Young Bosses in Business took over Bramalea City Centre last Saturday, hosting the first of several activations planned this year as the market season begins.

Led by 13-year-old Sariah Morgan, and her sister, Ariella, 6, founder of Bossari Kids, Young Bosses in Business produces a series of pop-up shops for over 10 young entrepreneurs between six to 17. The children sell everything from cosmetics and clothing to jewelry and home décor, as well as food and beverages.

“It was everything that we were working toward and all the struggles that we had to overcome to be able to have our pop-up shop, and I was excited to see everything come to fruition — it was a magical dream,” the 13-year-old and founder of iAH Beauty told Black Dollar Magazine.

Other participating businesses include Miyysjewels, Beauty Forever, Girl Gang Strong, I Bead Workshop, Kassu's Kreation, Poppa Snacks, Must Love Books, Sapple Co., Ohemaa Jewellery, Kyes Jewels, Samantha Sweets and The Soap Boyz.

The event took place from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Hudson’s Bay Court March 18 and featured entertainment, activities, and more. The idea for the all-kid market came from Morgan not feeling welcome at adult farmers markets.

“We didn’t feel supported by adults. Adults would come around and pass by, but they really didn’t support us the way that I feel we should have been supported. And it felt kind of boring, you know, just sitting there, waiting for sales. People were underestimating us. We wanted to create something for ourselves,” she told Black Dollar Magazine.

Sariah said she was motivated to become an entrepreneur and find financial freedom based on her childhood experience. Even at such a young age, she’s no stranger to struggle.

“I love being able to show my creative side, be my own business, and show my creativity through the brand,” she said. “But more importantly, I like being able to help others. I’ve seen people struggling around me and I want to be able to help. I want kids to feel the same and be excited to learn from each other.”

Morgan added that her line of vegan lip glosses is one of her top sellers. And as a youth that struggled with eczema, she wanted to provide a product that still allowed young women with the skin condition to wear it.

“Having black marks on my lips and having it take forever to lose that feeling, I was thinking about the other girls and women that are also facing the same issues that I’m facing,” Morgan said. “I wanted to create a solution and it being vegan kept my skin clear.”

In the future, she said she wants to enter large retailers like Sephora and sell online at scale. Lip balms for men and other products are in the works. Morgan also wants to create a retreat experience to empower young girls; and develop a ‘young bosses’ curriculum that includes customer service training and money management to incubate kid entrepreneurs.

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Her mom, Shantell, is admittedly proud; so is her dad, Andre. They said they are both amazed at the progress their kids have made.

Having started a family business during the pandemic, the girls were inspired from that. Soon after, the parents entered them into a Power to Grow program and a pitch contest. The rest was history.

“It helped them to build confidence. And they had a pitch contest where she was the youngest one. And it's always happened that way — she's always the youngest one,” mom Shantell said. “She won, and it gave the idea of creating something. She thought lip glosses because that’s her favourite thing.”

The contest prize was $500, and the family started branding a product, finding customers, and partnering with shops and sponsors to grow.

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Young Bosses in Business has also networked with businesses and manufacturers in the U.S., where iAH Beauty and Bossari Kids are in demand.

The group is planning its next pop-up shop on July 15. But the venue has yet to be decided. While Bramalea City Centre has been a great partner, being in a mall can be restrictive, she said, and they’re looking to add some new elements to future pop-ups.

A fashion show, a cotton candy machine, and more could be in the works, run by a 12-year-old stylist.