Headliners GROWING A BUSINESS ‘Kid of the Year’ nominee expands one-of-a-kind concept.

Sixteen-year-old

Dylan Capshaw’s work and dedication starting two nonprofits led to his nomination in Nickelodeon and Time magazine’s first ever 'Kid of The Year' competition in 2020, where Capshaw was a finalist. Now, the 11th-grade Rancho Solano student has his sights on the expansion of Stemistry, a flower store and coffee lab concept he started. Epic Kids sat down with the young entrepreneur to learn more.

EK: Where did you get the idea for Stemistry?

DC: Coffee was always a passion of mine. When I turned 13, I finally got an espresso machine for Christmas from my parents and was able to start concocting my creations. During COVID I started an online flower shop, something I did just to try and make some money. I was cutting landscaping and selling it out of my backyard. It was truly a business with a $0 startup cost. After growing the flower shop online for two years, I saved up enough money and decided I wanted to combine this flower shop with my love for coffee in a brick-and-mortar store. I designed absolutely everything and had so much fun creating this company.

EK: Why a coffee shop paired with a flower shop?

DC: I honestly think the smell of coffee and the smell of flowers are the two best things in the world. I also saw so much potential in combining the two as it is a first of its kind concept. I created our “Latte Lab” and mended the line between flowers and coffee, creating all kinds of coffee beverages with floral extracts in them. Plus, customers coming in just for flowers can smell the coffee and enjoy the best of both worlds.

EK: Where did you get the seed money to start up your business?

DC: I started my online flower shop, GardenMisc, on Etsy with absolutely no money. I cut and sold landscaping in my backyard in unique ways and ordered free mailing supplies through USPS online. I grew it 100% organically on Etsy for about six months, then I invested my earnings into reaching out to floral distributors and expanding my online inventory as my landscaping had been trimmed bare. I saved every penny for the next two years and funded the opening of my store.

EK: What skills did you learn to start your own business?

DC: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you never stop learning. I was in eighth grade when I started my online store, I had absolutely no prior business knowledge. I taught myself everything through mistakes I made and lessons I learned selling online over the next two years. When I decided I was ready to take a risk and expand to brick-andmortar, I thought I knew everything there was to know about business. I quickly learned that sitting behind a computer and boxing orders was extraordinarily different than dealing with customers in person and having a staff working under you. I learned how to conduct job interviews, run payroll, purchase inventory, construct a commercial kitchen, and more.

EK: What has been the response from the public to Stemistry?

DC: I have been incredibly lucky to have such an amazing community. I hosted my grand opening on March 18, 2022, and was joined by the mayor of Scottsdale and roughly 1,000 attendees. Since then, I have grown roots into Scottsdale and have been getting to know all our wonderful customers and neighboring businesses over the last year. Later this month, on March 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., I will be hosting the grand opening of my second location in Downtown Phoenix. This all thanks to everyone supporting Stemistry and this journey!

EK: What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced operating your business?

DC: I run into constant challenges in my day to day, but the biggest challenge I’ve had to face is when I was initially getting started. I was 15 years old, and I had an empty store and a dream. It was up to me to pave the road to where I wanted to be, and I had to figure that out for myself. When I first started interviewing employees, many of them would get up and walk out. They thought it was a joke, or just something that would never come to fruition. Through perseverance (and YouTube) I was able to develop the skills I needed to conduct job interviews and I ended up hiring a fantastic team.

EK: What tips would you give to other kids interested in starting a business?

DC: My biggest piece of advice is it is never too early to start. Every time I think of a good idea, I say to myself “why wait?” What is holding me back? I opened my brick-andmortar store when I was a sophomore in high school and it came with many challenges, but I thank myself every day for not waiting until college, or grad-school, or until I had a job, or was an adult. There’s always a reason to not do something but it’s up to you to do it. We are so lucky to have a world of information at our fingertips. Every resource you could need to start a business is online and free to access.