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
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)
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
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
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!