5 GIRLPRENEURS WHO ARE CRUSHING IT ON INSTAGRAM
They’ve got lots of followers, tons of likes, and mad skills promoting their biz one ‘Gram at a time.
You probably first heard about Instagram from your daughter. As the top platform among U.S. teens, Instagram’s a highly visual social media app where 60% of its one billion users engage with brands and check out new products daily. That’s over 600 million pairs of eyes! These five teen entrepreneurs are documenting their hustle and maximizing Instagram’s digital space for entrepreneurial and business opportunities.
Zandra Cunningham of Zandra Beauty, 30K followers @zandrabeauty
Eighteen-year-old beauty and skincare entrepreneur Zandra Cunningham has been a girl boss since she made her first plant-based lip balm at the young age of nine. She created additional eco-friendly products, such as moisturizers, body washes, and deodorants, and sold them in unique containers with powerful affirmations.
Today, Zandra uplifts others through entrepreneurship and STEM education workshops, efforts that are highly visible on her Instagram. When she’s not documenting her life as a conference speaker or business mentor on social media, she’s posting selfies that showcase her products’ amazing results. She also encourages her followers to check out her products online and select Target stores. 10% of all net profits are donated to support the education of girls all over the world.
Mikaila Ulmer of Me & the Bees Lemonade, 26K followers @mikailasbees
Mikaila set up her Me & the Bees Lemonade business when she was four years old in 2009. She was inspired by two things: her great-grandmother’s lemonade recipe and honeybees. When she was stung by bees twice, she used her fear as motivation fuel to better understand bees and their ways. She tweaked her great-grandmother’s lemonade recipe to include honey and found her niche in the lemonade drink market.
As a teen entrepreneur in today’s digital era, Mikaila uses her influence to spread the word on bees’ role in the ecosystem. She also encourages her followers to support her conservation efforts (10% of her business profits go to organizations that protect honeybees). As gratitude, she regularly posts giveaways and includes her followers’ artworks and pictures of them drinking Me & the Bees Lemonade on her Instagram feed. She’s highly engaged online and offline at events and conferences where she shares her success story with attendees.
Alina Morse of ZolliCandy, 15.2K followers @zollicandy
Alina’s only 14 years old, but she’s already a CEO of a multi-million-dollar candy company. She started her business when she was just seven. During a bank visit with her dad, she was offered a lollipop by a teller. Her dad warned her that the lollipop would cause tooth decay. She wondered if she could make a tooth-friendly version. Her research led her to create Zollipops, which is now a multi-product candy empire.
Through Instagram, Alina keeps her followers aware of her company happenings and expo visits. She regularly posts contests and features fans of Zollicandy. She shares tons of personal pics that show her and her family’s happy smiles with their teeth in tip-top shape.
Egypt “Ify” Ufele of ChubiiLine, 13.6K followers @bullychasers
Egypt “Ify” Ufele is one of the youngest fashion designers to debut a line in New York Fashion Week history. She was only 10 when she launched her body-positive fashion brand, ChubiiLine, in 2016. Fashion design has always helped Ify cope with the harmful effects of being bullied for her body size. Her anti-bullying movement, Bully Chasers, empowers other girls to stand up against bullies while her co-authored children’s book, Life By My Own Design, spreads the word against bullying.
As for her winning strategy for Instagram, Ify posts motivational memes to uplift others and features young girls who wear her ChubiiLine designs. She also shares photos of her fashion design awards and videos of her public school visits for her Bully Chasers campaign. Such is the life of a busy 13-year-old fashion mogul and anti-bullying activist!
Charlotte of Stitches by Charlotte, 3K+ followers @stitchesbycharlotte
10-year-old Charlotte likes to introduce herself as, “the sewing sweetie with a cleft-affected smile. I created the first, kid-made line of dolls for children having surgery–kids just like me!” She designs, sews, and sells stuffed dolls through her home-based business, Stitches by Charlotte, and donates part of her sales to charities. Each doll comes with a sewing kit complete with a kid-friendly needle and stitching instructions. Siblings are encouraged to customize the dolls with stitches to match their sister or brother going through treatment or surgery.
Charlotte’s well-lit, polished, and stylish photos reflect her brand’s vibrant personality. Her whole Instagram aesthetic complements the unique designs of her surgery-companion stuffed dolls, which are guaranteed to bring smiles and courage to kids when they need it most. In short, her ‘Gram game is on point.
Highly visual and easily engaging, Instagram’s definitely one of the best ways to get the word out about any business, and we’re pretty sure that additional girlpreneurs are crushing it on this popular social platform, as well. If you’re not already on it, you should check it out for your daughter if she’s looking for a place to promote her budding business.
