Teen Entrepreneurs Take Over Boston—With Zero Startup Funding
In just eight weeks, more than 40 teen-run businesses launched in Boston. These weren’t your average class projects. They were real businesses—selling clothing, beauty products, food, and wellness goods.
This wasn’t luck. It was the work of two women who flipped their pain into purpose: Dr. Jamila T. Davis and Dr. Ayana K. Bean. Both women once served time in federal prison. Today, they are changing lives through Boss Up Boston.
“We didn’t just create a program. We sparked a movement,” said Dr. Davis, now a national voice in justice-impacted leadership.
The Mission Behind Boss Up Boston
Boss Up Boston is a teen entrepreneurship program for youth ages 14 to 18. It pays students while teaching them how to build and run real businesses. The project had no funding at the start. But Davis and Bean made it work through a smart partnership with Boston’s SuccessLink Summer Employment Program.
They didn’t stop there. With support from justice advocate Syrita Steib, they added mentorship, pop-up shops, and pitch events to the mix.
“Some of these kids are running full online stores now,” said Dr. Bean. “They’re building what we never had access to.”
A New System for Black Youth Empowerment
The program is built under Partners Uplifting Our Daughters and Sons (PUDS), where Dr. Davis serves as Program Director. The goal is bigger than business—it’s to help young people avoid the traps of poverty, crime, and hopelessness.
Using Boss Up! The Official Guide for Teen Entrepreneurship, written by Dr. Davis herself, students learned branding, budgeting, marketing, and more. They also built confidence.
“When they saw people buying their products, it changed how they saw themselves,” said Dr. Davis.
From Trap Queens to PhDs: The Story Behind the Movement
Years ago, both women made headlines—for the wrong reasons. Dr. Davis served 12½ years for bank fraud. Dr. Bean, a Boston native, was convicted of financial crimes. Both hit rock bottom in federal prison.
But behind bars, they found something stronger than pain—purpose. Dr. Davis began writing healing curriculum from her prison cell. That work is now used by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and supports time credits under the First Step Act.
Dr. Bean returned home and started A Year And A Day, a nonprofit focused on financial literacy and second chances. Both women now hold doctoral titles—earned and honorary—and wear them as symbols of their journey.
Teen Bosses and National Recognition
Boss Up Boston didn’t go unnoticed. The City of Boston honored both women and two youth entrepreneurs, Rex and Maliyah, with the Extraordinary Women Award.
Rex now runs a growing custom apparel brand. Maliyah has a beauty product line. Both started with zero experience. Today, they lead their businesses with pride—and purpose.
“The teens are the stars,” said Dr. Bean. “We just gave them the platform to shine.”
What’s Next: Year-Round Change
Due to its success, Boss Up Boston has now expanded into a year-long model, serving 20 more students. Still, no dedicated funding backs the program. What fuels it? Passion, mentorship, and community.
Davis and Bean show up every week. They teach, they mentor, and they believe. They’ve also rallied a network of volunteers—business owners, lawyers, educators—to pour into the teens.
“This is what systemic change looks like,” said Dr. Davis. “We don’t just talk—we build.”
Rewriting the American Dream for Justice-Impacted Women
Dr. Davis and Dr. Bean aren’t just building businesses. They’re rebuilding the American Dream—for those who’ve been locked out of it.
Through their joint work at the Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action (IRSJA), they now train others to do the same. From city halls to universities, they speak on healing, justice, and leadership.
America is watching. Two women once labeled Trap Queens are now national leaders in community transformation.
“We’re living proof that you can rise from the ashes,” said Dr. Bean. “And when you rise, you bring others with you.”
