Angela's Journey

Meet Angela, the creative entrepreneur behind Angela’s Bracelets and a participant in the Young Entrepreneur Market (YEM) program.

Angela was first introduced to YEI through a collaboration with the Akron Art Museum’s Kids Maker Fest, where she and a friend started a handmade jewelry business called AJ’s Bracelets. As her confidence grew, Angela rebranded and began running her business independently.

Since joining YEM in 2022, Angela has sold her handmade jewelry at markets across Northeast Ohio, including Shaker Square, Crocker Park, Geauga Fresh Market, and Enspire Conference. Now an eighth-grade student, Angela continues to grow as both a business owner and a young leader.

Her mother, LaShanda, shares, “Entrepreneurship has made a positive impact in my daughter’s life… helping her unlock her greatness.”

YEM offers student entrepreneurs a platform to develop and sell their products, honing skills in product display, pricing, pitching, and customer service. Thanks to the generosity of YEI supporters, young people get to develop real-world business skills without any participation cost, all while keeping the profits they earn.

Angela's Young Entrepreneur Market experiences helped her to develop real-world skills like public speaking, budgeting, and marketing. "...I slowly developed a 'make a good first impression' mindset, giving me the newfound confidence that I didn't know I had. I feel like I became more confident when I speak, and I believe that I’ll continue to flourish with Angela’s Bracelets."