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BRILLION, Wis. – Four young business owners are about to battle it out for a $5,000 prize.
All this week, FOX6 News is introducing you to the finalists for Junior Achievement's Young Entrepreneur competition. But first, we look back on the success of a teenager who knows what it is like to be in the shoes of the finalists.
What we know:
Give her an idea, a needle and some thread and 17-year-old Kaylee Lamers can create just about anything.
We first met the Brillion teen from Calumet County in 2024. FOX6 News touched base to see how the craft teen's business has fared after being on a very big stage.
Kaylee Lamers
The self-taught sewer first started making things at age 11, first for her cats. Lamers quickly moved on to paying customers. Her creations can now be found in local stores and farmers' markets.
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Lamers' skills have netted her thousands of dollars and a spot on the 2024 stage as a Junior Achievement Young Entrepreneur finalist. It is a competition that put her in a room with some of Wisconsin's brightest business leaders.
Kaylee Lamers
What they’re saying:
"Yes, it definitely helped me gain confidence in my business and myself. It was really the 1st time that I did any public speaking," Lamers said. "From the experience. I got a lot of new business connections, and I also got a lot more exposure for my business through there."
In the year that has followed, profits from Stitches and Sweets have doubled. Lamers is now sending her product to wholesale buyers out of state.
Kaylee Lamers
"Mostly Illinois. That's where one of the stores that I wholesale to is located. So I ship stuff to Chicago for her. And then there's also another business in Iowa that I was sending items to," Lamers said.
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Lamers is now juggling life in AP classes as a high school junior. She offers the following advice to the 2025 JA finalists.
"So I would say, just after the competition, just keep growing your business because you gain a lot of exposure from that, and you're able to get a lot of advice from other people through it," Lamers said.
What’s next:
Lamers is starting to think about college. She would like to study business or finance.
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News along with information and help from Junior Achievement.
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