At one point in your life, you’ve probably had one of those unique ideas that gets you thinking “I could make a business out of this.”
But while most of us are more than likely to scrap that idea before it’s even begun, one teenager from the UK was so inspired that she managed to see her whole project through- and now she’s able to pay her way through college.
19-year-old Beau Jessup has racked up estimated revenues of over $400,000- all from simply finding English names for Chinese babies.
The teen was out on a business trip in China with her dad back in 2015, when she was just 15. One of her dad’s business associates, Mrs Wang, asked Beau for help in naming her three-year-old daughter.
“I was honored and surprised,” Beau told CNBC. “It seemed like a really important thing to do.”
The little girl already had a Chinese name, but many Chinese people prefer to interact with English-speakers using a Western name.
These names are often self-assigned or assigned by teachers, but a combination of China’s internet censorship and the language barrier can often result in names being unsuitable or comical (like “Rolex Wang” and “Gandalf Wu.”)
Since Chinese baby names have a carefully constructed meaning, Beau wanted to provide a name for Mrs. Wang’s daughter that had significant meaning behind it. So she quizzed the woman on what she hoped her child’s future would be like.
Mrs. Wang replied that she hoped people would be surprised by the things her daughter went onto achieve.
Beau thought carefully about her choice, before settling on “Eliza,” after Eliza Doolittle, the fictionalized heroine from “My Fair Lady.”
Mrs Wang was delighted by Beau’s choice in name, and the teen realized that she might be able to offer her name-selecting services to more people.
“It occurred to me that if Mrs. Wang needed this service, then maybe other parents would as well,” said Beau.
Beau decided to launch her very own name-selecting business, called Special Name.
The website was in Chinese and used an algorithm to select names from a database that would best match the qualities of a child. The website contained 4,000 boys’ and girls’ names, with each being attributed five characteristics that Beau decided would represent that name, such as honesty and optimism.
The website gives users a list of twelve characteristics and asks parents to narrow those down to five that they would most like their children to possess.
The algorithm then selects three gender-specific names matching those characteristics, and parents can choose their favorite from the three provided.
“I provide three appropriate names for the parent to choose from and I encourage them to involve their friends and family in this decision,” said Beau.
Beau initially started her service for free, but as the website began to take off, she introduced a fee of 60 pence (79 cents).
At this moment in time, the site has named 677,929 babies, and businesswoman Beau is estimated to have earned around $407,443.
It’s a great way for Beau to earn some money while focusing on her studies.
“I still update the database each month, but the business is fully automated, allowing me to focus full-time on my studies,” said Beau, who is studying social anthropology at the London School of Economics.
Take a look at the teen’s inspiring business story below. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with in the future- this girl is clearly going places!
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