Ava Simmons loves to do experiments. She’s created homemade rockets, made her own slime, and even used lemons to make electricity. And she turned her hobby into a successful business.

The seventh-grader from Durham, North Carolina, is the founder of Team Genius Squad. Her company sells kits with the supplies kids need to perform experiments. Ava also has a line of books, puzzles, and other items related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). 

“The best part about running my business is seeing the shocked faces of kids when they learn something new,” she says.

Ava Simmons loves to do experiments. She’s created homemade rockets and made her own slime. She’s even used lemons to make electricity. And she turned her hobby into a successful business.

The seventh-grader is from Durham, North Carolina. She is the founder of Team Genius Squad. Her company sells kits with the supplies kids need to perform experiments. Ava also has a line of books, puzzles, and other items related to STEM. STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and math. 

“The best part about running my business is seeing the shocked faces of kids when they learn something new,” she says.

Ava wasn’t always a confident entrepreneur. In fact, she used to struggle in school. 

“I was bullied and teased because I couldn’t read,” Ava recalls. 

She has a condition called dyslexia. People with dyslexia can have trouble reading, writing, and doing math. 

In early 2020, Ava and her mom, Tia, came up with a plan. They found a way to use Ava’s love of science to help build her skills in school. Ava wrote scripts for videos that explain how to do experiments. Her mom filmed the videos in their kitchen, which they set up to look like a lab. That June, Ava posted her first video. It was a guide to making hand sanitizer.

Before long, Ava’s YouTube channel was racking up views. That gave Ava and her mom the idea to turn it into a business.

Ava wasn’t always a confident entrepreneur. In fact, she used to struggle in school. 

“I was bullied and teased because I couldn’t read,” Ava says. 

She has a condition called dyslexia. People with dyslexia can have trouble reading, writing, and doing math. 

In early 2020, Ava and her mom created a plan. They wanted to use Ava’s love of science to help build her skills in school. Ava wrote scripts for videos. The videos explained how to do experiments. Her mom filmed the videos in their kitchen, which they set up to look like a lab. In June, Ava posted her first video. It was a guide to making hand sanitizer.

Soon Ava’s YouTube channel was racking up views. Ava and her mom decided to turn it into a business.

Ava created a 20-page business plan. It explained her products, how much they would cost, and how she planned to sell them. 

Ava’s first kit had all the materials kids need to power a light bulb with lemons. Ava and her mom found a factory to make it. Next, they set up a website and social media pages to spread the word about her business. 

Orders started rolling in. Ava and her family were soon packing products and shipping them across the U.S. 

Meanwhile, Ava looked for new ways to reach consumers. In 2024, she agreed to partner with Whole Foods. The supermarket chain wanted to sell Ava’s kits in 400 stores nationwide. The popular items sold out in just three months! 

Today Ava’s kits are available in stores and museums and online. So far, she’s sold more than 50,000 items.

Ava created a 20-page business plan. It explained her products. She included how much they would cost and how she planned to sell them. 

Ava’s first kit had the materials needed to power a light bulb with lemons. Ava and her mom found a factory to make it. Next, they set up a website to spread the word about her business. 

Orders started rolling in. Ava and her family packed products and shipped them across the U.S. 

Ava also looked for new ways to reach consumers. In 2024, she agreed to partner with Whole Foods. The supermarket chain wanted to sell Ava’s kits in 400 stores across the country. The items sold out in just three months! 

Today Ava’s kits are available in stores and museums and online. So far, she’s sold more than 50,000 items.

Running a business is a lot of work. Ava spends about two hours after school each day tracking sales, coming up with new ideas for products, and more. She also holds workshops to teach kids how to become entrepreneurs. One of her biggest tips is to believe in yourself. 

“Never let your challenges define your success or future,” Ava says.

Running a business is a lot of work. Ava spends about two hours after school each day on it. She tracks sales, comes up with ideas for products, and more. She also holds workshops. She teaches kids how to become entrepreneurs. One of her biggest tips is to believe in yourself. 

“Never let your challenges define your success or future,” Ava says.