Down to Business: 51 Industry Leaders Share Practical Advice on How to Become a Young Entrepreneur

Fenley Scurlock is a student at Stanford Online High School, based at Stanford University, where his favorite subjects are philosophy, English, and leadership. Fenley launched a business when he was seven, making artisanal soaps and whimsical pens that he sells at farmer’s markets, kids’ business fairs, and in his online store. He has won multiple business, sales, and marketing awards, and has been interviewed by national and local media outlets. He was one of 18 students from around the country selected as a 2024 Davidson Ambassador for social entrepreneurship, and is the recipient of the Congressional Award Bronze Medal, the U.S. Congress’ highest honor for youth.  He has studied several coding languages, as well as Mandarin and Latin, and is currently writing the first book in a fantasy trilogy.

Jason Liaw is a Science, Math, Computer Science (SMCS) magnet student and three-time class president at Poolesville High School in Maryland. Jason launched his first business at age eleven, building and maintaining websites for a local chamber of commerce. He is the president of his school’s DECA club and won first place for a financial literacy project in a 2022 DECA state competition. Jason is one of two countywide administrators on the Special Elections Committee (SEC), which moderates and promotes the annual Student Member of the Board (SMOB) and Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR) elections, ensuring an equitable process for more than 80,000 eligible secondary school voters.