n anticipation of our Dreamer issue, which launches later this month, we’re celebrating those in the Asian American community whose stories of success have stood apart from the rest to form new paths for their generation. Among those group of outliers are Jenny Bui, 17, Elaine Truong, 20, and Michelle Le, 20, of Antoinette’s Boutique, an e-commerce site that carries handmade, vintage-inspired jewelry, pretty hair bows, and whimsical stationery. Since Antoinette’s Boutique launched in August 2011, it has been featured in Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Audrey, Carbon, Pasadena Star News, and Urban Explorer Blog, among others. What makes Antoinette’s Boutique different from other jewelry e-commerce is that everything is recycled jewelry, including the stationery.

“Elaine and I met at a journalism class in high school. I was really interested in fashion and was a cartoonist for my school newspaper, but it wasn’t until after she graduated that we got together and created Antoinette’s Boutique,” Bui says.

Bui and Truong met Le about a year ago and decided to bring her on board for her business and finance expertise. So how does a trio of high school teenagers launch a successful e-commerce? Bui, Truong, and Le are precocious for their age, juggling school work with growing a business. Bui, who is currently a senior in high school, keeps herself busy with college applications and SATs prep classes. On the other hand, Truong and Le are juniors in college; Truong studies materials engineering at UCLA, while Fong studies business administration at UC Irvine. Still, the three business partners find time for each other and for their business.

Full article: http://www.mochimag.com/career-inspiration-how-three-teens-launched-a-successful-e-commerce