These teens mean business

Their clients range from the Instagram users to corporate companies, writes Hetvi Vashi

Personalised gifts by Shreya Manjunath

S B Sharaan is a drumming enthusiast.

Shreya Manjunath

Corino soaps by Nishanth Dhanasakeran

Move over adults. Now kids are plunging into the world of entrepreneurship. For some, it’s an extension of their hobby. For others, a learning curve, which can benefit their academics and career prospects later in life.

Nishanth Dhanasakeran, 14 - Makes artisanal soaps

He wanted to build miniature robots to assist with household work but thanks to a turn of events, he is now making and selling artisanal soaps. He calls them Corino soaps, a business he started four years ago when he was all of 10. “If I make soaps using chemical ingredients, what will be the difference between my company and others?” Nishanth Dhanasakeran from Chennai, now 14, talks about his choice of business. He sells his brand of soaps in the range of Rs 40-Rs 300, which depends on the size of the order and the quality of materials used.

His business is fairly established today as referrals from his classmates, friends and relatives continue to pour in. He has plans to expand his venture in the upcoming summer holidays.

He is delighted to share that his entrepreneurial journey inspired his younger brother to start a small business of perfumes. And he has a word of advice for the kidpreneurs-to-be: “Take the support of your parents and join an entrepreneurship club or class.”

Shreya Manjunath, 16 - Sells personalised gifts

While scrolling on Instagram a few months ago, she realised that the customised gifts up for grabs there are quite expensive. So Heartily Crafted was born as an Instagram page for handmade customized gifts at an economical price.

It also helped that Shreya, who lives in Bengaluru, has always been inclined to crafts. As a kid, she would make décor items for her father’s birthday celebration instead of buying them from stores.

Today, she sells miniature boxes, decorative frames carved with memories, bouquets, greeting cards, hampers and more gifts between Rs 100 and Rs 3,000.

Lately, she has adopted eco-friendly ways to make these gifts. Plastic waste is on the rise, she reasons. “I also plan to launch my products on e-commerce websites,” she shares.

Shreya is a rank holder in her college. She says she balances her studies and business with a little help from her mother.

S B Sharaan, 15 - Community building with music

The Chennai boy gets people together at corporate companies, birthday parties and traditional ceremonies to drum and have a musical time. This is Drums Circle, a business he started when he was 11 years old and when he was a Grade IV drummer at the Trinity School of Music.

Drumming is more than a leisure activity. He conducts fun 30-minute drumming sessions and workshops to bring teams together and enhance their listening skills. The clients approach him through his website and social media pages.

“I used to hear the term ‘entrepreneurship’ a lot every time I travelled with my dad to an event or a place. I used to wonder what it meant,” S B Sharaan recalls how forayed into the world of entrepreneurship.

The support of his parents, friends and classmates has helped him strike a balance between his business, and school and extra-curricular activities, he says.

Watch latest videos by DH here: