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According to the co-author of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Mark Victor Hansen who is also a serial entrepreneur, at the heart of entrepreneurial spirit lays a fearless ingenuity. And the youth are showing up more of this spirit.

At the early age of five, Allyson Ames had discovered her passion for baking. This was seen with her serving sweet treats to her family at her young age. During her final year at the Culinary Arts Institute of America, she had put together a business plan and decided that she was ready to unveil her dream. Geared with his vision and the support of her mother, they were able to put up the Wonderland Bakery in California. The business was made possible with the capital from the house that her mother mortgaged just to be able to start the business.

Sandra Ames, mother of Allyson, explained that she figured out that if ever she would bet to anyone, it would be her mother.

After four years of operation, surrounded by baked goodies, what started as a bakery has grown into “Allyson Wonderland.” Toys and cupcake purse are some of the additional to their “wonderlicious” cakes and cookies. They also offer kids a kit together with Allyson’s recipes for them to make their own deserts at home. The business also has a plush bear called the Allyson Wonderland Bear that talks about Allyson Ames’ and Wonderland Bakery’s story.

In 2008, Allyson Wonderland has won California Business of the Year and “Sweet Ambassador” for Newport Beach. During the inaugural celebration of President Obama, Allyson was commissioned to make a presidential cookie. Wonderland’s gingerbread cookie has been tagged as the best in nation by The View’s Whoopi Goldberg.

Due to its popularity, major retailers have been offering the mother and daughter team up. But despite the multi- million dollar deals, they have tuned it down saying that they are looking for a partner that will take their dream to the next level.

With the confidence that Allyson have shown, the co- author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series has set out to feature young entrepreneurs to his latest book, The Richest Kids in America, with the goal of inspiring other kids to fulfill their dreams.

Covering Holes in the Market

Necessity can lead to dreams. It happened to Chauncy Holloman when she was in a market looking for a greeting card for her friend. Unable to find an edgy and urban card that would speak to her friend the she wanted to, she dreamt of putting up her own greeting card company.

Holloman sought the help of her mother to start the greeting card company and be her business partner. The urban greeting cards were pitched to family and friends earning $10, 000 as their initial income.

By 2003, they were able to launch a greeting card company for the new generation of hip hop, the Harlem Lyrics Enterprise, Inc. The company started with eight professional greeting cards and now has more than 100 variety cards distributed in Macy’s Department Store.

Networking is the key to the tandem with the Macy’s department store. Holloman explained that her speaking engagement in Chicago was picked up by Black Report TV of the Black Enterprise. Then the segment was seen by the husband of the person in charge for Macy’s supplier assortment and relayed it to his wife.

Low Risk with Big Reward

Not all parents will be willing to mortgage their homes to produce startup money for their child’s entrepreneur. In the case of Cameron Johnson, at the age of 9, he had started his own company. It began when he received a computer that has publishing software and a printer as a Christmas gift.

After about two weeks from receiving the computer, he showed his mom invitations that he had printed. His mom was amazed by the invitation and told him that the invitations can be used for the holiday party that his parents were planning. Johnson agreed, in one condition, that he gets paid.

For the 50 invitations that he printed, he got paid $15. He then had his first company of the 12 companies he started before the age of 21, a printing company. Though the first company was short-lived, he was earning $15,000 a day during his high school days with an online advertising company.

Johnson attributed his success now with failure of so many times. He explained that he couldn’t have tried so many different things if he had not ventured into entrepreneurship at the young age.

Johnson said that without realizing, kids become entrepreneurs all the time. While still young and living under the roof of your parents, you don’t have the responsibilities that you will have once you are old, so it is the best opportunity to take risk.