Being an entrepreneur is one tough job. That's why these 5 young entrepreneurs are so amazing. They are young, black and in business for themselves. They started out young, worked hard, and now they are successful -- at a very youthful age!
#1 - Moziah Bridges started his company, Mo's Bows, when he was just 9 years old. He then took his bow tie business to Shark Tank where he teamed up with Daymond John as his business partner and mentor. He now has a staff of 5 and has appeard in Vogue and O Magazine. He is also the current Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year.
#2 - Maya Penn is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, designer, artist, and animator. What's amazing about Maya is that she started her company when she was only 8 years old. Now as CEO of Maya’s Ideas, she has already received awards that include the 2013 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the year award. She has produced short films, created a line of eco-friendly accessories and clothing, and has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, TIME, Essence, Ebony, and more.
#3 - Jaylen Bledsoe started his company, Bledsoe Technologies, LLC, an information technology consulting company, at the age of 12 with only $100. In just over two years, he built the company into a $3.5 million IT enterprise. His advice to other young entrepreneurs is “Don’t let your setback, cause you to sitback, prepare for your comeback.”
#4 - Essynce Moore began her career at just 6 years old. Now, the tween is the owner of Essynce Couture, LLC, Essynce Couture University (ECU), Essynce Couture Publishing and the center of growing channels of branding that include careers in motivational speaking, acting, and fashion. Moore is also the author of the newly released 6th Grade Middle School Chronicles.
#5 - Chental-Song Bembry is a young writer and illustrator that has created a children's book series entitled the Honey Bunch Kids, a story about African-American middle school children who missed their bus and became friends after walking to school together in the rain. Bembry participated in the 100 Urban Entrepreneurs non-profit funding-and-mentoring program that awards startup grants of $10,000 to talented young businesspeople around the nation.
#6 - Christopher Gray founded a mobile app that gives students a fast and simple way to find college scholarships. His company, called Scholly, has been featured in USA Today, Tech Crunch, Fox29 News, and chosen as one of Philadelphia’s Top 20 Coolest Start Ups. He also recently appeared on ABC's show Shark Tank and received a deal from the show's Lori Greiner and Daymond John.