Ohio Fourth-Grader Starts Her Own Business to Inspire Young Black Children

Nine-year-old Addison Captain has dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, and her aspirations are being met with success right before her eyes.

“If you want to start a business, go for it, ’cause it’s really exciting once you do,” Captain told WKYC. “You only need a little bit of effort and you can create something big.”

Addison Captain

Addison Captain designs and markets products to children of color. (photo credit: WKYC YouTube screenshot)

Captain launched her business Brown Backpack in June and designed over 100 products for children of color. The Bedford, Ohio, fourth-grader sells products like backpacks, books, phone cases and pillows with inspirational quotes and images plastered on them.

The photos and sayings stem from the book “Far Beyond the Treetops” that was published by her mother, Stephanie Captain.

“She asked me, ‘Mom, people really like the book. Can I do something with it?’ Stephanie Captain said. “And I’m like, ‘What else can you do? It’s, you know, a book’ and she’s like, ‘I want to make things.'”

The mother’s book was to inspire Addison and her little sister to “unapologetically” be who they are and to explore the “big world.”

The fourth grader made $200 within four weeks of her Brown Backpack launch.

“Not too shabby for somebody who just up and decided that they wanted to start a business,” Stephanie chuckled.

Addison said she’s been learning a lot about product development, pricing and marketing. She told reporters, “I’m not like the other kids who play video games and watch TV. … I like doing business work instead.”

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