Young Entrepreneur: MagNCheezy

How old do you have to be to start a business? Well ask our very own Maggie Martin! Maggie is almost 16 and attended Americasmart in Atlanta. She did some shopping and picked out some products perfect for her age group, teenagers. Do you know how hard it is to buy for teenagers? Well if you have a daughter, granddaughter, niece or friend, you know! Maggie had a interest in starting her own small business which is no small wonder since her parents are David and Carrie Martin, owners of Trendy Tree. They were most encouraging and gave her a little seed money to start with. She planned her website and came up with her own business name MagNCheezy. First step was visiting the Atlanta market for products and staying within her budget. Maggie had been to Atlanta before years ago on a family vacation. This trip was a little different since she was on an all girl trip with Carrie and me and she was listed as a Trendy Tree buyer. No longer a child in tow on a vacation. The flight was no biggie, she has flown several times, but the Plane Train in the Atlanta airport is always an experience to newcomers to Atlanta. The Atlanta market has a spectacular view. This image is just one area and you can't capture all the floors in one photograph. That's the back of Maggie's head....and being the old foggy grandmother, it was me in the back saying "don't get to close to the rail." What is wrong with us, will we never get over that protective feeling for our children no matter how old or mature they are))) You can see Carrie laughing at my suggestion that they both might go toppling over wall at any time. Maggie very patiently spent hours with us in the showrooms picking out Trendy Tree products and we welcomed her input! It was nice to have a younger perspective and she was very intent on learning the purchasing process - showroom minimums, quantity discounts, case pack numbers, shipping etc. When the Trendy Tree pre-booking was done, she scouted out showrooms of her interest. She settled on three or four vendors and spend hours picking out products for her website MagNCheezy. From trinkets to jewelry to makeup bags and notebooks, everything she picked out was designed for teenagers or women in general. She tried on bracelets, necklaces, sweat shirts and played with clipboards and notepads. She kept notes of the products she was purchasing and stayed within her budget. Products with humorous sayings definitely appeal to the younger set. Jewelry made of chain necklaces and bracelets of leather, trinket boxes, glittery keychains and little dresser dishes. All these things appealed to Maggie and she picked out quite a collection. You might be thinking, is it safe to trust a teenager with your order? Yes, you could trust her with your life. She has a Shopify website and PayPal account and her Mom helps her as needed with questions and oversees the process. She has access to Trendy Tree shipping supplies and labels, so she's all set! She just needs customers! If you would like to help a young entrepreneur get her feet wet in a fantastic business, browse her website MagNCheezy and give her a shout out on your page. She would appreciate it so much and so would we!