These Teens Mean Busine$$ Incubator

Nabil created A World of Bamboo to address the negative impact of plastic straws on marine life and oceans. Each box contained six bamboo straws for $5. Nabil’s customers learned that even small efforts can prevent water pollution, and that saving the ocean from plastic requires a new generation of straws.

Realizing that teen mental health is an all-too-common occurrence in our country, Pluto chose business products that provided personal therapy when made. She designed unique bleached t-shirts and handmade earrings. A portion of the proceeds (25%) went to eLuma, offering online therapy option for youth.

Flowers have a way of putting us in a good mood, but they wither away too quickly. Mari came to the rescue with her beautifully handmade ribbon roses, each in a different color representing friendship, love, or gratitude. A portion of her proceeds (10%) were donated to Olbrich Botanical Garden, an outdoor botanical garden in Madison.

Putting feelings to paper is one of the best ways Dezi felt her customers could work through anxiety, loss, and isolation. Her customized bound and hardcover journals included a pen, elastic closure, and page ribbon marker. Each notebook sold with a handmade fidget ring to help focus and calm nerves when one is feeling anxious.

Aiming to promote active and healthy bodies while also raising awareness on teen obesity, Elijah created Destroying Teen Obesity. Basketball is a wonderful sport and a great way to get people moving while having fun, so his basketball kit includes an official size Spalding Super Tack Pro Basketball, a 24 oz. flip-top water bottle, and a customized drawstring bag featuring the phrase “Destroying Teen Obesity.”  Also included are instructional cards that explain how to play unique variations of basketball. His basketball kit is sold for $30 and addresses his issue each time a customer uses it.

Serenity was created to bring awareness to teen mental health through Sohini’s products, while providing a space for teens to use her products as a solution. Her journaling kit includes a customized journal, pen, and journaling prompts to allow her customers to put thoughts to paper to work through emotions. It also includes a high-quality tote bag with encouraging words to remind her customers to breathe. The journaling kit was sold for $28.50, and 20% of the profits were donated to Family Ties.

Sidney was inspired to create Happy Minds to raise awareness of mental health among 12-18 years old and address how much the pandemic has especially contributed to the decline in mental health. Together, her product includes an embroided beanie hat featuring the words “Happy Minds” with the affirmation: “I am strong in my mind, body, and spirit.” The kit also contains a handmade inspirational, lava stone bracelet featuring encouraging word charms, and a stress ball with encouraging words like ‘faith’ ‘hope’ ‘believe’ and ‘peace.’  Her product bundle was sold for $25, and 15% of her profits were donated to Briarpatch.

Bothered by the growing rise of gun violence, Amari created Guns Down, Hearts Up. His product bundle includes a short-sleeve customized T-shirt with the message, “I don’t think there should be more gun control. I think there should be more education,” a 20-ounce customized tumbler, and a pen stating, “An unarmed society is a polite society.’’ Through his product, he aims to spread the word and promote peace and education to prevent this issue. His product is sold for $38 with 10% of his profits going to WaveedFund.

Bloom’s goal is to destigmatize mental health and start much-needed conversations. Noelia created a kit with a custom journal, pen, stickers, and a choice of two t-shirts with custom-designed messages promoting mental health. Each kit sold for $25, and 10% of profits were donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Ashley created her product based on the fact that practicing cursive and calligraphy can help people with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Each $17 kit from Ashley’s Arts & Crafts contained a calligraphy book, markers, fountain pen, ink tubes, and a notebook.

As someone who has personally experienced racism, Kahliana turned to coloring as a way to cope with her feelings. Wanting other people to have a creative outlet, as well as a healthy way to cope with the problems in their lives, she created her coloring kit. Each came with a book of 15 of Kahliana’s drawings, which featured positive messages, a set of coloring pencils, customized stickers and sold for $12.00. 10% of Kahliana’s profits went to Trying Together to support anti-racism.

Flaky Salt was created by Aidan Yang to share his love of cooking with people of all ages. His meal kit sold for $25.00 and included premium ingredients and a detailed recipe card to make Gnocchi With Butter Sage Sauce, a recipe developed personally by Aidan. Aidan donated 15% of his profits to GSAFE, whose mission is to create just schools for LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin.

Wanting to promote healthier lifestyles and address the impact of obesity on an individual’s health, Inspirations to Health was created. Alleanah sold her Health Box, which included a resistance band, a stress ball, and a water bottle to stay hydrated for just $12! Each box also included YouTube links to popular exercise videos to promote fitness. Alleanah donated 10% of her profits to the Wisconsin Obesity Prevention Initiative’s Wisconsin Partnership Program.

Ashley created her product based on the fact that practicing cursive and calligraphy can help people with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Each $17 kit from Ashley’s Arts & Crafts contained a calligraphy book, markers, fountain pen, ink tubes, and a notebook.

Daisy created Coeus to remind us of the impact of lack of education on children around the world. Her sparkling gold charm bracelets sold for $12 and her silver charm bracelets sold for $7. Each included an owl charm to symbolize education. Fifteen percent of her profits were donated to Save the Children, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children through better education.

The Balm Life provides all-natural skincare balms infused with essential oils known for their healing benefits. They were designed to promote the wellbeing of Aaron’s clients and can help with stress, sleeplessness, tension, congestion, and muscle soreness.

Lending a Helping Paw was designed to provide fun and meaningful gifts to animals and animal lovers alike, while also helping animals in need. For $5 or $8, Kahlan’s gift bags included animal-themed toys, snacks, and other goodies. For every gift bag sold, 25% of profits were donated to Shelter From the Storm, a Madison-based cat and dog rescue focused on alleviating overcrowding and reducing euthanasia in shelters.

Brown Crown was created to bring awareness to colorism, or the discrimination against darker skin tones. Tierra sold customized women’s t-shirts with the message “My Beauty Comes in All Shades” on the front to remind customers that they are simply beautiful, no matter the color of their skin.