High School Startups

Written by Camila Saenz

Entrepreneurs are getting younger and younger each day, and at Phoenix Country Day, students are proving that high school is the perfect time to start a business. Thanks to the Independent Study program, students like Julia Lotz and Aila Kaibara have been able to turn their passions into businesses while still balancing being full-time students. Many students wait until they graduate from high school or college to pursue their dreams of starting a business, but Aila and Julia have shown that with passion and determination, high school can be the perfect time. 

For Julia Lotz, the founder of Cactus Charms AZ (CCAZ), what started as a small hobby quickly turned into a successful jewelry business. Her story began when she made herself an Arizona-themed charm necklace. When she wore the necklace to school, friends started asking where it was from and how they could get one. With some encouragement, Julia turned this fun hobby into an Instagram account where people could message to buy. However, what set CCAZ apart wasn’t the fun charms; it was Julia’s innovative design. As an athlete and swimmer herself, Julia needed something she could easily remove before practices and meets. This led to the development of magnetic clasps for her bracelets and necklaces, providing both convenience and functionality. Her designs quickly gained traction, and as demand grew, she realized she needed to shift to a more structured business.

This couldn't have been done without the opportunity PCDS provides students to create their own independent study. Through the Independent Study program, Julia was able to dedicate time to researching business management and exploring ways to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into her company. She used AI tools to streamline operations, automate order tracking, and improve marketing strategies. The program allowed her to implement her research into her business. 

Her advice to young entrepreneurs is simple: persistence is key. When she first started reaching out to retailers and brands, many ignored her emails or dismissed her as just a 17-year-old high schooler. However, as CCAZ grew, the same brands that once overlooked her began reaching out to collaborate. “First, they call you crazy, then they ask how you did it,” she says. Her story is proof that with determination and hard work, even the smallest ideas can evolve into something much bigger.

While Julia’s business was inspired by jewelry-making, Aila Kaibara’s brand, Dime Time, was born from her love of basketball. As a point guard, Aila is constantly passing the ball to her teammates. When someone in basketball makes a perfect shot or pass, it is called a “dime.” This led to the creation of her brand, Dime Time.

Starting Dime Time wasn't just about selling shorts, but about filling a gap in the market. Aila wanted to design comfortable, stylish, and high-quality women's basketball shorts, something she felt was missing from many mainstream athletic brands. She spent countless hours finding the right fabric and fit, going through multiple prototypes before finding the perfect design. This process required patience and a lot of flexibility, Aila says: “I had to change the fabric and cut so many times that I got used to being flexible with when my release date would be.” 

Like Julia, Aila also took advantage of the Independent Study program at PCDS to start Dime Time. The flexibility and freedom of this program allowed her to dedicate time to designing her shorts, learning about manufacturing, and exploring marketing strategies. One of her biggest challenges was getting Dime Time in front of the right audience. While she knew she had a great product, the hard part was getting it to the right people and on the right platform. 

To grow her brand, Aila launched her website on Shopify, making her shorts available to purchase online. However, it is all about the algorithm on social media as well as in-person marketing. Aila says that she is constantly reminding herself that she has only been open for a month and a half, but that with time and persistence, more opportunities will present themselves. Her ultimate goal is to sell the product to a bigger company.

Aila’s advice to aspiring teenage entrepreneurs is to take advantage of high school as a low-risk environment for experimentation. “This is the lowest-risk environment to start a business, take advantage of it,” she says. At this stage, there is little to no pressure, making it the perfect time to try new ideas, learn from mistakes, and refine tiny details before going big.

Balancing a business with school, extracurriculars, and a social life is not an easy task, but for Julia and Aila, the Independent Study program at PCDS provided them with the perfect opportunity to turn their passions into real businesses. Without this opportunity, finding the time to research, develop their products, and come up with business strategies would have been far more difficult, especially being full-time students. By integrating their business idea into their Independent Study, they were not only able to receive one-on-one guidance from a teacher but also gain hands-on business experience that could not be learned in the classroom. Their individual journeys serve as an inspiration to other high school students wanting to start their own business, highlighting that with determination and persistence, a small idea could later turn into a full-scale business. High school provides the opportunity to take risks, explore your passions, and overall gain invaluable experiences that can help you in the future.