Meet Ssanyu Lukoma | Teenage Entrepreneur, Author, and Motivator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ssanyu Lukoma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ssanyu, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was 12 years old, I wanted a new pair of jeans for about $25, but I didn’t want just to go and ask my parents for the funds. Instead, I approached to my grandmother, asked for a $25 investment, and we both went to a craft store that afternoon to purchase jewelry supplies to make earrings and bracelets. That Saturday evening, I sat on my bedroom floor for hours, surrounded by beads, creating jewelry to sell the next day. After church on Sunday, I sold my creations to the congregation exiting the building and my profit margin was larger than I could have ever imagined! That day, I decided that I will find a way to always be my own boss.

I have carried that entrepreneurial spirit with me for six years. On January 1st, I turned 18 years old, so I am no longer a kidpreneur, but I am so grateful that for the entirety of my teenage years, I have been preparing myself for lifelong business ownership. After starting my jewelry business, I eventually started a face-painting business and after that, a party entertainment business as well. Then, in June 2018, I founded Brown Kids Read — my non-profit organization. It is evident that I love starting and running businesses, but it all stems back to that little 12-year-old girl who wanted a pair of jeans. Thankfully, I didn’t ask my parents to buy them for me!

What should our readers know about your business?
I have three main projects — Brown Kids Read, Suubi’s Sunny Smile, and Share a Smile Books.

Brown Kids Read is a non-profit organization that I founded in 2018 to motivate all children, but especially children of color, to read more diverse literature. We also have an online and pop-up bookstore called The Brown Reads Bookshelf where all of the books are written by and/or featuring people of color. Brown Kids Read collaborates with schools, libraries, and other organizations to get kids excited about the world of diverse books! Through Brown Kids Read, we have given away copies of 1,000+ books featuring children of color. Interestingly enough, whenever I would be selling books at a pop-up bookstore, people would always ask me, “You’re selling everyone else’s book, where’s yours?”

In December 2020, I decided to use all monetary gifts from my sweet 16 and use it towards publishing my first children’s book, Suubi’s Sunny Smile. On January 1st, I turned 16 and on that day, I knew that this project was going to be amazing. After months of writing, editing, working with my illustrators (another team of teenagers), and late nights, I finally released Suubi’s Sunny Smile in November 2021. This book focuses on three main themes: dental hygiene, cultural appreciation, and anti-bullying. Suubi’s Sunny Smile is now in over 50 classroom libraries and I’ve also developed a 5-day elementary-aged curriculum to complement the young readers’ learning experience.

One important lesson I learned through Brown Kids Read and Suubi’s Sunny Smile is that I am the only person who can get in the way of what I want to accomplish. When I first started writing Suubi’s Sunny Smile, I felt a bit like an imposter. Could a 16-year-old really write a successful book? What if nobody liked the story? These questions were constant phrases sprinting through my head, however, my mother reminded me that it doesn’t matter if this book sells millions of copies — if it makes a difference to one person, everything will have been worth it. I stopped second-guessing myself, put everything I had into the book, and on the day of my launch, Suubi’s Sunny Smile sold out!

I’ve also learned to use my age to my advantage. Since I started at such a young age, I’ve seen the power that young voices can have on adults. I’ve encountered so many people who were almost brought to tears because I’m following my passion. They want to pour into Brown Kids Read, donate, purchase books, and support because they see that the future will be bright if children like me decide to leave their mark on the world. At the same time, I intentionally invite my friends and peers to get involved with Brown Kids Read because I want them to see the beauty in both diverse books and entrepreneurship. It’s incredible to see how much one book can change someone’s life.

I founded my publishing company, Share a Smile Books, in July 2021 and the main goal is to provide youth with an opportunity to share their stories by giving them a platform to write them down. Share a Smile Books exclusively publishes children and teens and so far, we’ve published Suubi’s Sunny Smile, a teenage author named Devin Moore and his book, Devin Speaks Up!, and my second book, Chi-Chi’s Toothy Grin is currently in development. I want to continue Brown Kids Read and Share a Smile Books into adulthood because I’ve already built a strong foundation and they both provide an invaluable service to today’s youth.

Throughout my experience as a teenpreneur, I am most proud of publishing Suubi’s Sunny Smile. I am also very grateful to have been selected to be featured in an Essence Magazine article and video interview in partnership with CBS and the show ‘The Equalizer’ with Queen Latifah. Additionally, this past November, I had the opportunity to speak as a mini-keynote at the New Jersey Educators Association Convention — which is one of the largest state educator conventions in the country. I look forward to graduating from high school this year, releasing Chi-Chi’s Toothy Grin, and bringing Brown Kids Read and Share a Smile Books to whichever college campus I attend.

The world should know that my experience as a teenage entrepreneur has not been easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve had to sacrifice outings with friends, relaxing nights watching Netflix, and I’ve even grown a few gray hairs, but to know that I’m setting myself up for success is worth everything.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would bring my friend to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Six Flags is a staple in most kids growing up in north/central Jersey. I would bring them on every rollercoaster (I love rides) and then, we’d head over to Hurricane Harbor, which is the waterpark version of Six Flags. After a long day of coasters and waterslides, I would bring my friend back up to central Jersey and we’d go to Supercharged, which is the largest indoor racetrack in the country (and only 20 minutes away from my house)! Although I haven’t been yet, I would love to bring someone and race them to see who wins.

The next morning, I would bring them to a bagel shop to eat an authentic New Jersey bagel for breakfast. Then, we’d go to Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth to catch a movie and shop at the outlet stores which always have great discounts. For dinner, I’d bring my friend to Pier 115, which is a restaurant in Edgewater that overlooks the New York skyline. It is beautiful at night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents are the reason why I have seen so much success today. They have always believed in my talents, have poured into my interests, and never cease to show support. When I first decided to create my online and pop-up bookstore, The Brown Reads Bookshelf, they provided a financial investment that allowed me to follow my dream of creating a bookstore featuring young, diverse faces. My mother and I have spent countless hours brainstorming and developing initiatives, programs, workshops, and other aspects of my business. She has been awake with me at 3am to finish last-minute inventory, has spent hours running around with me to purchase supplies for any given book event, and I could not ask for a better mother.

My father has also gone out of his way to make sure that my business is technically sound. As a user experience designer, my father created my website, helps me to manage inventory, and always helps me troubleshoot when something goes wrong (even if it means sacrificing sleep). He’s demonstrated the importance of color schemes in graphic design so that I can create flyers for my events, geeks out with me about new social media promotion techniques, and the night before every pop-up bookstore, he helps me lug containers full of books into the car so that it’s prepared for the next morning.

My mother and father have gone above and beyond to ensure

my success as a teenpreenur.

Website: ssanyuspeaks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssanyuspeaks/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ssanyu-lukoma

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/ssanyuspeaks

Image Credits
Amir Ballard