Meet Jordyn Wright | Entrepreneur, Youth Advocate, & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordyn Wright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordyn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my business when I was ten because I had a skin condition called eczema. At that age, I often wanted the fun, colorful, and scented soaps sold in stores and specialty shops. However, I couldn’t get them because the chemicals they contained would harm my skin and worsen my eczema. So I began making my own, and after receiving tons of positive feedback from friends and family I decided to turn it into a business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Today I am the fourteen-year-old CEO of J. Brielle Handmade Goods, a bath and beauty company that makes handmade soaps, balms, body butter, and lotions for people who have sensitive skin or suffer from eczema as I did. All of my products are made with natural ingredients with none of the irritating chemicals you might find in most stores. While my target market focuses on teens, I find that people of all ages love my products. I have received a lot of great feedback from customers who tell me they have tried other things that never worked for them before. That is the real payoff for me.

But I am not only a business owner. I am also a Youth Entrepreneurship Advocate and an author. One of the things I am most proud of is starting an after school and summer program called Passion to Purpose. Through this program, I teach kids how to turn their passions into a business and provide them an opportunity to put their ideas to the test through an annual youth market. I started the program this summer and have already hosted over 60 kids. It was amazing! I also recently won a grant to grow the program, so I am super excited!

Starting any business is not easy. I share with the kids in my program and others who read my book that if you find something you love to do and figure out a way to use it to solve a customer’s problem, then you will have a business that is hard to give up on, even when things get tough, because you love what you are doing. Also, surrounding yourself with people that know more than you is really important. I have mentors that help me make business decisions because I don’t know everything. I learn from them because they are where I want to be.

A big lesson I learned so far is that I have to believe in myself no matter what. I don’t know a lot of things, and I make a lot of mistakes. But mistakes don’t mean I’m finished or I have to give up. Sometimes I can be super hard on myself, but really, everyone messes up. I have supportive parents who help me. but in the end, I have to trust myself and believe that I can accomplish anything. Even when things go wrong.

The one thing I want people, especially kids like me, to know is that they can do anything. Really! I think representation is important and if other kids can see me dream big and accomplish my goals, they will know they can too. I also want parents to support their kids and let them explore entrepreneurship as a real option for their future. And they can start now! They don’t have to wait.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitely skating! I love to skate and there are so many cool places to go. I’m a bit clumsy and funny to watch on skates. My friends are just like me and we have a lot of fun laughing at ourselves so I know they would have fun too.

We would also go thrift shopping. One of my favorite spots is Plato’s Closet. My best friend is amazing at redesigning clothes so we like to do a lot of thrifting to find unique pieces to repurpose.

We would also go to the beach and play sand volleyball! I’ve only played indoor volleyball and have always wanted to try sand volleyball. Why not?

We would definitely eat at a couple of my favorite Ramen Bars or Chick-fil-a. I’ve kind of been obsessed with both lately.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would definitely like to give a HUGE thank you to both of my parents. They have been so supportive of my journey as an entrepreneur and love me like no one else can. I would like to thank all of my mentors and partner organizations, Ms. Arriel Biggs, Ms. Sharmia Jones and Sharon Gray, Hype Freedom Schools, Collective Action for Youth, Exotic Pop Kids, my family and my best friends who have always been there for me whenever I was feeling down on myself.

Website: www.jbriellehmg.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jbriellehmg

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jbriellehmg

Image Credits
Credit: Anissa Wright