Bed-Stuy 10-Year-Old Finds Empowerment In Mask-Making Business
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — Even at 10 years old, Makayla Francis is realizing that starting a business doesn't only have to be a lot of work.
It can be a lot of fun, too.
"...Because I love creating it doesn't really feel like work," the young entrepreneur, who hand-dyes masks in her backyard in Bed-Stuy, told Patch. "I feel empowered to be in charge of my own future."
Makayla is the founder and CEO of Kayla's Kreations, a custom hand-dyed mask business she started in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The upcoming fifth-grader started selling the masks this week outside Make Manifest store on Tompkins Avenue, where she plans to be each Sunday.
"I always wanted to start my own business and be my own boss," she said. "With the pandemic going on, I saw an opportunity to help my community with needed PPE, while also expressing my creativity and accomplishing my goal of being self-employed."
Makayla, though perhaps the youngest, is among dozens of both professional and amateur artists who have stepped up to help supply fashionable options for the newest safety necessity.
Others include a Washington Heights sash company, local craft groups mobilizing sewers on Facebook and celebrity designers like Christian Siriano.
But even at 10-years-old, the custom masks aren't Makayla's first swing at running a business.
The Ember Charter School student said she first started by selling customized artwork to her classmates and teachers, before realizing through their support that she could go even further with the idea.
She's already started expanding Kayla's Kreations to include t-shirts, tote bags, hats and other accessories, Makayla said.
"My dream is to own multiple companies that are known all over the world," she said, adding that she hopes to expand into jewelry and clothing to one day open a store in Bed-Stuy.
Kayla's Kreations can be found outside Make Manifest at 382 Tompkins Ave. on Sundays, along with another group of young entrepreneurs who sell accessories, 3 Dawtas Designz, Makayla said. The business can also be found on her Instagram (KaylasKreations10), where customers can order and ask for custom designs.
This article originally appeared on the Bed-Stuy Patch
