Share This Article
Hannah Reyes used her initials to create the name of her business, HER Designs four years ago when she was eight. She sells a variety of products, including hairclips, mirrors, popsockets, and mini-personal alarms, but all have a signature rosette that she hand-makes out of fabric. Hannah is a finalist in the 2019 Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars business competition.
Learn more about Hannah below, and watch her segment on Colorado & Company!
Question: Tell me a little bit about you – name, age, how long you’ve been an entrepreneur?
Answer: Hi, My name is Hannah Reyes and I am the owner of HER Designs, I am 12 years old. I have been in business for 4 years. I started HER Designs when I was 8 years old.
Q: Do you have a website? If so, let us know what it is.
A: My website is www.herdesigns.net. You can also follow me in Facebook and Instagram under HER Design Store.
Q: What motivated or inspired you to start a business?
A: Initially, I was inspired to make products for my own use. For example, I started making the rosette clips so I can use them for my hair. Then people start noticing them and wanted to buy them. The same thing happened for most of my other products. Another example is for my latest product, the mini-personal alarm. I was inspired to have a gadget for girls safety in time for my service trip to Peru. That’s when my mini personal alarm product was born.
Q: Please share an overview about your business.
A: My initial is HER which stands for Hannah Elizabeth Reyes. This is the inspiration for my business name. HER Designs sells hair clips and other accessories. In all of my products, I have maintained the rosette as a signature design. I have now established sub-brands for HER Designs such as HER Safety for my mini personal alarms and HER School Spirit for custom made hair accessories to match school uniforms.
My latest product is my mini personal alarm that you can attach to your bag or belt. It sounds loud when pulled and it works to catch attention whenever you feel unsafe.
Q: Tell us about some of the challenges you face being a young business owner.
A: The hardest part in running a business as a young entrepreneur is having the access to selling products. When I started looking at retail opportunities and people hear that I am only 12, the first reaction is to turn me down. I have learned that these types of experiences shouldn’t discourage me and other young business owners but rather gives me more inspiration to stand up, do better and try again. It gives me a voice to say that age does not matter in making quality products.
Q: Why should other youth start a business?
A: You learn so many life skills in starting a business. You learn to be creative and try new things. You learn how to deal with successes and failures which will be valuable later in life.
Q: What’s the best part about having your own business?
A: The best part for me is making my products – being creative with it, figuring out how to innovate and trying something new. I love learning how to make good quality products and meeting a lot of people. All these while pursuing something that I love to do.
Q: So, you’re one of the finalists for the Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars business competition–congratulations! What motivated you to apply for the competition, and what do you hope to get from this experience?
A: I am really excited to be one of the finalists this year. This is my second year to join the competition. I was a finalist last year as well. My business improved a lot since last year’s competition and I got motivated to join again to further improve my business exposure.
Q: Please share about your involvement with Young Americans.
A: I am really thankful for what Young Americans does for youth. They gave me the opportunity to sell my products when I started. Young Americans is inspiring kids to try something new and learn along the way. I have been selling in their Marketplaces for 4 years now. Also, they are giving me the opportunity to share my story and provide guidance to kids who are thinking of starting a business.
