Sarah Yeargin and Laura Garcia were only asking for $465 when they pitched their business, Clothing Queen, to a group of investors. Instead, the two Aiken High students received $965 to expand their business and will cash in on a 30-second commercial on NBC, Channel 26.
The duo was one of 12 individuals and groups to pitch their business plans Tuesday at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center.
The students are part of the local Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA! - a yearlong program through the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce that transforms middle and high school students into real entrepreneurs.
Yeargin and Garcia said they formed the business because, as feminists, they want to make a difference and empower girls through social movement with their clothing line, which will include hand-painted T-shirts.
The two said they'll use the money to work on their men's line, release new designs and expand their customer base.
"We believe the fashion industry preys on girls' insecurities to make them buy a certain product," Garcia said. "We wanted to change that around by getting positive messages out to girls that they are unique and special the way they are. We wanted to embrace diversity."
Clothing concepts ruled the night Tuesday as another big winner, Dapper Joe, took home $750 out of a requested $1,400.
Business partners Reid DeMass, Kennedy Haley and Jack Serkiz said they wanted to combine style with something that represents the average American.
"We wanted a patriotic brand that appeals to every American," said Haley, a South Aiken student. "So we'll now start off with about $200 in shirts and then expand once we sell those and continue our marketing plan."
The event was put on by the Aiken Chamber and other sponsors.
Business ideas ranged from clothing to candy, cooking, lawn care, lip balm and cellphone chargers.
Each business received a piece of the $6,000 pie from an investor panel made up of local business leaders from EDTS, Margaret's Garden Adult Daycare, B&S Machine Tool Inc., Real Estate One, AECOM and others.
In addition to the investors, three organizations handed out individual awards: Clothing Queen received the 30-second commercial; Kizzy Lips, a lip balm business owned by Kizzy Robinson, received the YEA Saunders Scholar Award, which qualifies her to compete in Florida for the chance to attend the Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C.; and Anna Newton, a home-schooled junior high student, received a $500 gift card to Sam's Club for her business, Anna's Candy.
Investor Charles Johnson, the founder of EDTS, spoke about the students' dedication and the success of the program.
"We just want to praise these kids for their creativity. It was a wonderful experience for all of us," Johnson said.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
