Kidpreneur mixing business with positive messages

by Marlon Madden

Although he is not yet sure what career path he wants to take, eight-year-old Jessie Olton is already making a name for himself through a T-shirt business that he uses to raise awareness about literacy and violence.

The Charles F Broome Memorial Primary School student, who said that he is very concerned about the direction in which the country is going, told Today’s BUSINESS he wanted to make a difference and that was the main reason behind starting his business
J. Pro (Jessie’s Production).

“I started J. Pro because I wanted to send message to kids and adults,” said Jessie. He prints three main messages on the front of the t-shirts – one giving encouragement, one speaking to the issue of violence and the other speaking to the issue of literacy. Olton said he was simply tired of the violence, murders and “people saying bad things to one another”.

“So I get this business going to help stop the violence . . . I just want to inspire people of all ages to do the right thing,” he added. He explained that while he had the idea for the t-shirt business since last year, which he got from watching various videos on social media, it was not until July of this year that he was able to begin his operation with the help of his mother.

Currently, individuals are able to place an order via Instagram (J.pro246) and J. Pro will deliver. While Jessie is yet to make up his mind on what career path he will choose, he said one thing is for sure, he wants to play a role in putting an end to violence in Barbados and he wants to do so in a meaningful way.

“My wish for Barbados is for it to be an anti-violence place where everybody in Barbados can live happily,” said Jessie. He said he was determined not to allow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in several restrictions, to hinder his quest.

“The pandemic does not affect it. It makes me want to do it faster and help me upgrade the business,” he said, adding that he already has his sights set on expanding.

“For now, we are just selling shirts but in the future we are going to work on getting hats, pants and a lot of stuff,” he said. He said while the most difficult for him
now was learning “how to handle” the business what he likes most about doing it “is that I get to help people”. The St Thomas resident has a simple advice for his peers – “even though you are young, you are never too young to do the right thing”.

Jessie, who was recently acknowledged by Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw for doing his part “to promote positive messages among our youth”, gets a lot of help from his mother Tara Mayers, who said she took care of the technical aspects of the business, provided some guidance and taught him financial literacy along the way.

“I try not to get him overwhelmed with the more technical things, but I keep him involved because it is his business. So he has to take some responsibility. I try to speak with him concerning the running of the business but not in a way that is heavy,” said Mayers.

She recalled that one day her son came to her after several days of watching various videos online and told her he was interested in “doing some merch”. “I had no idea what merch meant. So he had to break it down for me. He said ‘mommy, merch is merchandise’. I then said okay, if you want to do this and want to go that route I will support you, but we have to do it about something that is active in your life,” she recalled.

Mayers, who is a teacher, said the family believes in God and that made it a lot easier for them to decide on spreading positive messages. The mother of two said she had no idea her 8-year-old would take an interest in a business, and in the process, try to raise awareness about violence and literacy.

“It is not something you would sit down and you would think about. And as a parent you would think at that early age it is about education, about preparing them for the future. So to come to me at 8-years-old, looking to do something bigger than what I had envisioned it was warming to the heart,” said Mayers.

She reported that the business was already gaining traction across the region, with orders coming in from at least one other Caribbean country. “I believe the online platform provides the opportunity for the ease of business.

Traditionally, you would have to look at a place to set up and those costs . . . but with the online platform it is easy to reach persons and get out there. That is the good thing about where we are right now,” said Mayers. “In terms of Barbados though, I would say that more support is needed, more support for persons who are entrepreneurs, more support for persons who decide to go against the grain and do something untraditional as it relates to bringing in income. It takes a lot of bravery and time.

I think more support is needed,” said Mayers, who said she tried to support local businesses every month or every other month. Jessie, who says he enjoys spending his free time cooking and acting, said he will be working on some funny and inspirational videos to help with his anti-violence campaign.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb