Madeline Phuong - Young Visionary AND Point of Light

Congratulations to 2021 Young Visionary Fellowship award winner and Pave the Path grad, Madeline Phuong! She is the latest “Point of Light” appointed by pointsoflight.org. She’s number 7319, actually.

We are TOTALLY pleased to see Madeline’s recognition grow!

Points of Light is a national organization that spawned from President George H. W. Bush’s use of the phrase “one thousand points of light” during his inaugural address. That organization grew from Bush’s inception to an independent nation-wide organization that keeps the point of light concept alive, plus helps nonprofits, volunteer organizations, and other impact organizations. We love that they see Madeline as the point of light that she is!

Please take a moment to read their account of the great work Madeline does!

Congratulations, Madeline!

Chauntiel Smith-Jones - A Young Entrepreneur Update

Chauntiel won a Young Entrepreneur Award in 2020. She and Capture Sports Agency have achieved much since then. Read on …

Champion and Scholar

Let’s start with a great personal achievement. Chauntiel now has more National Champion rings than she has fingers! 3 for personal championships while running track and 8 for team championships as a track coach at Indiana Tech. She’s humble and would never brag about this, but as her hoodie says, “Judged by achievements” - and on that basis, Chauntiel is truly a champion!

In addition to that, Chauntiel is a few classes away from completing her Masters degree in Sports Law from Arizona State University.

A champion athlete AND a scholar - what a great combination!

A Sports Agency That Gives Back

Her business, Capture Sports Agency, is growing. As a female agent in a predominantly male field (her agent mentors are male), Chauntiel has found ways to stand out. Capture now represents two athletes, 1 pro and 1 collegiate. But it does much, much more than that for young athletes and aspiring sports industry professionals!

Capture’s inaugural Sports Marketing Conference recently concluded. A two-day virtual event, it brought together students with brand marketers, team marketing managers, and athlete relations professionals from organizations including the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Spalding, UnderAmour, and the NFL. The conference did not only cater to athletes, but also to students seeking sports marketing careers. Beside listening to online workshop sessions, the participants were able to have personal mentoring sessions.

Other conferences, for different sports professions are in the works. Aspiring Sports Media professionals and aspiring Sports Finance professionals, stay tuned!

For aspiring young athletes, Capture has held a summer camp for 1st graders to 8th grade students every year. This year, on June 11, Capture’s “You Can’t Stop Me Camp” featured local Leslie Johnson. A Northrop and Purdue graduate, Leslie has played professionally both overseas and with the WNBA.

As if that isn’t enough, Chauntiel’s husband and business partner, Desmond along with Juwuan Stewart, produce a podcast about all aspects of athletics business. Go browse the 52 (probably more by now) episodes of Capturing the Game - and subscribe for more!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Chauntiel for some very remarkable entrepreneurial growth and for that great spirit of giving back to the community!

How Morgan Gullett Spent Her Summer

2022 Young Entrepreneur Award Winner Morgan Gullett had a busy Summer. Among other video projects, she directed Sydnie Stephens’ music video “Tragedy Strikes”.

Morgan’s directorial work is stunning. Filming underwater (especially when combined with superb lighting, Sydnie’s amazing vocals, and wonderful acting) creates stunning effects! All we can say is, “Wow!”

Thanks, Morgan, for the thanks in the credits. We are super glad to see our Young Entrepreneur Award funds go to create something this beautiful!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Was One of America's Greatest Entrepreneurs

As the folks at Co.Starters in Chattanooga point out, Martin Luther King, Jr. did not own a business. Yet, he was one of our country’s greatest entrepreneurs!

Today, on the day celebrating his life, we’d like to notice his actions to make the world a better place and the inspiration his life and work can provide for our Young Visionaries who are doing what they can, in their own ways, to make their community a better place.

Here’s the Co.Starters article for your inspiration and enjoyment.

Young Visionaries at Respect Team's 360 Awards

We’d like to congratulate three Young Visionaries Fellows who were winners this weekend at The Respect Team’s 360 Awards!

Amelia Johnson, 2020 YV Fellowship

Tyler Hunter, 2020 YV Fellowship

Madeline Phuong, 2021 YV Fellowship

Madeline and Amelia are pictured above at the event, awards in hand. Tyler was at Howard University in Washington, DC and unable to be present so we have used his Hollywood poster star photo from the event’s lobby (Hollywood Nights was the event theme).

We couldn’t be prouder of these three visionary young adults who are being acknowledged for the ways they have brought their visions to life! Please join in to congratulate them! Woo Hoo!

Big thanks to the Respect Team for making a difference in the lives of many young people! The Respect Team (https://www.respectteam.com/) teaches students “how respect has the power to change their lives for the better.”. The 360 Awards honors students who exemplify those values. On September 12, 26 young people were recognized for the positive roles they play in their communities.

Announcing the 2021 Young Entrepreneurs Awardees

This year we are pleased to report a very strong set of Young Entrepreneurs Award winners. The competition was so good that the selection committee decided to give three additional Honorable Mention Awards! Congratulations to all competitors and awardees - you ALL rock!

The overall $1,000 Young Entrepreneurs Award winner is Morgan Gullett, 15, of Allen County.

Morgan co-owns a film production company (MG Entertainment, LLC) and was busy this summer filming two music videos. She has won numerous awards for her writing, production, acting, and casting for the shorts and music videos she has already produced - and has a feature film concept in the early stages of development. To say that she does it all would perhaps be an understatement. Visit her website to learn more.

The next four Young Entrepreneurs Awardees each won a $500 award.

Cameron Cage, 16, of Allen County operates The Flame Candle

Cameron has been selling candles since he was twelve. Over the years, he has done what all highly successful entrepreneurs do - he listened to his customers and fine tuned his business for them. By finding the right product niche, The Flame Candle is on track to beat 2020’s $80,000 revenue and hit six figures in 2021. Cameron credits part of his success to mentor Tony Hudson, the Executive Director of Blue Jacket. Thanks, Tony, for inspiring such a successful Young Entrepreneur!

Ben Richards, 20, of Allen County operates film production company Richards Entertainment.

Currently studying media at Indiana University, Ben already has produced two feature films, The Forge Reclamation and the just-released Moira. Not one to rest on his laurels, Ben has his third feature film already in development. And, he does some freelance commercial video as well. A staunch believer in Indiana filmmaking, Ben wants to eventually work with other IU grads and Indiana resident filmmakers to grow the film industry right here.

Sydney Hefty, 18, and Matthias Hefty, 15, of DeKalb County operate Acacia Ranch Show Goats

This sister and brother team have been operating this business for a few years now. What started as a way to help local 4-H students to raise and show goats has grown into a successful business! They still provide help (like coaching) to 4-H students and families, but their business model has grown to include a farm-to-fork component. They buy back the show goats from the 4-H families and take care of butchering and distribution. Fun fact - some of Northeast Indiana’s strong immigrant populations are some of the biggest regional markets for goat meat - and now they can get it fresh. fresh, fresh! Lastly, please congratulate Sydney and Matthias for placing second in the entire State of Indiana at the 2021 Innovate WithIN student venture pitch competition!

Jade Henry, 13, of Allen County operates More Than Just an Art

When your grandfather is John Dortch, Fort Wayne’s most prolific entrepreneur mentor, it’s pretty much pre-ordained that you will catch that entrepreneurial spirit. When Mr. Dortch gifted her an LLC at the age of 9, she dug in and got started. As a talented artist, she started selling her artwork. Jade then did what many successful entrepreneurs do. She listened to what her customers wanted (and bought) and pivoted her business in that direction. That took to her to focusing on selling handmade bracelets (made with her own creative touch, of course). Here’s a rhetorical question for you - how many middle schools students do you know who have successfully operated a business for four years?

The final three awardees caught the attention of the selection committee and were each awarded a $100 Honorable Mention Award.

Kyle Weese, 19, of Allen County operates Premier Web Solutions

Kyle started Premier Web Solutions when the pandemic literally shut down his junior year of high school (he recently graduated from New Tech Academy at Wayne HS). Instead of just taking a long extended vacation, Kyle [very entrepreneurially] decided to put his digital art and design skills to work making websites. The selection committee was impressed with Kyle’s work as a salesperson. Between April and November of that year, Kyle called hundreds of businesses until he started getting traction. His hard work certainly paid off! Today he is busy, growing, employs some part time people to help with logo work and copywriting, and has plans to expand further. With that sales attitude, we have no doubt he will succeed big time!

Aidan Custer, 19, of DeKalb County operates Custer and Williams, LLC.

Aidan and his business partner, Simon Williams, run a remodeling and contracting business. Besides having done total house remodels, they keep busy focusing on interior work like painting, drywall repair, flooring repair, and minor electrical work. What is important to note is that Aidan and Simon are graduates of Garrett High School’s Construction Trades Program. A shining example of how to do trades education right, this program is known for being one of the best in the land. We love that it also produces entrepreneurs and new businesses like Custer and Williams! And we love that Aidan and Simon thought (and acted) entrepreneurially!

Mayloni Dial, 15, of Allen County operates Loni’s Bomb Time

The first thing you notice when you visit Mayloni’s website is the breadth of her product line coupled with the professional presentation. For a 15 year old brand new entrepreneur, that signals success for years to come! The selection committee noticed that, too, and awarded Mayloni an Honorable Mention. Go visit the site - or find her at periodic pop-ups - and see for yourself. Indulge yourself a little bit and grab a bath bomb, shower steamer, or maybe a cupcake bomb (no, don’t eat it, no matter how realistic it looks).

Please join us in congratulating ALL of the 2021 Young Entrepreneurs Award winners!

Announcing the 2021 Young Visionaries Fellowship Awardees

This year we are very proud to add 5 outstanding Young Visionaries Fellows!

The overall $1,000 award goes to Elayna Hasty, 19, of Steuben County who operates G.A.B. Girls [Girls Against Bullying].

Elayna has operated G.A.B. Girls since 2010 (yes, she has been operating it for over a decade). Started as a vehicle to help a friend who was being bullied, the nonprofit has grown to reach over 3,000 people and has held 73 workshops - all to promote positive self-esteem, suicide awareness, and anti-bullying prevention. Great work, Elayna!

The remaining four awardees received $500 awards.

Madeline Phuong, 16, of Allen County operates A Second Chance Fort Wayne.

Madeline is an awesome artist. Through A Second Chance Fort Wayne she sells her tremendous artwork as notecards - and the proceeds go to local animal nonprofits like Pet Promises. By the way, that bench you see behind her is Madeline’s design for the Humane Fort Wayne Public Art Project - go find it in downtown Fort Wayne!

Scotlyn Moncour, 12, of Allen County operates Bear's Beanies.

Bear’s Beanies (which double as scarves or COVID masks, by the way) are not only beautiful, but for each one she sells, Scotlyn gives one to a child battling cancer at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis (with the help of the Ronald McDonald House there). Way to make an impact, Scotlyn!

Dayani Guevara, 18, of Allen County, operates Stronger Together Latinx

Dayani and her co-founder, Irasema Hernandez Trujillo (a prior Young Visionaries Fellow from 2019), have formed a new nonprofit designed to empower Latinx youth economically, socially, and culturally by providing scholarships, mentorships, and resources. Latinx youth approaching college age face various challenges that can hold them back from pursuing higher education that others don’t face. Stronger Together Latinx addresses these challenges head on. If you follow the Pave the Path Youth Leadership Summit, you may have noticed that Irasema and Dayani ran a “what to expect at college” workshop at this year’s event.

Taryn Martin, 17, of Allen County - Girls Who Code

At the 2021 Pave the Path Youth Leaders Summit, Taryn and her Young Visionaries project team formed the concept for Girls Who Code. This project recognizes that females (and other groups) are under-represented in software and related technology careers in our community. They intend to remedy that by providing not only coding education, but a supportive social setting for young girls to stimulate interest in technology careers. Very cool!

Please join us in congratulating ALL of the 2021 Young Visionaries Fellowship winners!

Some YE and YV Candidates at JA's Young Entrepreneur Market

Four of the candidates for the 2021 Young Entrepreneur Award and Young Visionaries Fellowship were representing at Junior Achievement’s Young Entrepreneur Market at the YLNI Farmers Market.

  1. A Second Chance Fort Wayne

  2. Bear’s Beanies

  3. Loni’s Bomb Time

  4. StrXm Gloss

Way to pump up those sales, folks!

2021 Young Visionaries Fellowship Applicants

The Young Visionaries Fellowship was created specifically to acknowledge Northeast Indiana youth who are intent on making their community a better place. We want our region’s youth to understand that using entrepreneurial skills isn’t just about making money - it is also about making impact in the world. We believe it is important for our next generation to build a better tomorrow!

We are proud of this year’s Young Visionaries applicants! Each one is fueling their own passion, in their own way, to make our world a little - or a lot - better. Please join us in welcoming them, and check back later to see who were selected as 2021 Young Visionaries Fellows!

Dayani Guevara, 18, Stronger Together Latinx, Allen County

Young people from communities of color face strong obstacles to achieve a higher education. Dayani and her business partner Irasema Hernandez Trujillo overcame some of those challenges firsthand, and they are forming a nonprofit to help Latinx youth overcome the ones they will face. Their plans include mentorship, internships, workshops, and scholarships. They have identified a board of directors and are working with an attorney to form their new organization. We are also proud to know that part of their motivation comes from their experience with Pave the Path, where they presented a workshop at the recent Summit and were struck with the desire to give back to the community.

Elayna Hasty, 19, G.A.B. Girls, Steuben County, Trine University

https://www.gabgirls.org/

Elayna was only 9 years old when she founded nonprofit G.A.B. Girls (girls against bullying) in response to her best friend’s being  bullied. Fast forward a decade to today, and her nonprofit has held over 70 workshops and reached over 3,000 people. G.A. B. Girls’ messages of positive self-esteem, suicide awareness, and anti-bullying prevention focus directly on the biggest bullying problems. Workshops are appropriately tailored to girls of various age groups and help call to know how to support one another and find their own sense of self worth.

Madeline Phuong, 16, A Second Chance, Allen County, Homestead HS

https://asecondchancefw.wixsite.com/cards

What do you do if you are really truly concerned about pet health and welfare AND are a fabulous artist? You start a project selling pet-oriented cards and give all of the profits to local animal nonprofits! Since 2018 Madeline has done exactly that, selling over 2,200 cards and raising over $7,500 to benefit various nonprofits. This year, she was one of the artists selected to paint a fiberglass bench for Humane Fort Wayne’s LoveSeat public art campaign and fundraiser. You owe it to yourself to visit her Etsy shop and buy some of the beautiful cards. 

Scotlyn Moncour, 12, Bear’s Beanies, Allen County, Leo MS

https://bearsbeaniesandmor.wixsite.com/bearsbeanies

Recently a box of 36 beanies were hand delivered to the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis on their way to kid’s fighting cancer at Riley Hospital. One more delivery courtesy of Bear’s Beanies. Scotlyn gives one beanie to kids at Riley for each and very beanie she sells! Sell one - give one. We love how an initial idea to make a little pocket money combined with some serious product development spawn Scotlyn’s idea to the world a little brighter (and warmer) for some kids who are literally fighting for their lives. The world needs more Scotlyns!

Taryn Martin, 17, Girls Who Code, Allen County, Bishop Dwenger HS

Women are under-represented in the software community, as are people of color. Careers in computer science are growing dramatically, but these groups are being left behind. Taryn and her partners Emily Szczepanski, Makayla Johnson, and Kobe Johnson have set out to remedy that. They will start by introducing 5th and 8th graders to coding and to career opportunities in computer science. They envision monthly events that grow a community of young computer science enthusiasts, introduce them to speakers from the field, teach them some coding skills, and expose them to future career opportunities. We were very happy to see this project and team created during the Young Visionaries workshop at the 2021 Pave the Path Summit.

2021 Young Entrepreneurs Award Nominees

We are thrilled to have such a wonderful lineup of candidates for our 2021 Young Entrepreneurs Award! This award was created in order to celebrate the achievements of our region’s deserving young entrepreneurs. Owning and operating a successful business is hard work, but especially so for our youth who have so many other demands on their time.

These candidates have all achieved remarkable success. The job for our selection committee won’t be easy.

Join us in congratulating each and every one of this year’s nominees! We wish you all luck and continued business success!

Aidan Custer, 19, Custer & Williams, LLC, DeKalb County, Garrett HS (graduate)

https://www.facebook.com/CusterandWilliamsLLC/

In case you haven’t noticed, the trades program at Garrett High School is a shining model of success. In Aidan’s case, he and his business partner, Simon Williams, have not only picked up some wonderful skills in that program, but have also parlayed that into a construction company. They already have two house remodels under their belt!

Aniyah McLemore, 12, Strxm Gloss, Allen County, 

A video on TikTok inspired Aniyah and her business partner Faith to start a lip gloss company a little over a year ago. With over 250 customers served during year one, they celebrated their anniversary with an Extravaganza that invited other small businesses and nonprofits to gather for a day-long popup. It was packed!

Ben Richards, 20, Richards Entertainment, Allen County, Indiana University Bloomington

https://www.richent.net/

Currently studying at IU Bloomington, filmmaker Ben Richards has already released two feature  length films (that he wrote, directed, edited, and produced), with a third one the way. Ben considers himself a [future] member of IU’s “Hoosier Mafia”, a group of media alumni who work together and informally promote filmmaking in Indiana.

Cameron Cage, 16, The Flame Candle, Allen County, Concordia HS

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFlameCandle

A seasoned entrepreneur at the age of 16 with four years experience, Cameron gives a shoutout to a mentor, Tony Hudson of Blue Jacket. After two initial years with very small sales numbers, the business exploded to sales of $38,000 in 2019 and over $80,000 last year! During that time Cameron learned how to refine both his products and his market niche to become one of the top 1% of Etsy sellers! 60,000 candles later, Cameron is on track for six figure sales in 2021!

Emily Szczepanski, 17, Carolina Rosę LLC, Allen County, Bishop Dwenger HS

https://www.shopcarolinarose.com/

Close your eyes and imagine you are sitting on the beach. You feel the sun, you smell the surf, you hear the waves. To make it complete, you need some “beachy clothing” from Carolina Rose! Emily is an achiever who we met at this year’s Pave the Path Summit. A coder, a graphic designer, and the Indiana State President of Future Business Leaders of America, she started planning and product development during the pandemic and recently launched nationwide with a full line of products.

Jade Henry, 13, More Than Just An Art, Allen County, Memorial Park MS

https://www.journalgazette.net/business/20190120/big-ideas-from-young-entrepreneurs

What do you do if your grandfather is Fort Wayne’s most prolific mentor (John Dortch) and gifts you an LLC at the age of 9? You make products, operate a business, learn about managing money, and learn how to sell. We last saw Jade at the  2021Juneteenth arts pop-up, where she was selling her signature bracelets out in the hot sun. Skilled as an artist, she originally sold her original artwork, but (like many lucky entrepreneurs) quickly found a niche in those artistic bracelets.

Jaynila Allen, 10, Tiinks Fashiion, Allen County, (entering middle school)

https://www.fwinkspot.com/fwveryown/2019/9/3/her-biggest-seller-everything-jaynila-allen-amp-tiinks-fashiions-products

When she was interviewed about her business two years ago, 8-year old Jaynila knew she wanted to be a businesswoman. She creates and sells clothes, totes, and bags that her show her fashion look (or maybe we should say “fashion”: look - the two “i”s in her brand are by design to help her stand out. We ask you all to think back to when you were 10. Did you already have a unique brand and two year’s business experience? Neither did we.

Jordan Bridges, 22, The Best Kept Secret Band, Allen County, Purdue University W. Lafayette (2021 graduate)

https://open.spotify.com/artist/15f8oeLi2yqEyS13nqL7Gu

On a connection made by a friend at Purdue, singer songwriter Jordan met Samantha Voegele. The two hit it off and formed a duo. And, of course they played gigs around W. Lafayette. The big break happened when they decided to audition for Indianapolis’ prestigious Christmas event, Circle of Lights. Wouldn’t it be cool they thought, if they could sing in it? Sam had dreamt of that for years. Jordan wrote an original song, they applied, and … they were selected to perform in the 2020 event! You can listen to The Christmas Feeling at the Spotify link above.

Kyle Weese, 19, Premier Web Solutions, Allen County, New Tech Academy (2021 graduate)

https://www.premierwebsolutions.org/

Like many businesses, Kyle’s was born during the pandemic. When his junior year was “cancelled”, he drew upon his digital design skills and launched Premier. Also like many entrepreneurs (the successful ones, that is), he called hundreds of businesses to find customers. The hard work paid off, the sales kicked in, and Premier has created websites for lots of local companies, plus some as far away as Las Vegas. Kyle now employs two contractors, a writer and a logo designer, just to keep up (and he already has plans to hire another web designer and an SEO specialist).

Mayloni Dial, 15, Loni’s Bomb Time, Allen County, East Allen University

https://lonisbombtime.com/

It’s the end of a hard day. You are tired and sweaty. You need to relax and refresh - you need to pamper yourself a little bit. It’s the perfect time for a bath bomb or shower bomb. Mayloni started her business during the pandemic, although she had been making them as a hobby for years. The product line has grown to include three kinds of products, each with multiple “flavors”. By the way, if you buy a premium Cupcake Bath Bomb (which comes with a bubble bath “icing”, DON”T eat it! We know it looks realistic, but it IS a bath bomb after all.

Morgan Gullett, 15, MG Entertainment LLC, Allen County, Homestead HS

http://www.morgangullett.com/

Stop reading this right now and go to Morgan’s website. Look at the film festival awards that she has received for her work as a producer, actress, casting director, writer, and director. Notice that she currently has four works in process (as of this writing), including a feature film. She is also the fundraiser for the music videos she produces, raising thousands of dollars.

In short, Morgan is an accomplished and successful film professional … at the age of 15.

Sydney Hefty, 18 and Matthias Hefty, 15, Acacia Ranch Show Goats, DeKalb County, DeKalb HS

https://www.facebook.com/AcaciaRanchShowGoats

Sydney and Matthias are business partners and sister / brother. Their experience with Show Goats led them years ago to begin supplying goats (and animal husbandry training) to 4-H students to raise and show. Their business model has creatively evolved to include a buy-back program and a farm-to fork program for selling goat meat to the plentiful niche communities for whom goat is a staple. (p.s. goat meat can sell for as much as $18 per pound). They won the Fort Wayne Regional of the Innovate WithIN student pitch competition, and placed second in the State at the State Finals in Indianapolis.

Zion Kinnee, 15, Kinnee’s Lawn Service, Allen County, New Haven HS

Four years ago, mowing was a way to make a little bit of extra cash. Today, Zion has grown his business to nine regular accounts and added trim work, leaf removal, and snow removal. Zion’s clients include many elderly people on fixed incomes. Empathizing with their situation, he has steadfastly refused to raise his prices even though people have suggested that to him. In this day and age of the constant race for more and more money, an entrepreneur with a caring heart is refreshing!

Where Are They Now? Young Visionary Irasema Hernandez Trujillo

When the very first Young Visionary Fellowship awards were being made, it was clear that Irasema was truly a visionary. She conceived, organized, and (with help from a team) ran a project that helped numerous students at her high school alma mater, Snider HS. She’s now off at university and setting her sights on bigger things - but still with that Young Visionary spirit of making the world a better place. Listen to the story of what’s she’s doing now and where she’s heading in the future. Be proud - we are!

Where Are They Now? Young Visionary Landon Topliff

In 2019, Landon Topliff was 17, a high school student in Wabash IN, had started Bizzy Beez with his long time friend and business partner Alix, and was awarded a Believe In A Dream Young Visionaries Fellowship.

Since then Bizzy Beez has continued to grow and address its visionary mission of impacting the declining bee population by cultivation (at their apiary) and education. We caught up with Landon to learn about the latest from Bizzy Beez.

Listen to the video and hear how Landon and Alix are making impact today and what they plan for the future. And then click through to the Bizzy Beez online shop and score some delicious honey!

Please Welcome the 2020 Young Visionaries Fellowship Winners

A Young Visionaries Fellowship award (and accompanying $1,000 grant) recognizes those young people who are using their entrepreneurial skills for the betterment of our world - not just to make a few dollars. They are true visionaries who are solving important issues in our community!

In 2020 Believe In A Dream selected 5 young individuals / teams who are creating projects that “make their community or the world a better place.”

2020 Young Visionaries Fellows include …

  1. Amayah Singpradith, 18 of Allen County (PFW by way of Wayne HS), homeless essentials

  2. Aubree Hall, 17, of LaGrange County (Lakeland HS), school entrepreneur coffeeshop

  3. Amelia Johnston, 17, of LaGrange County (Prairie Heights HS), school greenhouse and sustainability education

  4. Katlyn Borchelt, 18, and Hannah Mekaru, 17, of Allen County (Snider HS), homeless menstrual needs

  5. Tyler Hunter, 17, of Allen County (New Tech Academy at Wayne HS), student mental health

Watch for future Believe In A Dream blog articles to learn more about each of their visions and projects!

If you or your company feels strongly about supporting our community’s young entrepreneurs, you can sponsor a 2021 Young Entrepreneur Award. You will be recognized for your support and will participate in the selection process. Contact Believe In A Dream Executive Director Peter Dragnev at peter@biadinc.org.

Congratulate the 2020 Young Entrepreneur Award Winners!

Young entrepreneurs, especially those still in high school or university, face challenges that adult entrepreneurs don’t face. Yet, there are some in our community who overcome those challenges, start a business, and thrive. These young people will grow to be the business leaders of our community for decades to come!

Believe In A Dream’s Young Entrepreneur Award recognizes those young people and gives their business a boost with a $1,000 grant.

In 2020 we selected these 5 young entrepreneurs whose achievements are worthy of recognition.

  1. Teonna Hardy, 17, TGlitz glitter supply store

  2. Martin Mbuguah, 18, Award winning artist known as toskago on Instagram

  3. Qamari Hassan, 20, RansomB apparel brand

  4. Chauntiel Smith-Jones, 27, Capture Sports Agency

  5. Lauren Landstoffer, 27, Just Cream Ice Cream Boutique

Check back again soon right here at the Believe In A Dream blog to learn more about each entrepreneur’s story!

If you or your company feels strongly about supporting our community’s young entrepreneurs, you can sponsor a 2021 Young Entrepreneur Award. You will be recognized for your support and will participate in the selection process. Contact Believe In A Dream Executive Director Peter Dragnev at peter@biadinc.org.

Jamila Jackson Pave the Path Member of the Month for June

Meet JAMILA JACKSON, Pave the Path Member of the Month for June.

Jamila Jackson

Jamila is a senior attending Wayne High School. Her hobbies include gardening, working out, and bowling with her dad. Being a teenager of a deaf father, she has taken on the role of being his personal interpreter. Having the chance to connect and get close to her father is the most important thing to her. Her father is her #1 supporter, and she is his. Inspired by that relationship, Jamila is planning to major in Early Childhood Development. Once she has received her master’s degree, she will pursue her dream as working in schools for the deaf. 

 Through her experience of being a Pave the Path member, she has noticed that she has become more of an extrovert. Having attended Pave the Path events she says,” It taught me to express myself in the best way possible.” Having her dad being her #1 supporter, she sees Pave the Path as being the second on her list by describing it as a “family”.

In 2019 a group of Pave the Path members at Wayne High School earned a $1,000 Young Visionaries grant to improve the community that surrounds their school. When the winners couldn’t pursue the idea by the time they graduated, they passed it down to a group of upcoming seniors and juniors, including Jamila. She and others have decided to use the money to help Wayne students affected by poverty.

In addition to her father’s inspiration, she also looks up to Education Rights Activist Malala Yousafzai. Malala Yousafzai is an activist for the education of women and children in her homeland in Northwest Pakistan. Jamila admires her commitment towards women education in her country, fighting against the local Taliban for girls to attend school.

In the Press - Braxton Miller, 2019 Young Entrepreneur Awardee

Braxton Miller

About a year ago, Braxton Miller was one of Believe In a Dream’s very first Young Entrepreneur Award winners. We were impressed then with his business selling a natural coffee-based fertilizer. His level of research and product development was amazing. And, of course, his product concept in the first place was awesome!

Fast forward to today and Braxton is home from IU, and his business is growing (sorry for the pun). You can now buy Cup of Grow at 5 retailers around Fort Wayne - or take a little drive down to Bloomington and visit a retailer there. And he is getting some rightfully-deserved press (go pick up your copy of this week’s Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)!

June 5, 2020 Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

We are proud to have met Braxton and recognized his expertise a year ago. Can’t wait to see what he does from here!

For more information about Braxton’s business, visit https://cupofgrow.com.

Trade Show Pitch Prep Day at New Tech

New Tech Academy is a project based learning school. The students learn in a very hands-on way, by doing. Sometimes that means stretching well beyond your comfort zone to something brand new.

Every year at New Tech, seniors in Bob Haddad and Beth Meneely’s class complete all of the steps of conceiving and developing a startup business. Most won’t actually launch theirs after graduation, although some will. The lessons all learn about how to make entrepreneurial decisions in the real world, no matter their career, are the real value.

Today they were preparing to pitch their startups at a mini trade show that New Tech holds in their hallways. Besides students, members of the local business community will come and browse the trade show. Student entrepreneurs need to be prepared to talk about their businesses. It was my time to listen to them ahead of the trade show and give suggestions.

I was totally impressed with the quality of the business concepts being developed this year. Here are a few of them.

  • One venture is creating an app to help students highlight their skills and match them to the needs of local employer. Kind of a small student version of LinkedIn, but with much more emphasis on active matching than on social interaction. Students, as they noted, aren’t automatically pros at communicating their skills and strengths - and may go underemployed as a result (while employers miss finding people with just the special skills they are looking for).

  • Two were designing and creating custom apparel (or accessories). They were both hitting on the need for students to express their own personality - in ways that buying at a big box store, online store, or even a small boutique can’t satisfy.

  • One was creating an Instagram-like app to match trainers to off-season athletes or others who are serious about working out the right way (rather than serious about the pizza at Planet Fitness).

  • One plans to sell nachos and slushies that are custom made to your taste. Enough said. I’m in.

  • One was building high performance custom gaming computers, like a local version of Alienware. They know their market and know that the ability to buy a top performing machine from people who understand gaming is missing around here.

  • The last group I’ll mention provides glamour esthetics services - to help ladies look, feel, and do their best. Interesting side note - one of the founders had already been providing services for 2 years to over 100 clients! There’s some credibility for you!

I found three common threads from these high school seniors creating what was probably the first business pitch they’ve ever had to create. I think all entrepreneurs, regardless of age, can learn from these.

  1. Nearly everyone needed to spend a little more time talking about their '“why” - the reason they knew they had a problem worth solving. The good news is they all knew their why, but it didn’t come naturally to articulate it. Without that, a pitch can lose its essence, be pretty darn “matter of fact”, and risk boring the listeners.

  2. Nearly everyone needed to get out of the box more quickly. I tend to believe that in the first 10-15 seconds of your pitch you need to say WHAT you are selling, WHO will buy it, and WHY. Then the listener has a solid foundation and you can talk in more detail. But set the stage immediately before your listener starts to wonder what your business actually is.

  3. Literally everyone just trailed off at the end of the pitch, like they expected that their listeners would know what to do next to keep the conversation rolling (students are used to this pause, and teachers who always pick up the ball). We talked about having a question elicit conversation about interest, not being worried if some are not interested and just walk off, but being ready to close those who are really interested. Since most won’t have product to sell immediately, we talked about that close being collecting contact information and deeper knowledge about what interested the listener.

Fernando Harrison - Young Visionary Starter Grant Winner

Say hello to Fernando Harrison, one of the seven winners of a Young Visionaries Starter Grant at the 2019 Pave the Path.

Fernando Harrison

Fernando is a sophomore at New Tech Academy who plans to form an addiction academy for teens.

His motivation is strong because he has personally seen the effects of addiction in his family. Fernando knows firsthand that teens are NOT taught about how it affects you. So he plans to remedy that.

Fernando Harrison (right) and Isaiah McKee receiving their starter grants

Fernando has already started learning what he needs to know. His Pave the Path mentor has connected him with someone who runs an addiction clinic in New York City. He will continue learning after he graduates from New Tech Academy, when he will study Psychology and Business at university.

Congratulations Young Visionary Fernando Harrison!  If you would like to donate to help Fernando’s project, email Steve Franks at Believe In A Dream at steve@biadinc.org.