Hannah’s beautiful soaps make it hard to believe that she’s an 11-year-old entrepreneur who’s only been in business for about six months! As the owner of Simply Denver Soap Co., Hannah has created all-natural soaps in six different scents. Her soaps, which make perfect holiday gifts, are available for purchase on her Etsy site or at the upcoming YouthBiz Marketplace on Saturday, December 7. Learn more about Hannah and her business below, and watch her segment on Colorado & Company !

Monthly Entrepreneur: Hannah Doolittle

Janet Redwine YouthBiz Leave a Comment

Hannah’s beautiful soaps make it hard to believe that she’s an 11-year-old entrepreneur who’s only been in business for about six months!  As the owner of Simply Denver Soap Co., Hannah has created all-natural soaps in six different scents.  Her soaps, which make perfect holiday gifts, are available for purchase on her Etsy site or at the upcoming YouthBiz Marketplace …

Gente Joven Por Un Cambio (GJC) Startup Group Photo

“When I Grow Up”

Janet Redwine YouthBiz Leave a Comment

Teaching Youth Entrepreneurship in Mexico In just weekend last November, 25 deserving kids became 25 incredible young entrepreneurs.  Here is their story! A popular tourist destination, San José del Cabo, Mexico is known for its beautiful beaches and colonial architecture.  The city boasts elegant hotels and restaurants that draw tens of thousands of visitors each year.  Tourism is the main …

YouthBiz Holiday Marketplace 2019

Top Five Reasons to Shop YouthBiz Marketplace

Janet Redwine Events, YouthBiz Leave a Comment

It’s nearly #SmallBusinessSaturday and a great time to make plans to shop at the ultimate “shop-local” experience: YouthBiz Marketplace!  This year’s annual event takes place on two Saturdays in December: Saturday, December 7 – Young Americans Center for Financial Education in Denver, 3550 E. First Ave. Denver, CO 80206 Saturday, December 14 – Young Americans Center for Financial Education in …

On a Thursday evening, the “best of the best” youth entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges. These 16 middle school students won top honors at their school’s Colorado Uplift YouthBiz StartUp pitch competition, and convened for the finals to compete for the top prize: $250. Their creativity and professionalism impressed judges and audience members alike!

YouthBiz Entrepreneurs Impress at Colorado Uplift Finale

Maite Wantwadi YouthBiz Leave a Comment

On a recent Thursday evening, the “best of the best” youth entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges.  These 16 middle school students won top honors at their school’s Colorado Uplift YouthBiz StartUp pitch competition, and convened for the finals to compete for the top prize: $250.  Their creativity and professionalism impressed judges and audience members alike! …

Young Americans Center for Financial Education and Park Burger are thrilled to introduce you to the 14-year-old winners of Burger Biz! This team created the Omnivore’s Colorful Challenge, a delicious and more nutritious alternative to the standard hamburger. In addition to winning $500, creators Gabriel Nagel and Kellan Clapp will have their burger featured in Park Burger restaurants throughout the month of November, where a portion of its sale will benefit the hands-on financial education programs of Young Americans Center. Learn more about Gabe and Kellan’s burger on our blog, and watch their segment on Colorado & Company !

Entrepreneurs of the Month: Gabe Nagel and Kellan Clapp

Janet Redwine YouthBiz Leave a Comment

Young Americans Center for Financial Education and Park Burger are thrilled to introduce you to the 14-year-old winners of Burger Biz!  This team created the Omnivore’s Colorful Challenge, a delicious and more nutritious alternative to the standard hamburger.  In addition to winning $500, creators Gabe and Kellan will have their burger featured in Park Burger restaurants throughout the month of …

Burger Biz Finale Burgers

Building the Best Burger at Burger Biz

Janet Redwine Events, YouthBiz Leave a Comment

What’s your favorite burger? YouthBiz teamed up with Park Burger restaurants to present this challenge to middle and high school students.  The result?  A lot of learning, thought, and inspiration, and four of the best-tasting burgers judges have ever tasted! Burger Biz began when 22 students met industry experts over the course of a week.  The group met for two …

Ryan and Jack Fleming Yard Boyz Youth Business on stage holding check

Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars Winner: Yard Boyz

Janet Redwine Events, YouthBiz Leave a Comment

16-21 Age Category Many teens mow lawns to earn money in the summer. But Jack Fleming has re-defined what it means to be the neighborhood lawn-kid through his business Yard Boyz. In existence since 2015, Jack’s unparalleled customer service, marketing efforts and determination helped him grow his businesses from mowing a few lawns a week to providing lawn and basic landscaping to more than 70 regular clients this …

HER Design Store Products Displayed

Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars Winner: HER Designs

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12-15 Age Category Hannah calls herself an accidental entrepreneur, but this “accident” has become called HER Designs. Named after her initials, Hannah’s business sells hair clips, mirrors, pop-socket-like phone holders and mini personal alarms, each customized with her signature rosette. Hannah estimates that she’s sold more than 1,000 hair clips in the four years she has owned her business. Owning a business has enabled Hannah …

Ryder Matz Gumball Machine Iconography

Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars Winner: Ryder’s Riches LLC

Janet Redwine Events, YouthBiz Leave a Comment

6-11 Age Category When Ryder received a gumball machine for his birthday, he decided to start a business: Ryder’s Riches LLC. Ryder’s Traveling Gumball Machine spends time visiting shops and restaurants in the Lafayette, Louisville, and Boulder area, adventuring to a new spot every month or two. The best part about owning a business for Ryder, besides seeing how much money he makes, is being able …

This skilled seamstress has discovered the power of advertising at an early age! After discovering her mother’s old sewing machine and taking a few lessons, 12-year-old Maile McManis sold her first products in December of last year. She sews cosmetic bags, produce bags, handbags, purses, and more for her business Sewing with Smiles. Maile is a finalist in the Spotlight on YouthBiz Stars business competition. Learn more about Maile below, and watch her segment on Colorado and Company . Question: Tell me a little bit about you — name, age, how long you’ve been an entrepreneur? Answer: Hi there, my name is Maile McManis. I am 12 years old and the oldest of 4. I have 2 very energetic, sportsy sisters, and one CRAZY brother. I am a 7th grader and I love seeing the world. I am learning Chinese and I take drama. I love all animals, especially my 150lb. puppy who loves to play. I started sewing in June of 2018, when we found my mom’s old sewing machine in our basement. She never learned to sew, but she was very supportive and even found me an amazing sewing teacher, her name is Marsha. Marsha taught me everything I know about sewing, and I am still learning from her. Then in December of 2018, I decided to sell my bags at the YouthBiz Holiday Market. It was a huge success… I made $300, and that was the start of my business. Since then I can barely stop sewing. Q: Do you have a website? If so, let us know what it is. A: At the current moment, I do not have a website, but am planning on creating one this year. To make an order, you can email me at sewingwithsmilesbymaile@gmail.com. Q: What motivated or inspired you to start a business? A: I was motivated to start a business by my sewing teacher, my mom, my grandparents, and my dad, they were always encouraging me to sell my things and start saving up for things that I wanted. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here right now. Q: Please share an overview about your business. A: My business is all about bags. I sew multiple different types of bags, cosmetic, produce, handbags, purses, leather bags, and one of my new bags is the candy wrapper bags. Q: Tell us about some of the challenges you face being a young business owner. A: Some of the challenges of being a young business owner are fitting everything in. I am in middle school, I have homework, I play volleyball and I am in a musical theater performance. So sometimes it is hard to make time to sew and still have fun in my other activities. There are things I would like to do to continue to grow my business, such as launching a website, but it can be hard since it is time consuming. Q: Why should other youth start a business? A: Other kids should start a business because it teaches you responsibility and it helps save up for things that you really want. It is also fun to see the reactions when you tell people about what you do. Q: What’s the best part about having your own business? A: The best part about having my own business is doing something not a lot of other kids my age do. I am proud of what I have accomplished and I am excited to see where my business will go in the future. One other really cool part is that I am able to spend my profit in really awesome ways. For example, my school has a theater trip to New York City, and my parents said that they would split it with me, thankfully I have enough money to go. 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 was interested in applying to this competition because I think I have very interesting products that people will really like, and I think that the attention for my business will be great. I would really love to win! The thing I hope to get from this experience most is a mentor to help give me tips and advice to help my business grow. Q: Please share about your involvement with Young Americans. A: When I was younger, I went to Young Americans’ summer camps and at school I participated in AmeriTowne. I learned a lot about money and the importance of saving. For about a year now, I have been selling through their YouthBiz Marketplaces and am now excited to be a finalist in the Spotlight competition.

Colorado & Company: Maile McManis

Janet Redwine News Leave a Comment

This skilled seamstress has discovered the power of advertising at an early age!  After discovering her mother’s old sewing machine and taking a few lessons, 12-year-old Maile McManis sold her first products in December of last year.  She sews cosmetic bags, produce bags, handbags, purses, and more for her business Sewing with Smiles.  Maile is a finalist in the Spotlight on …