Nationwide — Thinking about starting a business as a youth these days reaches farther into the creative realm than a lemonade stand or mowing lawns. Children today are discovering ways to educate and make a difference in how the story is told and sold.

Meet Kalimah McKeaver, 13, founder & CEO of Dinkra Stylez, LLC and The Kid Griot. Dinkra Stylez is the world’s first craft design firm with the mission of educating its clients about African Heritage through the creation of fun, colorful, and engaging products. The idea and inception of starting this business arose when Kalimah couldn’t find engaging resources to complete a school project on the Ancient Empires of Ghana. The research materials were very dull and boring and did not peak her interest at all. She was however very fascinated with the content she read and discovered. She wanted to ensure others would have access to the rich and inspirational history she was uncovering, but in a more fun, colorful, and engaging manner. At that moment Dinkra Stylez was born.

As a kid entrepreneur, clay sculptor, and teen historian, Kalimah started her trek as a young artisan entrepreneur at the age of 6, with a lemonade stand. Growing in thought and creativity with Dinkra Stylez, she was commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art to conduct a workshop on how to make her handcrafted bowties. As a youth entrepreneur Ambassador for the Baltimore Children’s Business Fair, she presented her business and showed the correlation between science and the sculpting process of her craft.

The entrepreneurial journey has been fruitful for this young business visionary. She was accepted into the YEA (Young Entrepreneur Academy), a nation academy geared towards helping young entrepreneurs succeed, featured on WUSA9 DC News for the success of her entrepreneurial endeavors and aspirations, has a Pop Up shop at the Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center in Washington, D.C. and ranked as a TOP 5 finalists, at the TOFI International HERs Ownly Pitch Contest in Atlanta, GA. With a strong pitch game, Kalimah had the distinct honor of being selected to work with The Home Shopping Network (HSN), after she pitched her products during the American Dreams Academy in Washington, DC.

Kalimah’s future aspirations include, helping other young entrepreneurs fulfill their goals and dreams. She says, “It motivates me when I help other kids rise and realize their amazing potential.” With a love for STEM, she is currently brainstorming ideas, in hopes of developing a business plan that will allow her to combine her love of architecture, engineering, archaeology, and food chemistry into a thriving and successful business. “There are some many cool things to learn and explore, why limit myself to just one?”

Kalimah’s current projects include, organizing a youth entrepreneur summit slated to take place in August 2018, conducting workshops on youth entrepreneurship for the District of Columbia’s Department of Parks and Planning – Ladies On The Rise – Girls Empowerment program, co-conducting and serving as the official youth adviser for a monthly workshop series entitled, “Youth Entrepreneurship: The Road Map”.

Kalimah brings her valuable and unique perspective on the peaks and valleys of the entrepreneurial journey. If you would like for her to speak to your group, organization or at your event, please contact – Dinkra Stylez Enterprises, dinkrastylez@gmail.com

You can follow her journey on www.dinkrastylez.com

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