“TIPster Kyna McGill is proving that STEM and business aren’t just for boys.”
That’s what we said when we included Kyna McGill in Hat TIPs (a section in Insights, the magazine for the 7th Grade Talent Search) last year. At the time, she was a finalist in Warren Buffet’s Grow Your Own Business Challenge. Her business was an app that helps design and build crafts. We spoke to Kyna by phone to hear more about starting a business as a seventh grader.
When did the idea come to you? What was the need you sought to fill?
It originally came to me when my dad suggested entering in this business contest. He was suggesting I try out for this competition and see what I could come up with, just because he wanted me to have a good opportunity. That same day, I was trying to help my sister use a rainbow loom (a device used to make colorful bracelets out of rubber bands). She wanted to make this really cool bracelet on it, and it was really, really complicated.
I noticed that there weren’t many apps, videos, or really anything I could give her to help her understand how to make it, because even I couldn’t make it. I thought, what would be a better way to educate her on how to make these types of crafts? The idea of Craft-to-Go came to me. I was thinking, well why not make an app where she can go and learn how to make the crafts? It would be very interactive and let her discover how to make them on her own, so that way she could also make them in real life, after experimenting on the app.
What was the first step you took to make your idea a reality?
I actually didn’t know much about app-making. I went online and researched it. I went around, experimented in the little homemade app creators. I have experience in block programming and some others types of programming, too.
So, I then knew the basics of how to make an app. It was really just implementing it and doing it. I made a couple of sketches of what I wanted it to look like. I worked on making a very, very rudimentary program using an MIT app designer. I just went through the stages of that. Then refined it as I went, before thinking, I might need to go out somewhere else to have somebody else make it, because I just don’t have the skills at the time to make it.
How did you grow your idea and market it to others?
I didn’t per se have a plan on how to share it and get it out there. I knew that if I was going to advertise, it would probably be through pop-ups and banner ads. I knew I probably could get a lot of support from my community, since I was a young kid going out and doing something that not a lot of kids my age did.
But, I didn’t really have a plan in place for advertisements. Looking back, I probably could have spent a little more time on that and really got it out throughout Houston-Katy, which is where I live, and spent more time on telling people, Hey, I’m here. Does anyone know anyone who would be willing to help me and give me some feedback in how to do this?
What was your proudest moment along the way?
My proudest moment was getting accepted as a finalist and traveling to Omaha to meet Warren Buffet. I talked to him a couple of times. He was very nice and supporting of my idea.
Past that, I think it was when I realized I could really get out and help other people, other girls like me, create their own apps and become entrepreneurs themselves.
What’s been going on with the app since the contest?
Well, I’ve been working on producing it, but with school and all, I’ve just been delayed quite a lot. I’ve been really, really busy gearing up for high school and getting through middle school. I’ve been working on it recently, but all production’s come to a halt, as I start with standardized testing. So it’s just a lot of prep work.
I’ve been trying to find someone who can code and do things the way I’m imagining them to be done. I’m also working on learning how to code myself. If I can’t find someone, I’m going to see if I can do it by myself. I would love to be able to finish it and get it out there.
Did you come across any challenges or roadblocks? How did you overcome them?
One major roadblock other than balancing it with school is that my sister and mom have been sick a lot recently. I haven’t exactly had free time to do anything. Other than that, I think a major roadblock would be the amount of extracurriculars I have going on. It’s not just school, it’s also the sports and the robotics and DI and all kinds of other things.
What does it mean to see how far you’ve come?
It was like building something or trying to sculpt something. It started out as an ordinary piece of clay. Something that was just flat. Nobody knew what it was going to become. Then, I was just slowly molding it. Now I feel like it’s going to be a real piece of art. I hope someday it will end up in a museum.
What advice would you give to young aspiring entrepreneurs?
Never give up. Don’t let anybody get you down or tell you that you can’t do it. I would also say learn about what you’re trying to create. Don’t just start something when you don’t have any prior knowledge. Do your research, because it really does help. If you have questions or problems or don’t understand something or you need help, ask for help. People aren’t going to think you’re stupid or think that you’re just a little kid because you need some help. Everybody needs help every once in a while.