Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Through Community and Creativity

Entrepreneurship is more than just business—it’s a transformative force that shapes futures. In this episode, we spotlight a neighborhood charity dedicated to equipping young people with essential skills and opportunities. From an after-school barber program teaching trade skills under a master barber’s guidance to young entrepreneurs turning creative ideas into thriving businesses, we explore how mentorship and education empower youth to dream big.

We meet inspiring young business owners like Luna and Sora, who craft gemstone bracelets, and Jarvez Robinson, whose M&M Deluxe Delight Bars are making waves. Adele’s journey from making scarves to whimsical stuffed animals highlights the power of creativity and teamwork. Their stories showcase the importance of risk-taking, collaboration, and community support in making entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

Through heartwarming success stories—like a lemonade stand owner now on the path to a nursing career—we celebrate the role of community in nurturing young talent. This episode is a testament to the importance of authenticity, confidence, and taking a chance on new ideas.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Entrepreneurship Starts Early: Young business owners are proving that age is no barrier to success.
✅ Hands-On Learning Matters: An after-school barber program teaches trade skills, preparing students for real-world opportunities.
✅ Creativity Fuels Business: From gemstone bracelets to stuffed animals, young entrepreneurs are turning passions into profit.
✅ Community Support is Key: Mentorship, encouragement, and local initiatives help nurture the next generation of business leaders.
✅ Risk & Collaboration Lead to Growth: Embracing challenges and working together accelerates success.
✅ Authenticity Builds Confidence: Owning your unique ideas and skills is the foundation of a successful venture.
✅ Every Idea Has Potential: Whether it’s a lemonade stand or a handcrafted business, every small step counts toward a bigger dream.

Tune in to hear inspiring stories of young entrepreneurs and the incredible community efforts making their success possible!

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Chapters

• 0:30 Empowering Youth Through Entrepreneurship
• 5:35 Young Entrepreneurs Showcase Diverse Products
• 19:00 Youth Entrepreneurs Showcase Handmade Products
• 29:26 Supporting and Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs

Transcript

Speaker 3 0:31

wonderful guest here that's taking care of so many young ones. He has new things on the horizon, for it's our neighborhood, the charity that helped out so many people. Why don't you tell them about the storefront that came to? Came about because you guys were hoping that that would happen when we did the podcast earlier. And how did that turn out?

Speaker 2 0:51

That turned out well. We just took the keys of ownership for our after-school barber program or during-school barber program, to which kids will be able to now start cutting hair and learning to properly cut hair and be trained under our master, barbara Milan.

Speaker 3 1:08

Wow thanks and tell the friends. Jolie Johnson, I forgot to introduce you.

Speaker 2 1:14

Jolie Johnson 6'38" yeah.

Speaker 3 1:16

Teamster man yeah proud to be one of the Teamsters. Man. That's really cool. We get to share that together. We're brothers. Now, with that storefront, that opens the door. For what opportunities for young people.

Speaker 2 1:28

For young people. The high school students, from junior to seniors, will be able to take, if they've got majority of their credit, they'll be able to take additional credits and come into the shop and learn how to cut hair and get educated on how to properly cut and how to groom, how to shave and, uh, whatever goes along with going to a barber. So then in the end of the course they'll be already licensed to go into a barber shop, which coincides with our building our own business. They'll be the business owners, because now they're barbers and they they're working for themselves, and that's the independence they all have.

Speaker 2 2:09

Nice they already have up our hand and they want to continue college. Well, they can go to college and still be making money, because they're a barber and we know barbers make nice money.

Speaker 3 2:19

That's right. Yeah, for sure, man, the hair keeps growing and they get to keep on taking care of people, making them smile. Yeah, now what about this business fair and helping the young ones? How did it all come about for for today, the hard work that put in getting it done and, uh, and helping so many young ones?

Speaker 2 2:39

okay, this has always been. Our thing is we have this. Part of our after school program is for our kids to be entrepreneurs and this is one of the outfits and things that we have to put on here at Rosedale Mall, which is a great place for us and welcome us in here for the kids to set up stands and booths and sell their products and get a feeling of what it's like to have their own storefront and to mind their own business, interact with the customers and to run their business on a day-to-day opportunity and make their financials and be able to start that business.

Speaker 3 3:21

Nice. So that's almost like this is the future retailers right here.

Speaker 2 3:24

Yes, these are the future retailers.

Speaker 3 3:26

Wow, I mean, and how much work did it put in? I mean, you guys are busy setting up and getting ready, putting the signs out, letting people know what door to come in, and everything. How much work did it all entail?

Speaker 2 3:37

Yeah, we usually start about 8 or 9 in the morning and get to make sure everybody gets to each entrance where the kids are going to be. So you know it's a big mall and we want them to be able to focus on where the kids are and stuff. So we put up signs and then we have the mall help us with tables and get set up so it makes it easier for the kids to come in, grab their tables and get set up so they can start interacting in cell and getting them motivated and stuff and getting a smile on their face.

Speaker 2 4:06

It takes the cell.

Speaker 3 4:07

And it is so contagious. When you see the young ones out here, you're like man. Look at that energy man. I wish I could keep that going. Take that with me, put in the bag right. Tell us about the mall and how they play the part in it.

Speaker 2 4:18

Yes, the rosedale mall has embraced this here and it's like they're taking us under their wings and they give us this opportunity to come in and set up, and they set us up so we can succeed. And they're all on board with this, which has really been a blessing.

Speaker 3 4:33

Wow. And then also, how can they see a lot of this information? Do they post it on their website and things like that they post it on their website and they advertise for us and stuff Wow.

Speaker 2 4:42

So it takes a lot out of us. They let us know they advertise like a month in advance and let us know that, hey, the youth fair will be at the mall here, wow, be ready and bring us in that's what's up.

Speaker 3 4:54

I love that, man. That's community helping each other out, businesses helping each other out. We can do this as a community help elevate each other. So, man, thank you so much for making that possible and putting in that hard work and building this community. Thank you it means so much, brother Thank you.

Speaker 2 5:08

I appreciate that man. Thank you.

Speaker 3 5:10

Why don't you give the listeners your name?

Young Entrepreneurs Showcase Diverse Products

Speaker 4 5:12

My name is Sora and my name is Luna.

Speaker 3 5:15

All right, Beautiful names, and you guys are also entrepreneurs and your product that you're selling. Why don't you show the listeners what you have here? It's a bracelet, right?

Speaker 4 5:33

Mm bracelet right Alright, a product that we sell is gemstone bracelets. We sell different types of gemstone bracelets. We sell from 7 inch to 7 1⁄2. We can do smaller for custom, but you have to pay extra for that. Most of our spacers are 18 gold plated and each gemstone has a different property or meaning to each stone.

Speaker 3 5:56

That is so cool. Wow, who came up with all this?

Speaker 8 6:00

Well, my mom got the idea of the gemstones, but originally we always wanted to do the bracelets, because I always liked feeding and I like designing wow, I love it.

Speaker 3 6:12

That's so cool. Uh, what is the business name?

Speaker 8 6:15

uh, the business. This name is luna and sora.

Speaker 3 6:18

Oh yeah, all right, wow, nice, real simple. I like that man. So how long you guys been doing it?

Speaker 8 6:25

uh, we've been doing this business.

Speaker 3 6:27

last year in April, Is it April last year?

Speaker 8 6:30

Yeah, last year in April.

Speaker 3 6:32

Wow, that's great man. A lot of time and a lot of hard work being put in there. We're very proud of you guys and we appreciate you coming out talking about it and sharing it with our listeners as well. What advice would you give young ones that are maybe a little shy about starting their own business and being an entrepreneur? What would you tell them?

Speaker 8 6:50

I would tell them if you do it, then you'd probably have more experience in the future.

Speaker 3 6:57

That's true. The sooner you get started, the more you'll learn. Right, right, so dive right in. Anything else you want to say?

Speaker 4 7:05

It's the only way you can get money at this age. I love it.

Speaker 3 7:07

It's the only way you can get money at this age, I love it. It's the truth. Yeah, great, great hustle. I like it, man, that's the entrepreneur spirit. Thank you, thank you, guys, for joining us and listening in. I appreciate you guys sharing your stories and experiences. Appreciate it, thank you. What's your name?

Speaker 9 7:21

My name is Jarvez Robinson and I'm with Jarvis' Sweets and Treats.

Speaker 3 7:26

What man? You got your own business name. You got treats and sweets. Show them the product, what you got there.

Speaker 9 7:34

I got my M&M Deluxe Delight Bars. Yeah, it features M&M's caramel, vanilla and some peanut butter and chocolate all you know mixed into a bar. Wow, man and chocolate all you know mixed into a bar.

Speaker 3 7:48

Wow, man and.

Speaker 9 7:48

I have my strawberry deluxe delight bars that feature strawberry crackers, caramel, vanilla and it's all you know, mixed into one bar.

Speaker 3 8:00

What got you into this? Do you like to bake or do you like to make treats before? Or how did you come about doing this?

Speaker 9 8:07

or you like to make treats before, or how did he come about doing this? To be honest, you know, I work with Milan, aside from the youth business fair, and he teaches us how to be entrepreneurs, and he was talking about this and you know it's been building up to this, so I just wanted to, you know, do something different from everybody else. Yeah, just come here and show off.

Speaker 3 8:28

I think you're doing great, man. I mean, there's so many things you can do with your time and you chose to do this. I think that, man, that speaks volumes and we're so proud of you guys all the young ones here so appreciate you doing that, man, and also telling the listeners about it. Show them the menu again. Look at the detail in that. Wow, Awesome. Who worked on that with you? Did you do that by yourself?

Speaker 9 8:51

No, me and my stepdad did.

Speaker 3 8:54

Yeah, look at that, so your teamwork makes the dream work. Look at that, so you guys put in a lot of time doing that. That's good quality time, man. I appreciate that. So for anybody out there, what advice would you give them? If they're a little hesitant about being an entrepreneur or doing their own thing, what would you tell them?

Speaker 9 9:12

To be honest, I would say, like you know, this is the first time for everything you know. You might as well just try it out and see how it goes.

Speaker 3 9:21

Right, absolutely, I agree, it's kind of like having a podcast, right, yeah, so, yeah, so I'm glad to have you on the podcast and tell your story and, uh, we really appreciate you guys. Man, keep up the good work. Hey, what's your name? Adele adele, that's a cool name, huh, all right. So, uh, what, what business do you have here? What's the name of your business? And and then tell the friends about that?

Speaker 5 9:43

we're three little kittens. Creations we have crocheted stuffed animals. No way.

Speaker 3 9:49

So how did you come about to make the stuffed animals and crochet them? How did that happen?

Speaker 5 9:54

Well, I started crocheting when I was like nine and I wanted to crochet because I saw somebody one of my friends made a scarf and I really wanted to crochet. So I made a scarf and it looked horrible at first, but then I kept trying. I made crochet cozies at first, and then we wanted to crochet, so I made a scarf and it looked horrible at first, but then I kept trying. I made crochet cozies at first, and then we wanted to make stuffed animals and so we made more stuffed animals and then we started going to craft shows and I taught my sisters how to do it and then we all were at craft shows then.

Speaker 3 10:21

Wow, why don't you show them what you got here? What do we have?

Speaker 5 10:25

This is Gina the giraffe. And yeah, here, what do we?

Speaker 3 10:32

have. Um, this is gina the giraffe, and, yeah, I made her. Wow, it took like two days to make no way. So all that made by hand, that is really good. I wouldn't know where to begin if I were to do that. Very proud of you, man. I bet your parents are very proud. And you guys come out and you said where people can find your products. Uh, where, where can they find them?

Speaker 5 10:47

and we are. We do a lot of craft shows around minnesota and we have instagram and we have facebook and we have an etsy shop, but we don't really post that much on etsy right now.

Speaker 3 10:58

We want to get better at posting on etsy wow, so you're already making profit and selling, man. So so milan and uh, it's our neighborhood helps you with a lot of that, wow, so this is nice of you to be able to come out and share that. And, man, keep on selling, and then we'll put maybe some links around the details for people to reach out and buy more. So, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Yeah, what is your name?

Speaker 10 11:21

Micah and yours Ellie.

Speaker 3 11:24

Ellie, ellie, nice, and how long have you been doing this?

Speaker 10 11:29

This is my first year. This is the third one I've done.

Speaker 3 11:34

Wow, that's amazing. And what is your business name?

Speaker 10 11:39

Kindness, creations, gifts and Goods.

Speaker 3 11:43

How did you come up with?

Speaker 10 11:44

that we just had it AI generated. How did you come up with that? We just had it AI generated.

Speaker 3 11:47

That's perfect. I like that one. I would have done the same, yeah, so let's see. So your business tell us a little bit about your business and what it's about your products.

Speaker 10 12:00

So we are making like cherry blossoms and we went with the theme Valentine's. So then, because it's like two weeks till Valentine's Day, last year we just made cards and we thought this year it would be more fun to make a bunch of other stuff too, related to Valentine's.

Speaker 3 12:22

Wow, how nice. Great job guys. So what's one of your products you would like to showcase for the listeners?

Speaker 10 12:30

This cherry blossom. So Ellie found these branches in the backyard, so we just used some gold spray paint and the cherry blossoms are really fun to make. They're just tissue paper and they're a great way to just pass the time and then we just pop, glued them on that's awesome.

Speaker 3 12:54

That's awesome, wow. So how can uh there are listeners, uh those that are watching the podcast get a hold of your products?

Speaker 10 13:03

uh, you just come to the Rosedale Mall Center.

Speaker 3 13:09

We also did a business fair at Highland a few months ago, yeah, Do you guys have like an email to continue selling after the showcase here?

Speaker 10 13:20

We don't currently, but we should.

Speaker 3 13:23

All right, Well, hey, maybe that's in the works. We'll keep a lookout for it. I can always update the notes, so if you guys do come up with anything, we can put that in the podcast details and they can get a hold of your products and you can keep selling.

Speaker 7 13:37

Thank you.

Speaker 3 13:38

Yeah, how about that? Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I'm glad to have you guys on the podcast. You guys got a great setup and we're really proud of you guys. Keep doing the good work.

Speaker 8 13:45

Thank you?

Speaker 3 13:45

What is your name? Josie, josie, all right, glad to have you here. So what's the business name that you decided to have for your entrepreneurship?

Speaker 7 13:56

So my business name is Creations with Wealth.

Speaker 3 13:59

Nice yeah. What made you come up with that name?

Speaker 7 14:03

So when my parents always called me like woozy bear, Really, yeah, oh, wow, that's cute.

Speaker 3 14:09

Yeah, nice, all right, and how long have you been doing this? Um?

Speaker 8 14:15

three, four years.

Speaker 3 14:18

Three, four years. Wow, you've been putting in a lot of hard work, huh, yeah. So, uh, when you, when you do your your business, uh, what products do you have and what do you want to showcase?

Speaker 7 14:27

Okay, I have little like painting kits.

Speaker 3 14:32

Okay, show them, show the people.

Speaker 7 14:34

I have little painting kits.

Speaker 3 14:35

Look at that Nice. What's next?

Speaker 10 14:37

I have little like scratch bookmarks.

Speaker 3 14:40

Wow, thank you.

Speaker 10 14:42

I have perler bead earrings.

Speaker 3 14:46

Wow, that's cool.

Speaker 7 14:49

Just beaded earrings.

Speaker 3 14:51

You got a wide selection.

Speaker 7 14:53

And clay bead earrings.

Speaker 3 14:56

Nice.

Speaker 10 14:57

And then I also have like little perler bead, like coasters.

Speaker 7 15:00

Oh yeah yeah, and then bracelets.

Speaker 3 15:03

Bracelets what's your favorite? I remember you said something like the bracelets are your favorite.

Speaker 7 15:09

These two are probably my favorite.

Speaker 3 15:11

Wow, nice. And how can people get a hold of your products to purchase them and to get them for themselves?

Speaker 10 15:19

I have an email.

Speaker 3 15:21

Okay, all right. Yeah, thank you for your time. Give me your name for the listeners.

Speaker 11 15:26

My name is Raynell.

Speaker 3 15:28

Raynell man, what's happening? What's up? Yeah, I know you're out here making it happen what you got for us.

Speaker 11 15:35

So today I got chocolate chip cookies and yeah.

Speaker 3 15:41

Check that out. So who made those?

Speaker 11 15:44

I did. Who made? Yes, sir, that's what's up.

Speaker 3 15:46

Yeah, I like that man. How'd you get started doing that?

Speaker 11 15:50

So about three years ago I started working for a nonprofit organization called it's Our Neighborhood. He runs a business fair so he introduced me and the other workers to the business fair. I didn't know what to do, so it was like my family do baking, so why not try something new and do baking? So I did it my first time. I didn't win first place but I kept trying, kept building my recipe up. Last year I won first place, so hopefully this year I can come back and win first place again.

Speaker 3 16:18

When you say first place, were there other people you're competing with?

Speaker 11 16:28

Well, everybody in the business fair is competing to see who got the best entrepreneurship skills you know, to see, like, who can start their own business and how they would do so.

Speaker 3 16:34

Yeah, so you got to write a business plan. Yep, yep. Man, how did you feel about that? Were you nervous?

Speaker 11 16:40

Well, I was nervous and it was hard at the same time too, I didn't know how to do it Right, but luckily my boss Milan, he helped me out, he helped me through it, yeah, and it got easy.

Speaker 3 16:50

Man, what a good coach, right, yeah, yeah. So that's what we need is a mentor in life. That's great, right, right. So, man. So how did you develop the recipe?

Speaker 11 16:59

So I recipe um, I tried to cook it out. It wasn't, as it wasn't as I wanted it to be as perfect as I wanted to be. So, um, I added some stuff to it, um, doing my own ingredients. I mean, it came out, it's just perfect.

Speaker 3 17:11

So man, think about. A lot of young ones aren't choosing to do this and you, you make that choice to do this. Take your time and do something so productive like that. Man. We're so proud of you and we got to showcase you here. Uh, so do you have a business name for it's?

Speaker 11 17:26

called Raynell Sweet Cookies.

Speaker 3 17:28

Raynell Sweet Cookies. I like that. How'd you come up with that one?

Speaker 11 17:33

I don't really know. My boss helped me come up with it, nice.

Speaker 3 17:37

There you go, that's what's up. Another mentorship is also helping to come up with names and develop them, because they start like a life of his own, the business name, right, you know, yeah, so, man, how nice. So how long have you been doing this? For Three years, three years, okay. So how can people get a hold of your products? And maybe for the future, do you have anything set up that way? I?

Speaker 11 17:59

got a website. It's not up yet. I'm still working on my website, but I have Instagram. It's called it's Our Neighborhood. It's Our Neighborhood, I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 18:06

Right now it's with cookies.

Speaker 11 18:07

It's on Instagram.

Speaker 3 18:11

So we'll try to get that out there and make sure everybody knows how to find your cookies and your baking goods, because you've got quite a few other things, not just cookies. But what else do you provide?

Speaker 11 18:19

We've got cakes too.

Speaker 3 18:25

Red velvet cake Better than anything.

Speaker 11 18:26

Cake For explicit Better than anything cake.

Speaker 3 18:29

Yeah.

Speaker 8 18:30

There you go All right.

Youth Entrepreneurs Showcase Handmade Products

Speaker 3 18:31

Well, glad to have you on and check out right now Sweet Cakes, and I appreciate you taking the time to come to the business fair and share your story with us, man. Yes sir, all right, take care, what is your name.

Speaker 13 18:41

My name is Faith, but I also go by Icebreaker.

Speaker 3 18:44

Icebreaker Is that the business name?

Speaker 13 18:45

That is the business name. I also go by IceBee to make it a little shorter for people.

Speaker 3 18:49

Yeah, so how did you come up with that? I have it on my shirt right here. Oh what, icebee? It's part of my character. Yeah, show that.

Speaker 13 18:54

Point it at the Look at that table myself. I did, uh, the label cards, the products and stuff like that. All of that made by my own hands.

Speaker 3 19:06

Wow, how'd you get started? How long you've been doing this?

Speaker 13 19:09

um, so I started making the products like last year, but I've been wanting to do something similar to this for, I think, five years, for now I'm pretty sure I've been drawing for a pretty long time and I've always wanted to make my own original characters to sell and just share with other people. Because I've watched a lot of YouTube videos of YouTubers selling their own stuff and it makes me really happy that maybe I can one day make people that happy with my products and characters and stuff like that Wow.

Speaker 3 19:35

You're a natural Thank you. Yeah, awesome man. So your business and the products that you have did you get them available online, or how can people get in touch with you further after this?

Speaker 13 19:49

I plan on selling them on my Kofi page and there's a shop there. It's going to be ready to open up after this fair happens, so I can sell the extra stuff. And I plan on selling more stuff on another website that's currently in development right now and I'm just waiting for it to open up.

Speaker 3 20:03

Wow, yeah, you're headed out there on the next level. Thank you, yeah, I see great things. Thank you, yeah, so keep up the great work, and we just wanted to make sure we could showcase you here and tell about your story, and we're real proud of all the young ones here. Thank you, I really appreciate that a lot. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Speaker 13 20:21

I wish you guys the best success too. I'm very appreciative that you guys have this podcast. It gives a lot of youth people a lot of opportunities to be exposed out here, and that's really cool of you guys.

Speaker 3 20:31

Thank you, that's my pleasure. Why don't you give them your name?

Speaker 12 20:35

My name is Arthur. My name is Luther.

Speaker 3 20:38

What? Thank you guys.

Speaker 12 20:44

How did you come about to be here at the business fair? What brings you here? So my mom told us about this and it was coming next week, so we started getting ready for it.

Speaker 3 20:52

Nice, you got ready for it. What's some of the things you sell?

Speaker 12 20:56

We sell Pokemon. Show the camera. We sell Pokemon what? And then? We sell Wii Packs. Yeah, camera, what yeah?

Speaker 3 21:14

that's amazing. You guys are really doing it. I really appreciate you coming out doing this. How long have you been doing this?

Speaker 12 21:24

Probably like two or three years.

Speaker 3 21:28

Two or three years. Oh wow, we really appreciate you guys putting in all that hard work and that's a great example for many people out there to see that hard work pays off. Thank you guys so much. Do you have the listeners you need?

Speaker 6 21:42

My name is McKaylee.

Speaker 3 21:43

McKaylee All right, so you have a business here, that you're selling your products. Yeah, entrepreneurship.

Speaker 6 21:53

Why don't you tell us a little bit about that? Me and my friend, we're selling some crochet items and some drawings, yeah.

Speaker 3 22:00

Who's your friend?

Speaker 6 22:01

Her name's Mia she's yeah, all right.

Speaker 3 22:04

So she's championing on. You've got teamwork. You're tackling it as a team Exactly. Show them what you've got.

Speaker 6 22:10

Well, this is one of our crochet items that my friend made, and this is a drawing I did.

Speaker 3 22:16

Wow, so you're an artist. Yeah, wow. How does it feel to be an artist, putting your work out there and wondering if or not you know, say, hey, man, I feel low. I've done this and now I'm sharing it with the world. How does that feel?

Speaker 6 22:28

it's a little scary, but yeah, it's been fun kind of yeah we're proud of you, I think.

Speaker 3 22:33

I think you're brave, yeah, doing that and, uh, we really appreciate you coming out, putting your work out for people to uh, to purchase and be a part of your dream. Uh, where do you see this going For your business? Do you have a name for it?

Speaker 6 22:47

Yeah, it's in Latin. It's called Poltra Ex Deo One more time. Poltra Ex Deo? I don't know.

Speaker 3 22:54

How'd you come up with that?

Speaker 6 22:56

My friend did. She gave me an idea and then she was like, should you put this on a poster? And I was like, oh, like, oh, yeah, that sounds great, yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you draw that as well, your logo? Yeah, I did. Or she gave me an idea and then I uh sketched it out on the poster.

Speaker 3 23:15

Look at that. All that hard work, that's great entrepreneurship, that's uh, you put it in that groundwork. So, and where do you see it going?

Speaker 6 23:22

possibly you have any dreams for where it may go in the future um, I don't know, it would be cool to be an artist or do things like that, but yeah yeah, it's also just fun to hang out and sell things, you know have fun with it.

Speaker 3 23:37

Yeah, absolutely, and you got a great support. I got to meet your parents as well, so they come out and they help you as well. So, and your mom, she loves your drawings, so that's good. So, yeah, how can people find your products? Do you have like a website or anything? Maybe something in the future coming up?

Speaker 6 23:54

Maybe. Yeah, we don't have anything right now, but maybe we'll make something. Yeah, it seems like we might do this next year sometime.

Speaker 3 24:02

Yeah, for sure I look this next year sometime. Yeah, for sure I look forward to it. And then I think I see great things coming in the future for you. Keep up the good work. We got a really great singer here. She's going to share us her entrepreneurship is to be a artist when it comes to singing. Uh, what's your name, sky? Ah, it's a beautiful name. What are you going to sing for us today? Sick with my boy, all right, why don't you let it rip for us? Yeah, go ahead, ready, sick of my boys.

Speaker 7 24:28

Sick of my boys catching them and going to them. Sick of my boys. Sick of my boys. Sick of my boys.

Speaker 3 24:36

You're the sweetest. Thank you, guys so much. Thank you so much for coming out, okay, yeah, all right, give us your name.

Speaker 1 24:42

My name is London.

Speaker 3 24:44

London. Mm-hmm, that's a pretty name, Thank you. How did you get started at the business fair here showcasing your work?

Speaker 1 24:59

and how did that get started?

Speaker 3 24:59

I like making bracelets for my friends, and I just kept growing from there. Wow, so Milan and it's Our Neighborhood helped you get more involved and taught you a lot of things, right, mm-hmm, yeah, so what's the name of your business?

Speaker 1 25:13

Happy Charms.

Speaker 3 25:15

All right. How did you get the name for that?

Speaker 1 25:20

We were thinking of names. Yeah, we also added charms at the end. It first was Lucky Charms, but then we switched it, so then it was Happy Charms.

Speaker 3 25:32

Wow. So you kind of changed it and made it adapt it, kind of evolved to where it is today. Mm-hmm, nice, nice, I like it. I really like the name, thank you. So how long have you been doing this?

Speaker 1 25:46

For I think, somewhere last year.

Speaker 3 25:51

Oh wow. So still kind of new and you're learning as you go. So you got a lot ahead of you and we're really proud of you and we think you're doing a really great job. What's some of the work that you can show people that you do?

Speaker 1 26:04

So my newest addition today is my bags. What so, then? I press these patches on them and you could design them however you want and add whatever you want.

Speaker 3 26:18

That is cool. I'm going to have to work on some of my stuff to get to that level. That is awesome. Yeah, I like that. Yeah, nice work, really nice work. And you're doing well today, getting some sales and making people smile and making people happy, right, yeah, yeah, nice. Who are you here with you? Come by yourself, but now I'm here with my mom me, my grandpa and my two little cousins.

Speaker 3 26:44

Wow, you got a lot more people than I thought. Man, that is a nice support that you have, great, great Well, we're glad to have you here and we appreciate you talking to the cameras, talking to the listeners and letting them know what you're about and what you're here to do. A lot of entrepreneurs out there can follow suit as well. Thank you so much. What are your names?

Speaker 7 27:03

Thea Kla.

Speaker 3 27:06

Oh wow, so nice. What brings you to the business fair To sell things? What do you have?

Speaker 7 27:15

We have bracelets and mystery eggs and mystery bags and we have rings and nails and other stuff.

Speaker 3 27:28

How nice. That is awesome. How long have you been making these items? I don't know, but for a long time, a long time. You put in a lot of work. Do you stay up real late? Yep, sometimes, really, sometimes, wow, do you guys help each other out? Yeah, we help each other out, teamwork Whoa, that is so cool, wow. And then you got mom here too. She does she help out too. Awesome, man, that's great. I'm glad you guys get to come out. And, uh, do you guys have a business name that you use for entrepreneurship? Really, what's the business name?

Speaker 7 28:08

Bestie Collection.

Speaker 3 28:10

What that's awesome.

Speaker 14 28:16

Who came up with?

Supporting and Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs

Speaker 3 28:17

that my mom. My mom, that's awesome. Well, I'm so glad to have you here and tell about your business and the items that you're selling. We're so proud of you guys and for our listeners out there, you can be at any age. You can be an entrepreneur, and here's a great example here of hard work pays off. So thank you guys for listening in. Oh, what do you got? You want to show them. What's that? A chick, that's a chick. So who made this one? You both knit it. No, we bought it. Oh, you bought it. So you're also helping out other entrepreneurs. That's cool. I like that one. That's cute. Thank you, yeah, tamia, it's nice to meet you, and you're here helping out because you've been a part of this business fair for quite some time. Yeah, so tell us a little bit here helping out, because you've been a part of this business fair for quite some time. Yeah, yeah. So tell us a little bit about the history of the business fair. Do you know where it came from and how you got to play a part in it?

Speaker 14 29:18

Okay, so I started. So this is program part. It's our neighborhood. I was in this program ever since I was 12. And at first my first ever business fair was. Milan gave us a project where we had to, you know, like make lemonade from scratch and sell our product. We had to come up with a name, market our business and everything like that. But it wasn't his business fair. So when we did that, it was pretty fun. And then Milan decided to do his first ever business fair and I was here. I've been here for all the business fairs. This is my first one that I'm not in.

Speaker 3 29:54

Really.

Speaker 14 29:55

Started from the ground up, you know, working our way up there and yeah. And then I started working for Milan when I was 14. And when I turned 16, I stopped working and I went in the field of nursing.

Speaker 3 30:10

Wow, how nice man. You're really setting the path and helping Milan help others as well. So what does it really mean for you to be a part of this, for you personally?

Speaker 14 30:21

When I first came to ION, I wasn't a community person, but I feel like what Milan is doing for our community is amazing and I want to be a part of it, of course.

Speaker 3 30:32

Yeah.

Speaker 14 30:32

And I just feel like it's cool to like allow young people that want to be entrepreneurs to, like you know, sell their product and see get out in that field and see how it is.

Speaker 3 30:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. So you know, you see the young ones here and you see them doing some of the things that you used to do. Yeah, what does that do for you, and what would you encourage other young ones to be a part of this as well?

Speaker 14 30:56

It's amazing. I love seeing people like. I would say probably, don't be nervous, you know, have a smile, you know, give great customer service and just be you. Yeah, and you know, have fun. It's not about, you know, winning or losing you and you know, have fun.

Speaker 3 31:13

It's not about, you know, winning or losing. Just have fun, because everyone's a winner. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what's up. It's almost like having a podcast. Yeah, I like that. So just be yourself and authentic. That original, that's what people want. They don't really want the fake package stuff. So, um, what would you say to uh help people like the young ones, business people, uh come up with ideas? Maybe they're just sitting there and they're thinking man, you know, I can't. I don't know if I could do that. I don't have any ideas. How would you get started?

Speaker 14 31:38

I would say write them down. Write whatever comes to mind down, no matter if it's just something very, very little. Write it down because your idea is definitely going to be big one day.

Speaker 3 31:50

Nice.

Speaker 14 31:50

So just you know, any idea that comes to your mind, just write it down.

Speaker 3 31:55

So when you get done with school, you're going to go into nursing. And so what are your dreams and aspirations with nursing? What do you like to specialize in? Anything?

Speaker 14 32:05

Yeah, I would definitely like to be in the office. I want to be an RN, hopefully I can make it up there um, and I want to go to college somewhere not in minnesota, no, somewhere warm most likely.

Speaker 3 32:19

Yeah, yeah, I understand somewhere safe you know, yeah, and you know, just be a rn nurse. But yeah, we really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and talk about this and and um, that's a great fair to be a part of.