Entrepreneurs Conference: Celebrating Small Businesses Revved Up for Growth

Jewelz of Jordan
Gabrielle Williams, CEO
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Type of Business: Fashion Jewelry Designer and Retailer
www.gabriellejwilliams.com

Williams began creating jewelry at the age of 7, after watching an instructional video on YouTube. Founded in 2009, her home-based jewelry company, Jewelz of Jordan, sells beautiful fashion jewelry with a focus on mother-daughter matching jewelry. At age 11, Gabrielle wrote a book, The Making of a Young Entrepreneur: The Kid’s Guide to Developing the Mind-set for Success. By that time she was a sought-after motivational speaker on entrepreneurship and the importance of pursuing one’s dreams.  Today, the 13-year-old CEO focuses on making fashion jewelry with semi-precious gemstones, freshwater pearls, and Swarovski crystals. In 2012, Jewelz of Jordan generated nearly $13,000 in revenues.

Shy-Way Essentials
Jesse Council, CEO; Joziah Council, President
Midland, Pennsylvania
Type of Business: Skin Cream for Arthritis Sufferers
http://j-jssoothingcream.weebly.com

Joziah, 14, and Jesse, 17, collaborated on developing a soothing ointment for people who have arthritis, sore muscles, or sprains. They trained with a local herbalist to come up with the ingredients for Soothing Balm (formerly J&J’s Healing Cream), an all-natural ointment made from 10 herbs, essential oils, beeswax, and extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil. Now available online, the cream is sold through the brothers’ website, which they also use to provide updates about their product and their business. The Council brothers are also experimenting with other products to add to their line. The teen business generated revenues for 2011 (their second year in business) of about $900, and of about $4,000 for 2012.