The quest for business ownership and entrepreneurship today is at an unprecedented level. Yet there appears to be some form of parity between the rates at which people seek paid employment and how people pursue establishing their businesses.
Whatever the case may be, operating in the business space as an entrepreneur with or without an investor can be a nightmare and is one of the most challenging endeavors to embark on. However, time and time again, some individuals have pursued their entrepreneurial goals with everything they have, and sooner or later, they have succeeded where many failed.
In this list of top 10 Entrepreneurs in 2021, NY Weekly has combed the nook and cranny of the business world, and we present to you the top 10 individuals who are turning heads and making quite a difference in the business sector.
- David Chen
David Chen is a former managing partner at Deloitte who successfully made his way into GTIF Capital and Avant X Capital. David started Downtownspaces a 24,000 square foot co-working space in El Paso, Texas, and is a partner at Faze Clan, Team Nukler, Janus Esports, Nobility Esports, Mediabundance, and president of The North American Collegiate League and Latin American league, which spans to 220 Universities in 30 countries. David also started the NACL “Knows All” & Replays, an esports news channel that is in 33 countries on ISUNTV (in China and Asia) and Reach TV to 50 million viewers.
Website: www.davidchenpanda.com
2. Nicole Kosh
Nicole Kosh is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of NicMarie Design, a beauty products manufacturing company known to create clean and organic beauty products for everybody regardless of gender.
As an expert in skincare and routine, Nicole drives her company on the path of mixing hand-blended ingredients and 100% organic ingredients to soothe sensitive skin, ease eczema and, more importantly, restore confidence to anyone who might have lost their edge due to one imparity or the other.
Nicole is known to correct, fix, and reduce the incidence of skin impairities, faults, burns, and inflammation, especially in victims of domestic violence and sexual harassment. By partnering with organizations like Joyful Heart Foundation, RAINN, Center for Community Solutions of San Diego, Monarch Services of Santa Cruz, CA, and Home of the Sparrow in Exton, PA, she is helping survivors restore their confidence by first fixing any possible skin problems.
Website: www.NicMarieDesign.com
3. Marcus Gaughan
Marcus Gaughan is a lifelong entrepreneur. He has been building and growing businesses in Southern Ontario, Canada, for the length of his professional career, and he is just getting started. Currently, Marcus is growing his Make It Great Painting franchising company as well as maintaining CapacityM, a company that connects manufacturing companies with excess machinery.
As the pandemic comes to a close, Marcus has his eyes set on giving other entrepreneurs and investors the opportunity to grow their ideas with his new venture, Minds On Fire, an accelerator designed to ignite passions, and aid others in their pursuit to realize professional and business goals. Contact him today if you would like to get involved.
Instagram: @marcusgaughan
4. Chioma Amaefule “Chi Love”
Chioma Amaefule, better known as “Chi Love,” has made her mark in the dating industry in 2021. Not only has she coined herself as “Not Your Average Matchmaker,” but she has also managed to land a spot on the new hit dating series “Love Locked” by The ShadeRoom. As the Owner and CEO of N.Y.A. Love and Dating Services, she has her work cut out for her!
When asked why she does what she does, she said, “There is no better feeling in this world than helping others believe in true love again and doing everything I can to help them find it.” She believes this is her calling and added, “If they’re honest and patient enough to trust the process, I will do my very best to find someone they can see themselves saying ‘I do’ to.”
Website: www.nyaloveanddating.com
5. Sarah Morrison & Helen Brown
Little Box Gym Ltd is run by mother-and-daughter duo Sarah Morrison and Helen Brown.
Sarah was concerned that during her training and qualification to becoming a personal trainer that the approach to fitness was very much centred around those people who would already attend gyms and less about those who wouldn’t because they felt intimidated by the equipment and space and yet would benefit from managing their own mental health and wellbeing. That’s why, at Little Box Gym, we can offer the full range of facilities that a fully functional gym offers but within a boutique setting.
We pride ourselves on being a small, friendly, accessible gym for all. We target the general population, not just those who are already fit and active. We look to make exercise a part of people’s lives no matter whether that be starting with walking or joining in a class, we try to make it a part of a client’s mindset to do something every day.
To not feel intimidated or conscious about being active. To make this a positive and enjoyable experience and to want to do it again!
Instagram: @anastasiasarah27
Facebook: Little Box Gym
LinkedIn: Sarah Morrison; Helen Brown
Website: www.littleboxgym.com
6. Hart Main
Hart Main is among the decade’s youngest rising entrepreneurs. Main started his company called ManCans back in 2010 when he was only 13 years old. The candle company is best known for its candles made with “manly” scents. Main saw a gap in the scented candle arena, noting that most products available were marketed for girls. Hence the birth of ManCans.
As he was a teenager at that time, Main began his entrepreneurial journey with a simple goal in mind: to buy a $1,200 bike for him to use in triathlons. Little did the young entrepreneur know that his candle-making business, which started in his kitchen and was sold primarily to family and friends, would eventually grow into a nationwide phenomenon. Today, ManCans is produced in partnership with Beaver Creek Candle Co. and is distributed across 150 stores in the United States.
7. Ryan Sprance
Ryan Sprance is the founder and chief strategist of Kaihatsu Media, a highly successful media agency. Sprance was born in Queens, New York. He started his professional career with a position in retail and eventually worked his way up the ranks and played a crucial leadership role in managing over 500 T-Mobile stores.
Wanting to start something of his own, Sprance started building his digital media brand as a side hustle, but that got him into trouble with the company he was working for. So Sprance left his corporate job and focused his energy instead toward building Kaihatsu Media.
“I felt connected to the strategic aspect of developing and managing campaigns and decided that I wanted to build an agency to help brands understand the challenging digital media landscape,” said Sprance.
Kaihatsu means “to develop” in Japanese, and it has successfully lived up to its name as it has impacted brands and communities across the country.
Website: www.kaihatsumedia.com
8. Kevin Tan
Kevin Tan is the co-founder and CEO of Snackpass, a mobile app that boomed from serving college students at Yale into a million-dollar platform. Tan had the idea during his last semester in College while sitting in an economics lecture. In 2017, together with his co-founders, John and Jamie, they built one of the first startups created in Yale. During that time, they did not get the boost they needed, no capital to fund the venture, and the group had to rely on various side hustles to keep the app running.
Tan shared that it was definitely a challenging and overwhelming year. But not long after launching in 2017, Snackpass picked up its momentum and was used by 40% of the students in Yale, and it continually grew into the food empire it is today. Over the last four years, the app has generated over 500,000 users, mainly from 12 college towns, and is currently valued at around $400 million. Furthermore, Tan and his team secured a $70 million Series B funding earlier this year.
9. Mike Grillo
Mike Grillo is the CEO and co-founder of Gravity Products, hailed as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Brilliant Companies. Consequently, his other creation, The Gravity Blanket, was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2018. Grillo continues to spearhead the brand strategy, product development, and corporate operations of Gravity.
Grillo’s primary mission is to provide customers across the globe with comfortable sleep and relaxation products, and he did not disappoint anyone with Gravity Products. Before founding his million-dollar company, Grillo worked in marketing, public relations, and advertising, which he used to his advantage when he started building Gravity. He has worked with global brands such as Pepsi, Pfizer, Mondelez, and Hasbro.
Website: www.gravityblankets.com
10. Kerry Mellin
Kerry Mellin is the founder of EazyHold.com, a company that has tripled its revenue since its founding in 2015 because of its highly acclaimed products that help people with disabilities and other physical conditions. Together with her sister, Mellin made waves when they launched products that established a new category of silicone grip aids that completely impacted the healthcare and caregiving industries.
Mellin and her team have supplied EasyHold products to over 8,000 schools, hospitals, and therapy institutions worldwide. Furthermore, the founder cemented her name and her company further as one of the six finalists for the Amazon 2019 Women-Owned Business of the Year. Mellin is a firm believer in using simplicity for innovation, and she has successfully filled the need for products that help disabled people with day-to-day activities.
LinkedIn: Kerry Mellin
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