Teen Techie Runs His Own Big Business with Celebrity Clients
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Jaylen D. Bledsoe has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood elites, working with the likes of Jordin Sparks and Steve Harvey. He had 150 contractors working for his technology consulting company that would morph into what is now known as the Jaylen D. Bledsoe Global Group.
Not bad for a kid in high school. Then again, he’s always had a business sense. Jaylen founded his company in St. Louis, Missouri, when he was 12.
“The most important steps to get there: dreaming big,” he tells Ebony. “Dreaming big leads to acting for big, and then achieving big.”
A self-described business techie, Bledsoe is committed to expanding the number of youth-leading startup businesses and has launched a summer program to help train kids to become entrepreneurs.
“I see myself more as a businessman who has great passion and interest in technology, which makes me a business techie,” he says.
It all started when he was 11 years old in sixth grade, teaching himself to program in seven different coding languages and working with friends and family on web projects. He picked up a number of honors, including the Presidential Academic Excellence Award. The paychecks grew, and so did the notoriety of his clients.
“I met Steve Harvey at the Disney Dreamers Academy in 2013, and after someone mentioned my achievements to him, he asked that I make him a billionaire with my skills and the rest is history,” Bledsoe says. “I contacted Jordin via Twitter about singing at an event, and struck a conversation about her charity, The M.A.D. Girls, Inc. After learning about their initiatives and efforts around the world, I became intrigued and offered my expertise.”
Rebranding his business as the Global Group, he’s also a motivational speaker, which, not surprisingly, he’s great at. Now a high school senior with plans to attend Stanford, Bledsoe is a spokesperson for AT&T and Walgreens.
“Business is life. I’m an entrepreneur, I think, breathe and eat business,” he says. “But I’ve made a great effort this past year to incorporate friends in my daily life more. It works, as it helps to relieve some of the daily stresses.”
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