rickshaws pedicab business to coincide with the town’s tourist magnet: the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Caleb doesn’t charge a flat rate for rides, working on tips alone, and the ad spaces on the sides paid for the pedicabs. North Carolina Becca Segal & Niki Vilas Boas, 16 Wotter Cary, North Carolina, competitive swimmers Becca Segal and Niki Vilas Boas launched Wotter in late 2017 with a Kickstarter campaign to produce women’s swim parkas: slimmed-down versions of bulky unisex coats worn between swim events. Having met their goal, parkas began being delivered fall 2018. North Dakota Trent Hunskor, 16 Lam’s Lanes Lam’s Lanes bowling alley has been a fixture in Newburg, North Dakota, since the ’70s, but it was closed down until 16-year-old Trent Hunskor, with a little help from his parents, revived the town’s lone family entertainment spot in 2017. Trent handles shoe distribution and lane maintenance after school. Tennessee Moziah Bridges, 16 Mo’s Bows Another Shark Tank veteran at 15, Memphis’s Moziah Bridges has been a sharp-dressed man since the age of 9, when his grandmother first taught him how to sew bow ties. Bow business is booming: in 2017, Moziah signed a seven-figure deal to design and create bow ties for every team in the NBA. Alaska Deven Jackson, 17 League A lot of teenagers dream of opening their own sneaker store. Raising money by throwing concerts, Deven Jackson made it happen in an Anchorage mall. Deven’s League shop specializes in vintage streetwear and collectible kicks, including some that can’t be found online, for fanatical sneakerheads. Arizona Nyah Kshatriya, 17 Keto Cracker When Phoenix, Arizona, teen Nyah Kshatriya’s mother was craving a crunchy snack that could work with her ketogenic diet, she went to work in the kitchen and eventually came up with the zero-carb Keto Cracker. Positive feedback from Instagram followers led to an e-commerce site and two initial flavors. Mississippi Stefan Stokic, 17 Slik Jackson, Mississippi local Stefan Stokic, along with 14-year-old Canadian partner Saroush Ghodsi, developed Slik, a viable competitor to lead-generation giant Salesforce. They also became the youngest founders ever to grab the attention of Silicon Valley startup incubator Y Combinator in 2017. Wisconsin Charles Rose, 17 Action Asphalt Maintenance After a couple of summers working for an asphalt company, Wausau, Wisconsin, teen Charles Rose bought his own sealcoat unit and began repairing driveways independently. Now 17, he runs Action Asphalt Maintenance LLC and has covered over 100 driveways and parking lots in the Wausau area. Delaware Miracle Olatunji, 18 OpportuniMe As a high school senior, Delaware’s Miracle Olatunji couldn’t find internships or enrichment programs for young people like her. So she set out to create her own database, OpportuniMe, with the motto “Seize the best opportunities that exist. Create opportunities that don’t exist.” OpportuniMe launched in fall 2018. Nevada Ian McCue, 18 Spark Skill While still in high school, University of Nevada economics major Ian McCue launched Spark Skill, a technology education summer coding camp for students in grades 4 through 12. Ian has also co-authored a book with Shark Tank’s Shaan Patel and Mark Cuban: How Any Kid Can Start a Business. Oregon Brennan Agranoff, 18 HoopSwagg Bored of looking at plain gym socks during high school basketball games, 13-year-old Brennan Agranoff came up with the idea of custom-printed socks. After five years and an initial investment from his parents, he’s selling over $1 million in color-splashed socks annually though his online store HoopSwagg. South Dakota Ellen Schlecter, 19 Calving Book App Orient, South Dakota, resident Ellen Schlecter was tasked by her rancher family to come up with a digital alternative to a calving book, a paper record of livestock stats. She knew little about coding but managed to create the Calving Book app, which has now been downloaded over 7,000 times. Ohio Emily Yoder, 21 Earth Energy Sustainable Treats Emily Yoder in Canton, Ohio, set out to make a healthier version of “health” snack bars, first selling her vegan and gluten-free Earth Energy Sustainable Treats at area farmers markets. Now, her five-item line of power bars and cookies sell online and at several Ohio outlets—as well as those same area farmers markets. Indiana Brandon Boynton, 21 Most Beastly Studios Pendleton, Indiana, native Brandon Boynton exacted (peaceful) revenge upon the kids who bullied him in high school by launching his own software startup, Most Beastly Studios, and developing BullyBox, an anonymous abuse-reporting app. The app has since been used by over 100,000 students worldwide. Pennsylvania Nicholas Pavlak, 21 Home Grown Flavor Company Nicholas Pavlak of Lemont, Pennsylvania, dropped out of Penn State to start an organic produce farm, only to learn he couldn’t quite afford it. Recalibrating, he drew upon his experience as a bartender to apply the sustainability model to crafting mixology ingredients with Home Grown Flavor Company. Kansas Zach Haney, 22 Carnival Guy/Haney Events In Topeka, Kansas, Zach Haney launched his party and event company Carnival Guy at 16 and published his first book, The Teen CEO, at 19. At 20, Zach ran for Kansas’s senate; at 21, he became a certified business coach. But his most ambitious undertaking may have been his 2018 summer event Topeka Taco Topia. Montana Keanan Brown, 22 Eloi Marketing Corporation Kallispell, Montana, habitant Keanan Brown got his entrepreneurial start at 15, creating his own line of ski apparel, but he soon discovered his real talent: marketing. Since then, his Eloi Marketing Corporation has grown exponentially, creating branding and imaging for over 20,000 products nationwide. West Virginia Mitchell Bobbera, 22 Main Street Metals Gilbert, West Virginia, occupant Mitchell Bobbera began his metalworking career welding old horseshoes into sculpture. He later moved on to more advanced techniques and designs, and then moved his business into a former gas station. He now creates custom metal artwork for customers across the US. Iowa Blake Richie, 23 Blake Richie Designs New Providence, Iowa, resident Blake Richie crafts sleek cabinetry and performs upscale remodels of living spaces and businesses—big-city aesthetics in a small town. In February 2018, Blake was featured in the Des Moines Register as a young entrepreneur helping New Providence’s economy thrive. Alabama Sielandra Powell, 25 Beyond Bold Part of Birmingham’s emerging fashion scene, Sielandra Powell creates truly one-of-a-kind items, hand- painting designs on apparel and never arriving at the same results twice. Sielandra’s Instagram account has nearly 4,000 followers, and her goal is to get Beyond Bold into urban markets. Rhode Island Pat Brown, 25 Rent Sons Pat Brown of Little Compton, Rhode Island, calls his crew of odd-job handyman employees “sons” and his customers “neighbors,” and his Rent Sons has a simple motto: “Any job, one hourly rate.” Those jobs include landscaping, painting, moving, cleaning, and even wedding and party assistance. Vermont Tyler McNaney, 25 Filabot Barre, Vermont, native Tyler McNaney made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2018 with Filabot, a machine that extrudes discarded plastic to create the filament used in 3D printers. Dedicated to sustainable practices, Filabot has been put into use by Dupont, MIT, Google, and NASA.
This list highlights just a single member of Generation Z from each state in the US—imagine how many more have become entrepreneurs. If you have a young person in your household (or you are one) who’s interested in starting their own business, check out resources like BizKids, TeenBusiness, and EntrepreneurKid for inspiration. The next great business mogul may have only recently been born. 3 Entrepreneurship Tips From a 14-Year-Old CEO by Juan Campos 30. Jul 2019 EIA HONG KONG, STARTUP EDUCATION https://www.inacademy.eu/blog/3-entrepreneurship-tips/ If you’re a startup enthusiast, you may already know the story of Hillary Yip, Founder and CEO of MinorMynas. MinorMynas is a social language-learning app with the goal of creating a safe place for children to communicate, chat, and make friends across borders. But most surprising of all? Yip started her own business when she was only 10 years old! After four years of entrepreneurial journeying, Hillary Yip became the voice of a new global generation. Kids and teens around her age are eager to tackle some of the biggest problems of the modern world. Hillary was the speaker at EIA Hong Kong 2019, where she inspired participants by sharing valuable insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup life. Today, we include some great entrepreneurship development tips from Yip’s Hong Kong speech. Take the First Step Many entrepreneurs struggle to take the first step of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s really common to stay stuck on the “if only” and wait for that “perfect” moment. According to Hillary Yip, you need just to get started. “You can spend hours thinking about your brilliant, world-changing idea. But nothing will happen if you don’t act on it.” Connections According to Hillary Yip, creating connections is extremely important for entrepreneurs. And it’s not just about networking–it’s about empathy too. As Yip puts it, “It’s important to humanize other people, to know there’s no ‘us’ or ‘other,’ but that everyone has something in common. It’s important to pay attention to our connections and not our differences.” Teaching/Learning In any work environment, young entrepreneurs and professionals will deal with people from different backgrounds. Knowing how to get the best from each individual is key to success for any business, but it’s also a challenge. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone always has something to teach and to learn. According to Yip, “Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. It’s up to you to prove your strengths and to look for help with your weaknesses.” Role Models Inspiration is something every entrepreneur should prioritize. Having role models can inspire a professional at any stage of their career. Inspiration can push entrepreneurs to learn new things and overcome new challenges. When asked about her role models, Yip gave two great names: Sherryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook; and Malala Yousafzai, an activist for female education. What about you? Who are your entrepreneurial role models? For more inspiration, check out EIA’s blog. VENTURE40 UNDER 40 18 Under 18: Meet the Young Innovators Who Are Changing the World
BY POLINA MARINOVA
September 15, 2016 7:00 AM CDT
Noa Mintz started her first business in 2008, running art classes for kids during the summer for a small fee. Two years later, she founded a children’s party planning business. To make sure her staff was following workplace protocol, she wrote an employee handbook for guidance. As she looks back on her ventures six years later, Mintz is not impressed. “Since I was, after all, under the age of 10, the execution wasn’t perfect,” she says. Today, the 16-year-old entrepreneur runs a full-service childcare agency in New York City called Nannies by Noa, that matches nannies with families in need of a caregiver. She vets candidates, handles customer service, and ensures background checks are conducted on each nanny. When she started high school two years ago and needed more time for schoolwork, Mintz hired a full-time CEO with 25 years of industry experience. She has since hired two additional associates. “The best part by far is the fact that I am a job creator and have been able to get so many people employed,” Mintz says. “It is rewarding and empowering.” Mintz says she has found nannies for hundreds of families in the New York area, and the primary referral source for her business is word of mouth.
Mintz is on Fortune’s list of the 18 most innovative and ambitious teens under 18 years old. Some of these young entrepreneurs are inventing new products, building brands and making millions. Most haven’t even graduated from high school, which means the teens profiled below will have plenty of time to stake their claim on Fortune’s annual 40 Under 40 list. The responses below have been edited for clarity and length. 1. Noa Mintz, founder of Nannies by Noa Age: 16 The business: Nannies by Noa is a full-service childcare agency, serving families in New York City and the Hamptons. In 20 years, I will be … “In a business that places a premium on customer service. I anticipate I will be working on a venture that was triggered by a problem and created from a solution — and that may be Nannies by Noa, which is only four years old.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “From my middle school principal: ‘Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.’” 2. George Matus, founder of Teal Age: 18 The business: Teal sells commercial drones, and its first product is a battery-operated, camera-equipped unmanned aerial vehicle that reaches speeds of 70 mph. Matus has raised $2.8 million in seed funding and is a Thiel Fellow. In 20 years, I will be … “Involved in leading edge technologies and at the forefront of their creation. And hopefully, in 20 years, I’ll be able to own a Tesla, too.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “When I was really little, my parents kept telling me to find what I love.”
3. Mikaila Ulmer, founder and CEO of Me & the Bees Lemonade Age: 11 The business: Me & the Bees sells lemonade that uses flaxseed and local honey as a sweetener, and can be found in retailers like Whole Foods and Wegmans. A portion of the profits go to organizations dedicated to save honeybees from extinction. In 20 years, I will be … “A social entrepreneur. I want to have graduated from college and continue teaching families and kids about entrepreneurship. Hopefully by then, I would have saved the bees and found a new problem to solve.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “From my parents: they always tell me to dream big and that I can do anything I want, so I translated that into ‘Beelieve.’”
4. Mihir Garimella, creator of Firefly Age: 17 The business: Firefly is a low-cost, intelligent drone for first-responders that can enter and explore dangerous environments to find people who are trapped. In 20 years, I will be … “Leading ambitious, high-impact research projects and trying to bring them to the market. My future is still pretty open, and I’m not sure exactly what I’ll work on, but I do know that I want to use computer science and robotics to make a difference.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Dig into problems that I see or experience.”
5. Moziah “Mo” Bridges, founder of Mo’s Bows Age: 14 The business: Mo’s Bows offers colorful, handmade ties and men’s accessories that are sold in various retail stores nationwide, including partnerships with Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. In 20 years, I will be … “The owner of a very big international clothing company that makes and sells clothes for men, women, and children.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “The best advice came from my mentor Daymond John of Shark Tank. He told me to ‘Stay true to your brand,’ and that is important to remember because there are a lot of different opportunities that come to me, but they may not be the best for me or the mission of my company.”
6. Rachel Zietz, founder of Gladiator Lacrosse Age: 16 The business: Gladiator Lacrosse sells lacrosse equipment, including backyard goals and rebounders. Zietz says the company is on target to exceed $2 million in revenue this year. In 20 years, I will be … “Doing something business-related. I don’t know what the future will hold for me in 20 years, but I hope that I can look back and say that I somehow left my mark in the sport of lacrosse.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “To always be determined to do what you want.”
7. Ben Pasternak, founder & CEO of Flogg Age: 17 The business: Flogg is a social community and virtual marketplace for teens where they can sell, buy and barter items within their network. In 20 years, I will be … “Changing the world, building the next Apple.” Best advice I’ve ever received:“One of my mentors Chris Smith told me to drop out of high school and move to NYC. I did and have no regrets.”
8. Shubham Banerjee, founder of Braigo Labs Age: 14 The business: Braigo Labs offers low-cost Braille printers to help the visually impaired. The latest model uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to automatically print text from a website and translate it into Braille. In 20 years, I will be … “In the field of a merge between technology and medicine. Surgical procedures with robotics or human health would be great for me.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Be humble,” and “Innovate for the right reasons — money is not one of them.”
9. Bella Tipping, founder of Kidzcationz.com Age: 13 The business: Kidzcationz is a travel review website aimed at kids, allowing them to rate hotels restaurants and attractions based on how well they support their needs. In 20 years, I will be … “Working at [the nonprofit] Virgin Unite and fighting for social change because I want to live in a world where everyone is included.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “I have my own motto in life: If you can think it, you can do it.”
10. Nash Grier, digital star and social media influencer Age: 18 The business: With more than 12 million followers on Vine, his wildly popular videos have landed him endorsement deals as well as book deals. He also sells merchandise on his website, including hoodies, sweatshirts and socks. In 20 years, I will be … “A master in my craft/s—whatever I choose those to be. I just want to use my voice and my power (my knowledge) to shine light on the darkest topics, talk about what is feared, empower people, and create the best art I can—no matter the form.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “The point of life is love.”
11. Haile Thomas, founder of Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth (HAPPY) Age: 15 The business: HAPPY aims to improve the health and wellness of children by implementing programs that teach kids how to cook nutritious meals and promote physical activity. In 20 years, I will have … “A televised plant-based cooking show showcasing vibrant, delicious and nutritious, plant-powered meals to the masses, to speak and share my message all around the world, and continue to motivate youth to put their passion into action.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Be a leader, not a follower.”
12. Cory Nieves, founder and CEO of Mr. Cory’s Cookies Age: 12 The business: Mr. Cory’s Cookies are all-natural, homemade cookies with no preservatives. They are sold through his website, and he has a number of corporate clients, including Macy’s, Aetna and Citibank. In 20 years, I will be … “The CEO of Mr. Cory’s Cookies, and grow the business into a multi-billion-dollar brand. I also want to be an angel investor, a chef and help people all around the world.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Stay humble, never give up and always dream of six impossible things.”
13. Isabella Dymalovski, founder of Luv Ur Skin Age: 14 The business: Luv Ur Skin is a natural skin-care line for girls developed with botanical ingredients. It includes body lotion, lip gloss, nail polish, moisturizers and more. In 20 years, I will be … “Either running my own successful business or being in a show on Broadway!” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Listen.”
14. Benjamin “Kickz” Kapelushnik, founder of Sneakerdon.com Age: 16 The business: Sneakerdon.com is an online sneaker resale marketplace that caters to fans of high-end exclusive, rare and limited sneakers. With a roster of celebrity clients including DJ Khaled, it’s estimated Kapelushnik will bring in about $1 million in sales this year. In 20 years, I will be … “This, but even more.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “The best advice was from my mom: ‘Follow your dream and your passion.’”
15. Logan Guleff, food entrepreneur and winner of MasterChef Junior (season 2) Age: 14 The business: Guleff has a line of spice blends called “Logan’s Rub,” which has expanded to include steak and egg seasonings. He also runs an underground supper club, where he cooks for small parties. In 20 years, I will be … “A college graduate. Then I plan to be a celebrity chef with at least one of my own television shows. I hope my books are selling well. I know my spice blends will be on every shelf. Maybe I will also be helping NASA explore the best way to colonize Mars. I really think I can help with the food for space travel!” Best advice I’ve ever received: “First from my Mom, ‘If I can dream it, I can achieve it.’ Then from Chef [Gordon] Ramsay, ‘Find my own standard of excellence and stick to it!’”
16. Aaron Easaw, serial entrepreneur and founder of ACE Venture Capital Age: 18 The business: ACE Venture Capital is a VC firm dedicated to investing and supporting entrepreneurs under the age of 30. In 20 years, I will be … “Doing something completely different. At that point, I’d like to focus on an industry that really interests me.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “Don’t dwell on the past. Learn from your mistakes and move on.”
17. Benjamin Stern, founder and CEO of Nohbo Age: 17 The business: Nohbo produces single-use, water-soluble balls containing personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or shaving cream. The product seeks to offer consumers an alternative wasteful plastic packaging. In 20 years, I will be … “Doing the same thing I’m doing right now: building, growing, and investing in businesses.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “The best business advice I’ve ever heard is the repetitive tone of my business partner and attorney, Matthew Gernstein saying, ‘You have nothing yet ’til… (always something more).’”
18. Ollie Forsyth, serial entrepreneur and founder of The Budding Entrepreneur Club Age: 18 The business: The Budding Entrepreneur Club is an invitation-only entrepreneurs’ community for entrepreneurial individuals in the UK. Membership costs 25 euros a month. Its founder started Ollie’s Shop, an online jewelry and gift boutique. In 20 years, I will be … “Building The Budding Entrepreneur Network up and adding umbrella companies to the portfolio.” Best advice I’ve ever received: “If someone tells you your idea is not going to work, make it your mission to prove them wrong.” https://fortune.com/2016/09/15/18-entrepreneurs-under-18-teen-business/
From JuniorBiz.com- Top 25 Young Entrepreneur Success Stories http://juniorbiz.com/top-25-young-entrepreneurs by NICHOLAS TART For two years I scraped and scoured the internet hunting for the world’s top young entrepreneurs so I could harvest their secrets. If I wanted to be successful, I had to learn from the best. I needed to hear their stories. How they started. How they grew. How they are building their empires right now. And I needed to hear it straight from their mouths. So I narrowed my list of 100+ young entrepreneurs down to the top 25. We contacted them, gathered their secrets and published a book. Here’s a list of the world’s top 25 young entrepreneurial success stories. Read their interviews, follow them on Twitter and learn as much as you can from their remarkable stories. Oh, and find a link to discover how they do it at the bottom. Adora Svitak, 12: TINY LITERARY GIANT Adora is a 12-year-old who has published two books and transformed her writing success into speaking and teaching success. She has spoken at over 400 schools and presented at the annual TED conference. She has been featured on Good Morning America and on CNN. Follow @adorasv Savannah Britt, 15: YOUNGEST MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Savannah started her own publication – a magazine called Girlpez – making her the youngest magazine publisher in the world. The magazine features coverage of events, like concerts and fashion shows, along with interviews from the likes of Shwayze, Kevin Rudolf, and Dawn from Dannity Kane. Follow @savlovesyou Philip Hartman, 15: YOUNG INVENTOR OF THE YEAR Philip is a home-schooled high school senior at the ripe age of 15. He won the 2008 Young Inventor of the Year award for inventing a new system for fusing optical fibers. His latest invention emits steam onto a windshield and is capable of defrosting a frost-covered windshield in about 15 seconds. Follow @PhilipHartman Alex Fraiser, 16: WORLD’S TOP YOUNG BLOGGER Alex and his business partner, 24-year-old Seth Waite, launched their first product – a web theme modeled after Blogussion’s unique style – to immediate success. With an Alexa ranking under 20,000, Blogussion is now the highest ranking blog by a 16-year-old on the Internet. Follow @afrais Farrhad Acidwalla, 16: TOP YOUNG INDIAN ENTREPRENEUR Farrhad has launched Rockstah Media, a cutting-edge company devoted to web development, marketing, advertisement, and branding. It is just over a year old but it has clients and a full fledged team of developers, designers and market strategists spread across the globe. Follow @farrhad Mark Bao, 17: 11 COMPANIES, 3 FOUNDATIONS Mark is a 17-year-old high school senior and he has already launched 11 web-based companies (and sold three of them) along with three non-profit foundations. Some of his projects include TickrTalk, the Ramamia Foundation, Classleaf, and Avecora – a technology network launching sometime in 2013. Follow @markbao
Stanley Tang, 17: INSTANT BEST-SELLING AUTHOR Stanley published ‘eMillions’ in December of 2008 and it rocketed straight to the top of the Amazon Best-Seller lists. At just 14 years old, Stanley was the world’s youngest best-selling author. He just graduated high school and is currently attending Stanford University. Follow @stanleytang Adam Horwitz, 18: $1.5 MILLION IN THREE DAYS Adam has learned from his mistakes and now teaches people how to make money online. His courses, ‘Tycoon Cash Flow’ and ‘Cell Phone Treasure’, have each earned over $100,000. His latest, ‘Mobile Monopoly’, bagged $1.5 million in a three days and set all sorts of affiliate marketing records. Follow @adamhorwitz King Sidharth, 18: THE OUTLAW ENTREPRENEUR King is a speaker, author, magazine publisher, rad dude, and he’s organizing a conference for teenagers called Createens. It will give young people an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship, blogging, and more from world-wide experts. Find out why King considers himself to be an outlaw. Follow @kingsidharth Arjun Rai, 18: TEEN BATTLING GOOGLE Arjun became the COO of a quickly growing online advertising company, but he soon set out to follow his own, unique vision. That vision is a brand-new venture called odysseyAds, an online advertising network with a focus on catering to 21st century marketer needs. Follow @arjunrai96 Syed Balkhi, 19: SOCIAL MEDIA PRODIGY Syed, along with a handful of college friends, has started a successful web service company called Uzzz Productions. His blog for WordPress beginners, WPBeginner, has been up since July 2009 and already attracts an incredible 145,000 unique visitors each month. Follow @syedbalkhi Keith J. Davis Jr., 19: ENTREPRENEUR OF ALL TRADES Keith is 19 and he’s gone from his middle school’s ‘bubble gum man’ to a college freshman at the University of Houston and an entrepreneur of all trades. He somehow finds time to be a nationally known public speaker, actor, model, newspaper publisher, and author. Follow @keithjdavisjr Ben Weissenstein, 19: MAJOR LEAGUE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR Ben and his booming business have been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and on the Dr. Phil Show. He has started The Entitled Group, a company that helps musical artists, and he’s franchising Grand Slam Garage Sales, a garage sale service. Follow @bentheceo Sabirul Islam, 19: FIRED AT 13, FOUNDER AT 14 Sabirul self-published his first book, ‘The World at Your Feet’, at age 17. Since, he has sold 60,000 copies, launched a board game, become a globe-trotting public speaker (over 600 speaking engagements), and started his own publishing company for aspiring teen authors. Follow @Sabirul_Islam Lindsay Manseau, 20: BEYOND FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHY Lindsay photographed 25 weddings as a freelancer in 2009. Her business was thriving, but she wanted a way to better connect with her couples and the wedding industry. So Lindsay began developing My Marriage Market, an online platform where couples and vendors will be able to connect. Follow @lindsaymanseau Marshall Haas, 20: YOUNG ARCHITECT OUTSOURCER Marshall recruited a team of 20 artists in the Philippines to create architectural images from floor plans and he began attracting as many as eight clients a month. He is also developing a mobile web application called Podums, which will use game mechanics to encourage people to be productive. Follow @MarshallHaas Catherine Cook, 20: $20 MILLION FROM DORM ROOM Catherine is a 20-year-old junior at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and myYearbook.com has over 20 million members. myYearbook is ranked in the top 25 most trafficked websites in the U.S. according to comScore and it pulls in $20 million in annual revenue. Follow @cncook Michael Dunlop, 21: MOST LIKELY MILLIONAIRE Michael dropped out of school and began to develop websites, including RetireAt21.com. Today, Michael is 21 years old and, though he isn’t retired, he is netting six figures a year with his websites. His latest, IncomeDiary.com, has attracted well over 10,000 subscribers. Follow @michaeldunlop Update: Since interviewing Michael for this book, we co-founded AwesomeWeb, a simple freelance marketplace to help you find web designers and developers. Emil Motycka, 21: FROM ‘MOW BOY’ TO $135K Emil owns a company which provides work for about 65 people in Northern Colorado. Motycka Enterprises offers everything from building and janitorial maintenance to lawn care, tree care, snow removal, and even Christmas light installation. Emil earned $135,000 his senior year of high school. Follow @emotycka Lauren Amarante, 21: WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP DAY Lauren co-founded World Entrepreneurship Day (WED) as a sophomore at Arizona State University. WED’s first celebration of entrepreneurship, in 2009, was a huge success with 22 countries participating. Since then, WED has partnered with the United Nations to scale it to 35 countries in 2010. Follow @lafactor Alex Maroko, 21: $0 TO $100K IN 5 MONTHS Alex went from training clients in person to doing everything online in 2009. His first product, a video that teaches how to dribble a basketball better, earned $20,000 in the first week of its release. In the six months since, Alex has been developing more websites, products and an online coaching program. Follow @alexmaroko Juliette Brindak, 21: ‘MISS O’ VALUED AT $15 MILLION Juliette launched Miss O and Friends, a by-girls-for-girls site where tweens can go to safely interact, get advice, and play flash games. She has sold over 120,000 books. In 2008, Procter & Gamble invested in Miss O and Friends and estimated the company’s value at $15 million dollars. Follow @missoandfriends Jacob Cass, 22: INSPIRED DESIGNER FOR HIRE Jacob nabbed his first freelance job at the age of sixteen and in November 2007 he started a website and blog dedicated to his business, Just Creative Design. He immediately began raking in clients, awards, and recognition. In January 2010, Jacob received a prestigious job offer from his Twitter account. Follow @justcreative Andrew Fashion, 22: MADE AND LOST $2.5 MILLION Andrew had dropped out of high school in 2005 and started developing websites. After months of just scraping by, Andrew hit it big. He was pulling in $100,000+ checks every month. But after a few years of living the high life, the revenue stream dried up and Andrew went from being a millionaire to being in debt. Follow @andrewfashion Joe Penna, 23: MYSTERY GUITAR MAN Joe makes videos with unconventional video editing and black sunglasses. Since getting started in June 2006, Mystery Guitar Man has amassed over one million subscribers and over 100 million total views – making it the 8th most subscribed channel on YouTube. Visit Joe’s YouTube Channel | Follow @mysteryguitarm
Tagged as: Entrepreneurship, Interview, List
Article by Nicholas Tart I’m a co-founder of Bundlify and AwesomeWeb living in Colorado. I'm the co-author of What it Takes to Make More Money than Your Parents. NICHOLAS HAS WRITTEN 84 ARTICLE(S) FOR JUNIORBIZ.COM.
What’s Next? Get Inspired Teacher Page
Get inspired! Students search and read an online or magazine article about an entrepreneur who is close to their age. Students can do this on their own and summarize the article in an email. The email is sent to a classmate to review. Once each student has an opportunity to review a summary, the instructor can lead a brief class discussion about what ideas were learned from reading these articles. If technology is an issue: The instructor may print a few articles about young business owners and have the class pair up to read them. Each pair then summarizes the article and shares that information with another pair of students in class. In order to check understanding, have students complete an exit ticket by writing one sentence that describes the information they learned from the article they read, and one sentence that describes the information they learned from the summary they reviewed.
Here are links to four articles you are sure to find inspirational : • https://fortune.com/2016/09/15/18-entrepreneurs-under-18-teen-business/ • https://www.business.org/business/startup/youngest-entrepreneurs/ • http://juniorbiz.com/top-25-young-entrepreneurs • https://www.inacademy.eu/blog/3-entrepreneurship-tips/
Question prompts: 1. Reflect on information you read in the article. How will you apply information gathered in the article in your life? 2. Paraphrase the article you read. What do you think are the most important parts to share with someone? 3. 3,2,1: What are 3 things you learned from this article? 2 things you want to know more about, and 1 question you have after reading the article. 4. If you could interview the person in the article, what are three questions you would ask this person? 5. Think about the person who is featured in the article you read. How are you and that person alike? How are you and that person different?
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