The days of CEOs being old men who wear suits and work in large office buildings are long gone. The future is run by student entrepreneurs who create clothing brands from their phone and give custom haircuts to students via Snapchat and Instagram. With the next generation of consumers having access to more information than ever before, these five students have adapted to best serve their needs.

In June 2020, senior Jamie Zweig started her business, Jazzed by Jamie, where she sold fun and trendy face masks to customers during the height of the pandemic. She quickly realized that she could expand from just face masks to all personalized gifts and the online store’s popularity exploded. Today you can find the business on Instagram @jazzedbyjamie where you can buy all kinds of decorative products ranging from custom college pillows and blankets to decorative Starbucks cups.

Another innovator who specializes in all things custom is junior Everett Field. Field started The Chop Shop, a custom, mobile haircut service that specializes in giving customers cheap haircuts and eyebrow slits. Field founded the company because he wanted a personalized service where the barber goes to the client and not the other way around. He strives to develop an impactful relationship with every customer and you can book his services on Snapchat and Instagram.

Sukikamo Apparel also uses social media to their advantage to attract new customers and collaborate with other companies in the clothing niche. Sophomore founder Anthony Chang started the company after months of planning with the goal of producing stylish Japanese-inspired designs and selling them at an affordable price point. “Balancing student work and my business is one of the biggest challenges I have to face. While Sukikamo is important, being a student is still my top priority,” Chang said.

One of the biggest leaders to watch is junior Aneela Shemsu, who is the Leadership Institute Director of MoCo EmpowHer. Her goal for the organization is to continue to expand throughout the entire county, which would give opportunities for all students to participate in the program. She recently led the annual open mic night and was able to change the location from Richard Montgomery to Blair for easier access for lower and east county students. “A huge part of my role is fostering discussion with engaging topics such as feminism, leadership and society,” Shemsu said.

The lone freshman on this list is fashion design pioneer, Chloe Ayissi-Etoh. Always with a passion for fashion, Ayissi-Etoh decided to take it to the next level by teaching herself how to sew through Youtube videos. The clothes started to gain popularity and Ayissi-Etoh entered a fashion show with over 900 people in attendance. With this skyrocketing popularity, her fashion company Chlolana was born. Now Chlolana handles custom clothing orders, where Ayissi-Etoh first sketches client orders and then sews them. “I had so many sleepless nights and it’s just been really difficult but it’s something I’m happy to do,” Ayissi-Etoh said.