From juggling the responsibilities of A-level studies and a part-time cleaning job, to putting in countless hours building her business and brand in her spare time, one Jersey teen is carving out a name for herself as a young entrepreneur.
Hautlieu student Erica Goncalves (18) is the founder of Plapo – an online marketplace aimed at other young entrepreneurs.
Erica was inspired through her participation in the LEAP programme, which aims to encourage future female leaders by developing business, entrepreneurial, teamwork and networking skills.
This was where Plapo started to take shape, with Erica explaining that she had asked her team if she could take the idea further.
“It’s a marketplace for other young entrepreneurs to sell their products and services, as kind of a first place to ‘start up your start-up’ and also help people my age in college or university to sell pre-loved items so they can make extra income,” she told Express.
“They can also sell services, so tutoring for the younger years, maybe teaching how to play the piano, tennis, etcetera.”
“People get excited about your idea, and then you get excited that they’re excited”
While getting Plapo – currently in the MVP (minimum viable product) stage – ready to be launched, and studying for her exams, the Year 13 student also has a part-time cleaning job with her parents.
But she has found time to pursue her passion, often by working late into the night, from technical and design work to brand-building and networking – all while filming short-form content (such as the video below) documenting her entrepreneurial story.
“One thing I really want to do with Plapo is show my journey, the busy life of college and working as a cleaner and then working on Plapo at night even when I’m exhausted,” Erica explained.
Asked whether she preferred the technical side of the process or the marketing, Erica said: “It used to be the back-end aspect, but now because I’m a lot more confident and I really like talking to people, I love networking.
“People get excited about your idea, and then you get excited that they’re excited about your idea and get excited about their idea as well.”
“You have to be the one fighting for your own dreams”
Erica has also been accepted into LEINN International, a four-year university programme for a degree in entrepreneurial leadership and innovation – something that she applied for without her parents knowing.
“My parents didn’t want me to be an entrepreneur, they wanted me to stay in Jersey and work in a company and I just didn’t want that at all,” the teenager explained.
“If you really want to do something, fight for it, because no one else is going to fight for you.
“You have to be the one fighting for your own dreams.”
The LEINN programme will see Erica head to Bilbao later this year.
