According to one local teen, creative ideas combined with skillful training can translate into sweet success. A member of Santa Clarita’s AMS Fulfillment corporate family, Cheyenne, and her younger sister Layal, who is a high school student, have started a rapidly-growing, successful online business. An extra sweet outcome of that business is Layal’s upcoming participation a national event for young entrepreneurs.
In late 2017 Layal was nominated by her school, Desert Sands Charter High School, for inclusion in YEA! Young Entrepreneurs Academy. She was chosen as one of 12 students from the area schools to participate in a 21-week course designed to mentor young people along the path to self-employment. The culmination of this training was a competition that Layal won, earning her the right to participate in the YEA! Saunders Scholars Competition and Conference on May 5 in Rochester, NY.
The competition consists of presenting a ‘Shark Tank’ type pitch, complete with business plan, product and projections, to a panel of investors. All six individuals who competed in the first competition were granted a bit more investment money than they asked for, including Layal. In the upcoming semi-finals the top student businesses from each YEA! class around the country will be competing to win scholarship dollars, and business start-up prize packages. Winners of the semifinals competition will advance to the finals in Washington DC.
Cheyenne and Layal’s business is interesting, trendy and smart enough to win a competition. Their online strategies have taken them from a small Etsy account selling handmade jewelry to a store at depop.com with 1,900 followers who regularly shop for their vintage thrift store finds. Their fashion sense, modeling, photography and social media marketing skills have made their store, Garden Apparel, something to really be proud of.
We are grateful that organizations like the Young Entrepreneurs Academy are in our community, supported by Chambers of Commerce, as they positively impact the entire community, including the AMS corporate family. Congratulations Cheyenne and Layal – we wish you much success in the upcoming competition.
