WILMINGTON – Much like the eggs he cracks inside the kitchen of West End Neighborhood House, 18-year-old Jayden Jones says he has come out of his shell thanks to a program that might have helped him cook up a new future.
He is just one of a growing number of teens focused on a unique path as they head into adulthood – entrepreneurship.
Research from Junior Achievement, a worldwide nonprofit organization that helps youth prepare for the global economy, showcases this trend in 2021, finding that 60% of American teens would prefer entrepreneurship over traditional employment opportunities with 37% of teens expressing interest in programs that teach business skills.
When Jones entered West End Neighborhood House a little over four years ago, starting his own business wasn’t yet in the stars. But now, he can comfortably say he’s glad he let it simmer.
He joined the organization’s first cohort of YELP – the Youth Entrepreneurship Launcher/Leadership Program. It’s a new, younger version of the organization’s already established Launcher program which typically helps adults hone in on their talents and strengths and turn it into businesses.
West End Neighborhood House Director of Youth Development Antwain Flowers said opening the program up to youth has been an eye-opening experience for all involved.
“We thought this would be a perfect program for some of our youth,” he told the Delaware Business Times. “We have a lot of talented kids who don’t know what to do with their talent. We’re trying to get our youth to think differently about what the expectations are when they grow up and letting them know that there are other opportunities out there.”
Jones took the charge seriously – so seriously, in fact, that he went on to win the organization’s first youth-based pitch competition while promoting the catering business he designed based on his experiences in the culinary department at Howard High School of Technology, as well as the business skills taught in YELP.
“At first, I was shy and [I kept] to myself. But they took me under their wing. It was kind of exciting because it was like if I do put my best effort forward, I could really do something,” he told DBT. “It really opened my eyes more to business and that it’s more than just making a business page and selling stuff.”
Robert Evans, 17, is another YELP participant who may be headed for a new path forward as an entrepreneur. He has been taking photographs of sporting events and other activities at AI DuPont High School where he is now a junior. Flowers caught wind of his involvement and brought him into the YELP program.
“So far, they’re helping me know that you don’t need hundreds of dollars to start. You can start with just a few people in your corner. It’s helping break that scary shell I’m in,” Evans told DBT.
“These are the programs we need to celebrate,” Flowers said. “Some of these kids come from other circumstances and sometimes the only other option they have is working the corner or doing different things. Sometimes, if they’re on the fence, helping them understand that they have other opportunities is the thing that brings them back and this does it in a way that offers sustainability. Our ultimate goal here at West End in general is self-sufficiency. Having these other avenues and building their confidence does that. It’s a mindset.”
A different beat
DJ Sophia Rocks of Dover, also known as Sophia Clayton, found a different path to entrepreneurship with the help of her parents, Nicole and David Clayton.
Starting at an early age, her parents noticed she had a good beat and loved being around music when her father would DJ at an event. Being young didn’t stop the Clayton’s from exploring this obvious passion. Tiny DJ Sophia Rocks quickly became the youngest DJ to rock a beat at events of all sizes, never once letting her own size and age get in the way.
Now, at just over 17 years old, DJ Sophia Rocks has been rocking it out to bigger events that brought her and her parents to stages all over the country – including a party for Jamie Foxx, twice.
“He said I could call him uncle,” she joked, adding that he recently joined in those who wished her a happy birthday via social media.
“I said that was weird,” Nicole Clayton told her daughter who jokingly argued that it was not weird, it’s simply her life now.
“These are just real, regular people. They have treated us with nothing but kindness and respect as if we’re part of the family,” the mother said. “And I think that’s because they have that respect for her. She’s unique and she’s been doing this for many, many years.”
DJ Sophia Rocks says running her own service-based business, with the help of her parents, has shaped her outlook on life and how she grew up compared to her peers, but she has no regrets and hopes to continue her business as she begins adulthood.
“This is my life and that’s all I know really,” she told DBT.
She added that being an entrepreneur has been hard over the years, forcing her to miss out on big events like a homecoming while she cared for her business instead.
“But I knew I would have another one, and I did,” she said. “Having patience has been helpful. I don’t have a lot of that and nor did I want a lot of that. Sometimes, I did the work, I’m sitting there for hours, I pushed out the content, but nothing’s coming back in return and I think, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ But being consistent helped,” DJ Sophia Rocks said.
One thing has been a particular stubborn obstacle in her journey to bigger and better parties.
“Being in Delaware,” she told DBT. “I do a lot of traveling and people don’t always want to pay for that. The hotspots are New York, California and Florida and you have to get to those places with a place or a long, long car ride and traveling to the airport is tough.”
While the now nationwide DJ has enjoyed her success, her parents spent countless hours worrying about the journey.
“It’s been interesting. I remember when it first started happening and thinking, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’ That struggle of being a kid or being a business person… so far, it’s been alright. We’re doing good,” her mother said. “You have to manage your child having a childhood and her future possibilities. But she was just very passionate and we just went with it.”
Her parents are just as involved now as they were when DJ Sophia Rocks started in the industry when she was in elementary school, attending parties, events, and interviews, along with all of the travel that comes with the moment, switching off depending on who can take time from their own work or lives to make it happen.
“We spend a lot of time traveling. She still has to have a grown up with her,” Nicole Clayton said. “I had to give up my living room, too, when COVID hit – it was a huge pivot from real life events to doing everything online. I became a grant writer, too, and we got one from the state of Delaware to change the business model so she could continue. Soon, we’ll be in a transition period and she’ll have to figure out how to do this on her own.”
DJ Sophia Rocks said while DJing is her life, she took a nugget from her mom who is a passionate educator in the Caesar Rodney School District.
“I will be going to college. . . I have to have an education before DJing because I could quit DJing at any time, or break my art. I definitely have to keep my education prioritized,” she said.
Teaching a mindset
Learning the basics of entrepreneurship is half the battle no matter how they learn, according to Launcher Program Director Kristin Bowen.
“They’re excited and inspired to learn about these new skills and each of the teens have a special interest,” she told DBT of the teens who walk through the doors of West End Neighborhood looking for a new opportunity.
“We’re giving them an outlet for that creativity. giving them something to do after school and giving them a way to make their own money and be in control of their own future,” she added.
Like adults in their other Launcher programs both in New Castle County and Dover, along with a program run in collaboration with La Plaza in Georgetown and Milford, youth who seek out entrepreneurship opportunities find confidence in the experience.
“We do have some metrics that we’re measuring success by. For example, the kids are actually taking a pretest and a post-test that mirrors a lot of what we do in the adult class such as terms and concepts regarding entrepreneurship, but the experience itself is where we really see their confidence grow and that’s something that we can’t measure in numbers,” she said.
Experience with financial literacy is another benefit to entrepreneurship in youth – skills they may not otherwise be able to access.
“Understanding the value into what their money is worth and the time and effort it took to create that money, along with the benefit of using it for whatever they need or whatever they’re saving for in the future. These are just some of the skills our youth are learning when they engage in entrepreneurship discussions,” Bowen told DBT. “I feel like entrepreneurship is really the next step for a lot of our youth and we need to cultivate that for a successful future.”
Some leaders across Delaware have supported that ideology like former Governor and now Wilmington Mayor John Carney who recently released a proposed city budget which includes the prioritization of youth entrepreneurship.
Flowers said that kind of financial commitment could go on to benefit countless teenagers like the ones they serve at West End Neighborhood House and he hoped other local and state leaders followed suit to offer similar programming across the state – not just in the heart of Wilmington.
While the Launcher program is currently offered in all three counties, its programming for youth is only available in Wilmington at West End Neighborhood House and a collaborative program for those 16 years of age and older at REACH Riverside.
Other programs across the state that support youth entrepreneurship include the University of Delaware’s K-12 programming through Horn Entrepreneurship and Delaware State University’s Junior Entrepreneurs in Training, as well as the 4-H, FFA, and high school pathways. Several teen entrepreneurship workshops are also in the works through The Culture Club in Milford with Neyda Albarrán who runs Launcher programs for adults in minority populations.
Regardless of how DJ Sophia Rocks, Jones or Evans found their ways to entrepreneurship at young ages, they all offered the same advice to other teens who might be considering a new path.
“Just start,” Evans said. “Just try it and see how you like it.”
Jones, who is ready to embark on his college career in physical therapy or nursing upon high school graduation, said he’s grateful for the experience in entrepreneurship so he can keep his options open or continue running a catering business on the side while he studies, and he encouraged other youth to explore the possibilities.
“Just do it. Life’s too short to be afraid to do something or to hold back. Who knows – you could become a millionaire from taking this class,” he said with a smile.
DJ Sophia Rocks, who will also continue operating her business while in college, said young people should consider running with their passions to see where they end up.
“Always continue growing. Be patient. Remember to build relationships, that’s a really big thing, acquiring relationships because not everything is about money,” she told DBT.
“These teenagers are our future,” Flowers added. “I get my hair done by one of the teens that came through our program and started his own business because of it. It’s a future that will see us through and it starts with our youth.”
