Jane is an incoming senior at Earl of March Secondary School in Ottawa, Canada, who participated in Prequel's Fall Program (formerly BETA Camp) in 2020. She owns a creative agency called JiSA design, runs a digital newsletter for senior minorities, and participates in her school’s First Robotics Team, all while maintaining top grades. Jane's multifaceted achievements highlight the drive of young entrepreneurs.
Since Prequel, she has landed many internship roles: she was a growth hacker for MANY Creators, a UI/UX designer for Advice To A Scientist (research affiliated with the University of Toronto), and an incoming intern for Digittera Interactive. Her Prequel experience opened doors to valuable internships.
What got you interested in entrepreneurship?
My first taste of entrepreneurship came when I was 11 years old. I launched my first business in trading organically grown celebrity fandom Instagram accounts with fans (it may have been prohibited at the time). Although I didn’t recognize that it was entrepreneurship at the time, there was an instant click of girl-boss self-autonomy, a rush of adrenaline, and excitement that I felt. I unfortunately never continued after the start of middle school. I didn’t think that I had the brains or guts.
Joining Prequel's Fall Program during my junior year equipped me with the skills and mindset, but most importantly, helped me reconnect with my passion for entrepreneurship. After learning the same strategies and frameworks that Fortune 500 companies use, I loved applying them to my team’s startup, Waviolet, to find a product market fit, reach out to beta users, and conduct user testing. The experience I gained from Prequel, along with the like-minded friends, has set me in the right direction to pursue my passions.
When did you know that you could be a teen entrepreneur?
I think teens believe that the qualification of a “real entrepreneur” is owning a million-dollar business with over 100 employees, like the celebrities we see on TV. However, in reality, I strongly believe everyone is an entrepreneur in some way because we identify and solve problems daily. My problem-solving skills come from my ability to empathize with people with different cultural backgrounds, from my 4-year experience of volunteering at senior homes.
Another hoax I used to believe is that you must be well-versed in the business field. I thought you needed years of experience, a business degree from a prestigious school, as well as thousands of dollars of funding ready. I soon realized the most important drive for successful entrepreneurs is passion, which in my case was design! Whether it’s designing birthday cards for online strangers, trading anime character drawings at school, or selling Instagram accounts, these small starts were crucial in my entrepreneurial journey. In retrospect, these experiences have taught me transferable skills that I continue to build on and apply at school, internships, and most importantly, shaped who I am today.
Furthermore, right now is the best time to start! I realized that I have the financial support and security from my parents, as well as less risk and responsibilities compared to if I were to start later on in the future. The people I’ve reached out to for guidance have been happy to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs and connect me to their friends. Thus, I strongly encourage any teen entrepreneur to get their feet wet and start their own business!
What skills do you think are most important for teen or child entrepreneurs?
My love for art inspired my exploration in designing solutions that solve people’s problems. Hence, this hobby was the reason why I started my creative agency! Passion drives people to limitless possibilities, as it motivates them to learn endlessly and push themselves outside their comfort zone. My passion for art has led me to explore UI/UX design, content marketing, as well as pick up 2 coding languages along the way.
Next, teen entrepreneurs need to be confident and flexible. Despite your age, you can offer an insight or service that some adults cannot provide. For instance, although I haven’t studied graphic design professionally or had 10+ years of experience, I offer clients a unique insight into the most trendy and approachable designs suitable for their Gen Z audience. Most clients who come to me are millennials who want to build an attractive Gen Z brand. I don’t pretend that I’m an expert in marketing or design, instead, I just focus on what I know, and it was valuable to them.
However, most of the time, you’ll hear more rejections than approvals. It’s not a sign of lack of skill, more so like a redirection to another target audience and trying out another sales strategy. Teen entrepreneurs should learn to be resilient and adaptable when both plan A and B don’t work, being open to exploring other strategies. Be comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Tell us about your journey as a teen entrepreneur.
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Aside from trading Instagram accounts, I was heavily influenced by my older sister. At 15, I helped her pick up leads on Instagram for her startup called Kuluin, an online course platform for digital creators and teachers. At the same time, I’ve invested in content marketing courses on Udacity and Bossagram Academy. From this experience, I learned how to approach and persuade people into booking an inquiry call, compiling a spreadsheet, and marketing email funnel.
Next, at Prequel, I became a co-founder of Waviolet. We prototyped UV light boxes to help easily sanitize people’s groceries, bags, and clothes after a day of going out. One mistake we made was that our team was too obsessed with the actual product. We had long and unnecessary discussions contemplating the materials and design, without actually getting user tests and researching if there was actually a product-market fit.
After Prequel's Fall Program, I co-founded a design agency called JiSA Design with another Prequel alumnus. Contrary to Waviolet, instead of charging at our normal rates, we charged 10 USD to gauge the market and see how we should position ourselves.
We hypothesized that small brick & mortar businesses would be interested in our service; however, after testing, we discovered a completely different niche of Gen Z e-commerce businesses. We then began to raise our service prices slowly to 100 USD packages, after gathering customer feedback and a solid portfolio. So far, at only 300 followers, we have worked with over 30 businesses and creators.
The biggest struggle I had as a teen entrepreneur was team dynamics. My co-founder and I had different levels of commitment as we had numerous conversations about each’s expectations and roles. This was understandable as we are both full-time students.
As a result, I ended up hiring a team and taking a 40% commission for every work I found for my team members, serving as the lead in business development.
What role did Prequel play in this journey?
From the get-go, Prequel's Fall Program inspired me to be confident and adaptable to changes.
Firstly, Prequel's hands-on experience is unrivaled by any other program out there online. After Waviolet’s failure, I learned from hands-on experience the importance of conducting user research with MVP prototypes to determine a perfect product market fit, before investing my time and money. From there, I learned to expect the unexpected, have confidence to put myself out there with strangers, and change target audiences. Prequel’s framework truly covered everything that you need to know, from how to formulate good user research questions, finding and messaging your first clients, building an MVP, negotiations, etc. I still refer back to the recorded videos and sessions.
Furthermore, outside of Prequel, the camp directors and the tight-knit community have been very supportive of my endeavors. I instantly bonded with my co-founders, who are still some of my closest friends to this day. They constantly give me feedback and advice to steer me in the right direction, especially when it comes to dealing with team dynamics and expectations. The alumni workshops have also helped me strengthen my resume and interview, as I managed to land a position at Many Creators, Advice to a Scientist, as well as Digitera Interactive.
What are some small business ideas for teens that you think are good places to start?
For art students like me, I recommend starting a sticker shop to raise money for a cause, or drawing product illustrations for brands (super trendy right now, actually). Brands love art because they can use it on social media, emails, and their website. In addition, as teens know social media better than anyone, you could also create TikTok videos and plan out social media content for a company.
