The kids are all right: Why the future of entrepreneurship is in good hands
February 20, 2025
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by Shopify
Fearless, free from the constraints of adulthood, and raised on technology, Gen Alpha is primed to be the most entrepreneurial yet. Meet the young CEOs shaping the next wave of entrepreneurship.
The next big brand is being built right now, by young founders with a unique perspective and an eye to the future. Some are already making big waves.
Of the 250 kids in Johnny Lye’s graduating class, only two decided not to attend university—and he was one of them. From a young age, Johnny wanted to become an entrepreneur but choosing this path over higher education was a friction point with his family. Eventually his mom relented: he had one year to make it work.
Today, Johnny runs his creatine gummies brand Ovrload from a proper office and with a team of six. It’s the trajectory of many successful startups. What makes his story stand out is where—and when—he started.
As a recent high school grad launching his business from the safety of his childhood bedroom, he wasn’t hindered by the demands of adulthood. No mortgage, no dependents, no fear.
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Zoomers like Johnny are demonstrating an appetite for entrepreneurship. But Gen Alpha, the cohort of kids born after 2010, are already on their way to become the most entrepreneurial generation yet. They were raised on smartphones, spent formative years in a global pandemic, and have a deep understanding of social and political issues.
With technology in the palm of their hands, many of them are already making their own cash. In fact, more than three quarters of Gen Alpha in the UK earned money in 2023, with 43% of them using technology to do so.
It’s in our future’s best interest to foster this independence. Entrepreneurs drive innovation forward and create a positive ripple effect in communities. And these young founders stand to gain skills not taught in school, priming them to shape their own future.
The best time to start is now
More than 36 million US kids under 11 were internet users in 2024. And simple payment apps allow kids to become financially literate at a younger age, with more than 30% of teens using mobile payments in 2024. Globally, 64% of children are spending money independently in the digital economy.
They’re also seeing what’s possible on platforms like YouTube. Kids as young as seven are becoming social media stars, racking up thousands—or millions—of followers and the monetary potential that comes with them.
This tech literacy is just one reason kids are great candidates for entrepreneurship. Youth brings other advantages: they have nothing to lose.
When asked about the biggest barriers to entrepreneurship, US adults cited* financial risk, lack of time, and lack of confidence as top reasons for not starting businesses. These concerns were far from Johnny’s mind when he convinced his mother to let him opt out of university.
“We definitely take a lot of risks and we’re super naive,” says Johnny. “That's a strength because ultimately if we're going to try something and it fails, that's cool. We’ll bounce back.”
While Johnny knew from a young age that entrepreneurship was his life goal, Mya Beaudry landed there more organically. She taught herself to make scrunchies out of Indigenous fabrics to fundraise for a powwow event in her community. When those hair accessories became a hit with mom Marcie Beaudry’s social network, an idea was born.
Mya too started her business at a time in her life when risks were low. When she was just nine, her mom launched Kokom Scrunchies for her on Shopify.**
Soft skills, softer landing
For young people, entrepreneurship is also a way to navigate a life that’s become much more expensive. With tuition and rent prices soaring, many young adults can’t afford to move out or take on massive debt in doing so. Teaching kids at an early age how to get creative with earning income gives them an advantage when they hit the real world—armed with the skills to help them thrive.
When Kokom Scrunchies started getting press attention, Mya was an unseasoned public speaker. She was just a kid after all. “I remember my first interview. My face was all red and I was stuttering a lot,” she says. But the practice has paid off, and Mya has cemented her role as the face of the brand.
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The experience has grown other skills for Mya. “She's definitely gained her own financial independence,” says Marcie.
The business has opened up doors for Mya that Marcie never dreamed of for her daughter. The two traveled to NYC to attend New York Fashion Week where Kokom Scrunchies was featured on the catwalk. “I never travelled like that when I was a kid,” says Marcie. “Now Mya takes care of me when we travel. ‘Where's your passport? Let me hold your ticket.’”
“Starting a business is an endless learning opportunity,” says venture capitalist Deena Shakir. “Having the opportunity to do so within the auspices of education is truly a gift.” She’s worked with students in Stanford’s Startup Garage—a course that has spawned many successful brands. “Some of our generation's most beloved businesses started with entrepreneurs who were in school together.”
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Deena was struck by the power of entrepreneurship for youth, but dismayed by the lack of messaging to encourage it. This inspired her to write a children’s book, Leena Mo, CEO. “Younger founders have always been the backbone of venture-backed innovation,” she says.
Entrepreneurs breed entrepreneurs
“If we want more entrepreneurs and more small businesses (which I do) and our kids to believe they can build businesses,” says Shopify president Harley Finkelstein who also wrote a book for children, “we need to change the narrative around entrepreneurship.”
Harley’s own foray into entrepreneurship came as a teenager when he started his own DJ business, spinning for events and Bar Mitzvahs, influenced by watching his own grandfather run a business.
It turns out modeling entrepreneurship behavior has a big impact.
This exposure to entrepreneurship is directly correlated to a child’s likelihood to launch a business later in life. One Danish study found that girls were 59.3 percent more likely to start their own business by age 35 if they had an entrepreneur parent.
“I was very lucky that my parents had a lot of friends who had their own businesses and were very successful,” says Johnny. “I was always surrounded with those kinds of people.”
For parents who aren’t entrepreneurs, supporting young enterprising minds can come with a learning curve. But it can also open doors for everyone in the family. “I was a government employee,” says Marcie. “Not a business person.” Still, when Mya asked her mom to set up a Shopify store, she figured it out. And the whole family learned to run a business together.
The future of entrepreneurship is bright
The benefits of changing the narrative around entrepreneurship are clear. Starting Ovrload at a young age set Johnny up for independence. “We're in an office in London now,” he says. “And I’m not living at home anymore, luckily. I got my own flat.” For him, entrepreneurship is the long game.
Mya, on the other hand, has other plans. The now 14-year-old has her sights on law school but credits her work on Kokom Scrunchies for helping her get there. “I love to set big, big goals,” says Mya. “In the future, I’ll look back and be like, ‘I did all that.’”
Through her daughter, Marcie has become a champion for teaching kids about entrepreneurship. “For youth, there are no boundaries,” she says. “The sky’s the limit.”
*Results for the Gallup entrepreneur poll are based on responses from a survey of 46,993 U.S. adults (18+ years old) conducted online May 1-14, 2024. All participants are members of Gallup’s probability-based, nationally representative panel.
**You must be 18 years of age or older to sign up for a Shopify account. For children under 18, a parent or guardian can run a Shopify store on their behalf.