11 Young African American Entrepreneurs to Support this Holiday Season

By Natural Hair Kids | 

 

I just want to start off by saying that this is an article that you definitely want to read with your children if they are expressing interest in entrepreneurship. Whether they like to make loom bracelets or have come up with a solution to a common household problem, encourage them to follow their dreams and pursue their passion.  It’s never too early or late to develop an enterprising child. Children who think like entrepreneurs will develop leadership skills, heighten their creativity and become excellent problem solvers. In fact, there are plenty of kids in the African-American community who are making waves in the business world. Here are some that you should definitely support this holiday season:

 

Gabby

Invented by a seven year-old and her Mom, Gabby’s Bows solves the age-old problem of disappearing barrettes. What once began as a Twitter exchange between Gabby’s mom and her Pastor has now transformed into a highly successful barrette business for this mother/daughter duo.

Gabby is not sitting on the side lines watching her mom do all of the work. She’s very involved with the day-to-day operations of the business, including: tackling inventory, data entry, sales tax coding, filling orders, writing thank you notes, etc. “She gets upset if I conduct any business without her.” Her mom says. It’s no surprise that Gabby was also recently named SC Young Entrepreneur of the Year (the youngest to ever receive this award).

GaBBY Bows come in eight colors and are available for purchase in nearly 100 Walgreens, Bilo and Once Upon a Child stores in SC, GA and NC.

Shop online or find a store near you at gabbybows.com

 

Mikaila Ulmer

 

The world first learned of Mikaila when she fearlessly entered ABC’s show Shark Tank with her BeeSweet Lemonade. At just 10 years old, she secured a sweet deal with investor Daymond John, who put up $60,000 for a 25% stake in the company. But the deal didn’t end there, in addition to his investment, Daymond stated that he would mentor Mikaila. But Mikaila has been enterprising for a long time. She got bit by the enterpreneurial bug at just four years old, when her family encouraged her to enter a children’s business competition. Not only is Mikaila serious about her business, she’s also serious about providing a sustainable life for others. She makes her BeeSweet lemonade with local honey, and a percentage of her earnings go towards saving the honeybee.

Support Mikaila’s business at http://beesweetlemonade.com

 

 

Ethan & Collier

This dynamic duo runs an online store that specializes in gluten-free gourmet caramel popcorn. There parents set out to teach the two about entrepreneurship and thus, the E & C Popcorn Company was born.

Ethan and Collier’s popcorn contains only the freshest ingredients with no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. Their popcorn is also air-popped making it free of fatty oils. Yum!

Get your popcorn fix at www.eandcpopcorn.com/

 

Asia Newson

 

Asia Newson, also known as Super Business Girl, started her candle business when she was just five years old. She learned how to make candles from her father, and instantly began turning her creations into profit. As the youngest entrepreneur in Detroit, she would eventually gain worldwide recognition when 20/20 cameras caught her selling her candles to people on the street. Asia states that her goal is to “recognize the potential in every child and develop intrinsic security that makes optimum use of their individual talent.” Today, Asia’s business has expanded into a full-fledged empire. In addition to candles, she now sells t-shirts, accessories and more on her online store. You can also catch Asia giving motivational speeches around the world.

View and support her store www.superbusinessgirl.com

 

 

Mr. Cory

 

Mr. Cory is such a little gentleman. He takes his business so seriously, that he called himself Mr. Cory, and this was just at nine years old! Mr. Cory knew that he wanted to make the world a better place. He figured out a way to do this by combining his two favorite passions, sweet treats and business. And thus, we now have Mr. Cory’s Cookies. The cookies, which practically melt in your mouth, are all-natural and only made from high quality ingredients.

Satisfy your sweet tooth at http://www.mrcoryscookies.com

 

 

Chental-Song Bembry

This teenpreneur is a creative force to be reckoned with. She’s the writer and illustrator of the extremely popular book The Honey Bunch Kids. It’s an animated series that follows the lives of a group of middle school kids, as they learn the true meaning of friendship.

Chental’s business is truly a family affair. Her mother helps her run her business which now includes a lifestyle brand of book bags, home items and clothing.

Check out her Zazzle store http://www.zazzle.com/the_honey_bunch_kids

 

 

 

Maya Penn

Maya Penn is representing for the natural hair kid entrepreneur community. She’s a lady with many talents. Some of her many job titles include business owner, illustrator, animator, artist, designer, writer and philanthropist. She began her foray into business at eight, when she started designing ribbon headbands for friends and family. Her business then took off! Maya now offers an entire retail brand of handcrafted accessories and eco-friendly clothing from recycled fabrics.

Visit http://mayasideas.com/ to see her entire collection.

 

 

Moziah Bridges

Moziah, also known as Mo, started his company Mo’s Bows at nine years old, when he struggled to find fun and fashionable bow ties that suited his personality. He took initiative and created his own, using his Granny’s scrap fabric. You may have seen Mo on ABC’s Shark Tank. He didn’t secure a deal, but Shark Tank investor Daymond John was so impressed with Mo and his business that he offered to mentor Mo for free.

Mo states that bow ties make him look and feel good, but more importantly, he believes designing the bow ties allow him to help make the world a better place.

View Mo’s Bows at http://mosbowsmemphis.com/
 

Laetitia Mukungu

 

Laetitia Mukungu has a true charitable spirit. She founded Women’s Rabbit Association at just 14 years old. It’s a non-profit organization that combines her love of education and agriculture. The organization farms rabbits for profit, in order to help women of Kenya pay for the children’s educational needs. Though she is now 18, her passion for entrepreneurship continues to thrive and her business remains successful.

Read more at http://www.africarabbitcentre.com

 

 

Essynce Moore

What girl doesn’t like to play dress up? Essynce began her career early on, when she started designing clothes at six. Essynce has always loved beauty and creativity. She took that passion to the next level with the launch of a clothing line in 2013, Essynce Couture. In addition to overseeing her fashion line, Essynce is a stylist, motivational speaker and author.

Updated your wardrobe at http://www.essyncecouture.com

 

These kidpreneurs are a true inspiration and we’re incredibly proud of them. We’d love to keep the conversation going. What are your thoughts on kids and entrepreneurship? If you know of more amazing black kid entrepreneurs, drop us a line in the comments!