Great Gifts and Great Meals that Support Talented Young Business Owners

Kyla Evans

Kyla Evans has been writing as long as she can remember. Growing up, she struggled to communicate her feelings, and writing turned out to be her best outlet. Her dream was to become a published author, which she recently accomplished—at the age of twenty-one! You can’t go wrong with Bleeding Heart, a book of poetry book about Kyla’s life and experiences. She’s made it through a lot of challenges and trauma, and her poetry addresses it powerfully and eloquently. You can buy her book on Amazon or buy it direct by emailing her. (You’ll save $3 if you buy direct, and she earns more money.) Her second book of poetry, Healing Humans, is also out as a perfect follow up to Bleeding Heart.

Brandon Rodriguez

When storms devastated Puerto Rico, Brandon Rodriguez wanted to give back, so he created artwork that celebrates his Puerto Rican heritage and donates 10 percent of the proceeds to nonprofits in Puerto Rico. Check out Brandon’s pins, artwork and stickers.

Brandon is using the money he earns to pay for tuition at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Charlene Newbill

Charlene Newbill always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, but was afraid of failure. After months of hesitation, though, Charlene finally started Young Saved and Unashamed to allow people to show their love for Jesus. You can buy shirts, hoodies and merchandise here.

“Along the way I began to get a little discouraged,” Charlene says, “but with the help of God and the support of my class, I can proudly say I am officially a business owner of YSU Christian Apparel!”

B’niya Huffman

When she was in high school, B’niya Huffman wanted nice clothes, but her family couldn’t afford them. So, she watched hours of YouTube videos and taught herself to sew. She started with clothes for herself, and then friends started hiring her to make clothes for them. After finishing high school, B’niya attended and graduated from Howard University with a degree in fashion design. She now sells affordable custom jackets, pants, dresses and clothing. She has capacity for three more orders in time for the holidays. For more information, please email B’niya.

Kayla and Kyla Evans

Evans Eatery is the place to get home cooked meals and party trays delivered to your house, and they even have a Christmas dinner special right now.

Twins Kyla and Kayla are great cooks and their passion has become a business. They cooked for their friends, who loved their food, and now the Evans sisters cook and deliver food to steady customers. Get a single serving or a platter to feed your family. If you live in the Philadelphia/Camden area, reserve your Christmas platters now. It’s delicious food at a reasonable price, and they deliver. For more information please email Kyla.

Sekinah Brodie

Like many of our entrepreneurs, Sekinah Brodie has found creating to be an excellent way to help during hard times. Sekinah’s a writer and designer and her store features products centered on mental health advocacy. She designed the broad range of products in her store, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, phone cases, bags, stickers, face masks and hoodies. It’s pretty cool, and she’s donating a portion of proceeds to a suicide prevention organization.

Adriana Amador-Chacon

Adriana Amador-Chacon, known as Bronte, has prints, stickers and clothing that are too cool to miss. Adriana describes painting as one of her greatest allies, inspiring her to overcome hardships and motivating her to persist.

Adriana is passionate about the environment and some of her proceeds go toward the World Wide Fund for Nature and Greenpeace International. Check out prints, stickers, phone covers and other products at her online store. See original paintings that are for sale on her web site.

Azaris Melendez

Azaris Melendez often talks about how lucky he is to have turned his Dungeons and Dragons passion into a business. After years of playing the game, he now runs D&D camps and clubs. If you’re looking for an adventure for your kids this winter break, Azaris is hosting a virtual D&D camp from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time December 28 through January 1. My son, Jack, is eleven and has been a member of Azaris’s camp and clubs for the past year, and he says Azaris is the best dungeon master he’s ever played with—and Jack’s friends agree. Contact Azaris for more info.