According to Junior Achievement USA’s 2021 survey, three out of five American teenagers would prefer to create their own company rather than have a “regular” job.
Chloe P. ’26, one of three out of five American teens who would prefer to create their own company, started her own jewelry business called Hana Jewelry. Chloe uses many different materials to make a variety of different types of jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets. Considering Chloe started this business in July, she is still navigating how to find a balance between her school work and her business.
“So far it hasn’t been too bad balancing my work because it’s the beginning of the year,” Chloe said. “I think once we start to get more work, it’s just about finding time to make my products. I don’t want making jewelry to become a chore so just finding when I have the right time to make stuff is super important.”
Eli R. ‘26 and Ellis F. ‘26 together run a media production company where they creatively express themselves through comedy skits. They post their skits to social media platforms including TikTok and YouTube in hopes of millions of viewers. People underestimate how much work and time goes into their videos and the process behind it all can be very tedious. Starting off, they did not have it easy, many of their videos would go under review and get little to no views or likes, but with the right strategies they began to find a groove.
“We failed after many tries, but we didn’t really see this as failure,” Eli said. “We were just thinking of it as part of the process, and we still had fun. When we’re writing our script out together, it’s actually when the best skills come because we complement each other so well. ”
Even when their videos aren’t getting the attention of the public eye, Eli and Ellis both never give up. While creating videos for social media, Rebhun and Friday maintain a positive mindset throughout their work process. They work together to overcome challenges along the way.
“It’s really just about keeping on going even when you’re in a cold streak,” Ellis said. “Just make sure you’re consistently putting out the best work and also not focusing on what other people think because people are going to judge you no matter what until you succeed.”
Henry F. ‘26 owns his own art company called, “henrimadethat.” Painting had always been something Henry enjoyed, but it wasn’t until a few people saw his work that his company became popular. Henry has his own art gallery on the West Side of New York City and has sold multiple pieces for over $1,000. Since Henry’s business became so big, it has had a major impact on his life, both in and out of school.
“I take care of school as my priority and then if I have time to do my art I do my art,” Henry said. “I missed a month of school just from traveling for art. I’m pretty set for the future, but other than that, I’m still living a normal childhood.”
