Source: Rob Kim / Getty
Source: Rob Kim / Getty
When young people get the idea to set up a lemonade stands or breathe life back into an old pair of Jordans, they aren’t just having fun, they’re embarking onto entrepreneurial life and flexing business skills. Learning business from a young age can set children up for future success. Entrepreneurship sets the stage for children and teens to engage in several practices that are good for their development. One such practice, says the Association of American Universities, is speaking with adults regularly. Doing so leads to larger vocabularies for children. The study showed that the adults a child speaks to regularly greatly influence the depth of that child’s language and communication skills.
Additional research out of Harvard shows parents are having great success in helping their kids have better mental health and better academic success by speaking about school and connecting the child’s education to future success. Another practice is facilitating the child’s independence. Having your kid start a small business can tie back to each of these. Some teens have already taken it upon themselves to capitalize on the benefits that come from running a small business. Here are several teen entrepreneurs taking the business world by storm.
Me and The Bees
Speaking of lemonade stands, this 17-year-old scaled her corner lemonade stand into a true business. Ulmer started by selling lemonade in front of her Austin, Texas home and now her product, Me & the Bees lemonade, is carried in over 1,500 stores including major chains like Ralphs, Kroger, Whole Foods and Target. From a young age, Ulmer’s parents encouraged her to enter her lemonade into youth entrepreneurial internships. Today, in addition to selling her tasty beverage, she also speaks at youth business events across the country. As for the brand’s name, that comes from the fact that a portion of all of the lemonade’s sales go to saving the bees – a project close to Ulmer’s heart.
Mr. Cory’s Cookies
Cory Nieves was just six years old when he told his mom he wanted to start a business so he could save money to buy a car – he was tired of taking the bus, he said. He first started by selling lemonade, but then added cookies to expand his product line and from there, Mr. Cory’s Cookies was born. Since then, Mr. Cory’s Cookies has partnered with major brands including Williams-Sonoma, Whole Foods, Bloomingdales and Pottery Barn. The delicious options include Double Dark, Oatmeal Reason, Sugar, Stuffed S’mores and more.
Flexin’ In My Complexion
Flexin’ In My Complexion is more than just a clothing line – it’s part of an anti-bullying movement creator Kheris Rogers, who is just 15 years old, started after being made fun of at school for the color of her skin. Rogers’ line really took off after artist Alicia Keys posted a photo on Instagram with Rogers, promoting her mission. Her shop sells a variety of t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags flaunting the brand’s message with graphics with words like “Representation Matters” and “Black Women Matter” as well as “Flexin’ In My Complexion.”
Princess Mudd
Taylor Rae’s Princess Mudd was launched in the midst of the pandemic, making this teen entrepreneur especially impressive. The line of hair and skincare products was inspired by Rae’s need for something to help with her acne and help with her mother’s scalp rashes. So together, they created this decadent line of products. It’s named Princess Mudd because Rae’s mother nicknamed her “Mudd” as a kid – since the rambunctious child couldn’t stay clean for more than five minutes after bath time. Rae wanted to create a line of products that would help every young, playful girl feel good in her skin, and wearing her natural hair, even after lots of play. The line of products includes shampoo, conditioner, astringent, hair restoration cream and more.
GaBBY Bows
Gabrielle Goodwin is the 15-year-old CEO of GaBBy Bows, a line of hair bows offered at over 70 Target locations across the country. Goodwin’s business has become so successful that she’s even paired up with the Mommy And Me Academy to create franchise opportunities for other young entrepreneurs to sell her products, which have expanded into natural hair products and books. In December of 2021, Goodwin’s line found its first physical home with its brick and mortar location, Confidence by Gabby Goodwin, in Columbia, South Carolina.
Essynce Couture
At age six, Essynce Moore was already drawing designs for clothing in her notebook and as a young teen Moore turned her passion for couture into a business with Essynce Couture. The line has evolved to offer a natural body product line called “Wynk,” with contains items like lip gloss and bath and body oils. The brand just added perfumes as well. As for the attire, Essynce Couture offers bottoms and tops, as well as a “Geekly Chicly” and “Business Attire” collection. Moore is an author and public speaker today, in addition to a clothing line owner.
The World’s Youngest Female Barber
Ambitious and admirable Neijae is the world’s youngest female barber and is technically still a pre-teen. At age eight, she was already cutting hair in Philadelphia and ready to compete in a male-dominated industry. She has a good following on Instagram and beloved tutorials on YouTube. Her mission is to help the community and she gives free haircuts to those in need, while perfecting her skills by learning from some of her neighborhood’s top barbers.
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