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Young Americans partnered with TEDxMileHigh.
What was your first business, and what age were you when you started?
Hundreds of people answered that question and others at Saturday’s TEDxMileHigh event at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Young Americans was one of more than 30 exhibitors connecting with the nearly 2,000 audience members. We brought along two stellar young entrepreneurs to show the crowd what businesses look like from the perspective of a teenager.
Nic Ansuini’s exhibit showed off how he makes his hand-crafted pens.
The centers of attention
Fourteen-year-0ld Nic Ansuini owns Wild Wood Pens. Using his wood lathe in his parents’ garage, he carves beautiful pens with unique designs. He can sell each pen for between $25 and $75, depending on the amount of time he puts in. He brought a video of his carving process, and showed off his lathe and craftsmanship to the astounded attendees. All were extremely impressed at his dedication and professionalism.
TR Mitchell runs TR’s Treasures. You’ve been reading a lot about TR on this blog lately. He recently participated in the partnership with Galvanize and received a website design free. At the TEDxMileHigh Exhibits Lounge, he showed off the jewelry he makes and talked up his new website. TR learned to polish stones from his grandmother, but now he admits he may have surpassed her skills.
TR shows off his jewelry-making business to the attendees at TEDxMileHigh.
“I tend to be more ambitious with my shapes. I’ll take a large stone and drop it on the ground, then polish anything that looks unique. I end up with more than just ovals and circles like she does.”
He explained to the amazed attendees that he can run his business profitably while still playing three varsity sports, maintaining a high GPA, and enjoying time with his friends.
Favorites
The experience of participating in TEDxMileHigh was a great one for all the staff members and young entrepreneurs from Young Americans. We’d like to thank the TEDxMileHigh team for including us. Stay tuned for more great events partnership with TEDxMileHigh this summer!
Also, here are some of the favorite answers to the question we asked attendees:
- Bee keeper, age 9
- “The Snack Shop”, age 11
- Pet sitting club, age 7
- Shoe shining, age 8
Tell us about your first business below!
