Written by: Mary May
Mishael Fontenelle is a brilliant 11-year-old from Georgia who has created a booming business. As a young entrepreneur, and winner of Mason Makes Money Fund’s 2022 second grant cycle1, Mishael has worked hard to perfect his business and maintain growth throughout the years. I was lucky enough to get to interview Mishael and he told me some fascinating tips and tricks about starting your own business. Mishael and I started off with some introductions before I asked him about his business.
Interviewer: Do you have a business now? If not, what kind of business would you want to run?
Mishael: Yes, I actually do have a business, the name of the business is called Little Legacy Heroes. The mission of my business is to teach kids how to become better and motivate kids through the power of goal setting and affirmations.
Interviewer: And how old were you when you started this business?
Mishael: I started this business at nine years old.
Interviewer: What inspired you to start this?
Mishael: It was a night during COVID when me, my mom, and my brother were chilling outside and all of a sudden, I just started doing random stuff. Then an idea just popped in my head; I was at home, I was bored and we were on lockdown, I couldn't see my friends. I wasn’t really able to socialize with others and after that me and my mom just started brainstorming ideas. I said, “Mom I can create a YouTube channel where I talk about fitness.” Just to stop being bored. Then, my mom saw an ad for coding classes, and after seeing that ad, she asked if I would like to do the demo for the coding classes. I said yes! I created a vision board and one of the things on that vision board was to create an app. After I took the demo, I enjoyed it very much. So then, I told my mom I would actually be interested in moving forward with the coding classes. After a few weeks, I finally got the opportunity to create an app! Even though my app took three years to finish because of technical issues and the website not being able to work, I still got it done. It took me four times to redo the app because of glitches and I had to redo the code on another platform. It took a long time, but I decided to keep going and stay persistent and during that time I made a YouTube channel. On that channel, I motivated kids to stay positive during hard times and I helped by giving positive messages and teaching them stuff that school won't teach. After that I went to my first kidpreneur event where I sold some affirmations, t-shirts, and mugs, and it was really interesting.
Interview: That was awesome. That was so awesome! Were you nervous going to the kidpreneur event? Or were you excited?
Mishael: I was actually a bit nervous because it was my first time. When I got there, I realized there were a lot of other people who were young, too. I realized that I wasn’t alone.
Interviewer: From you starting at nine to right now, what has been the most fun part about this experience?
Mishael: I would say making friends along the way and getting to know other people.
Interviewer: Do you have any advice for people wanting to start their own business at a young age?
Mishael: Yes. First off, it will take some persistence. Keep going, stay resilient, and know that the choices you make now will impact you greatly in the future. Minute plus minute equals repeat. Repeat plus repeat equals a habit. And a better habit equals a better you. A better you creates a better legacy.
Interviewer: That is awesome! Did you make up that last line or did you see it somewhere?
Mishael: I made it up! It's my personal formula.
Interviewer: Is this entrepreneurship and business owning something that you want to pursue in high school, college, and after college?
Mishael: I want to keep it going, but I actually have a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. I’m focusing a little more on that right now.
Interviewer: What are three things that you think any business or company should always have?
Mishael: First off, they should always have a good relationship with their employees. You want to have a business that’s thriving, and if you don’t give your employees good pay, enough off-time, and make them work long hours, they won’t be doing their best at their job. Number two, I want my customers to be happy. I want to have stuff for everyone that comes to my store that can keep everyone motivated and positive. I also want to have a good relationship with my employer, so I know who they are and can trust them. These three things are really, really important.
Interviewer: Would you say that your mom and your dad are your biggest supporters?
Mishael: Yes, they are.
Interviewer: Can you remember one day, throughout these years, where you are like “nothing is going right, I want to quit, I don’t want to do this,” and then how you worked through that?
Mishael: Yes, during my coding process, there was a point in time where I just said I can’t do this anymore because it was on my third try and I was so tired of having to work on it almost every day. The last two times it didn’t work out and then after realizing I had to redo the whole app, it really bummed and stressed me out.
Interviewer: How did you push through and find that perseverance?
Mishael: Affirmations, motivational speaker called Aaron Thomas, and, best of all, my parents.
Interviewer: Thank you.
Mishael: Thank you.
To get to know Mishael better, and learn about Little Legacy Heroes, visit him on his socials:
TIKTOK :@littlelegacyheroes
IG :@littlelegacyheroes
Website: https://littlelegacyheroes.com/
Merchstore: https://littlelegacyheros.mighty.business/shop
Googleplaystore app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.littlelegacyheroes.kweyol
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ0ow24ESYNXUEY50AFGdhg