 Today we're excited to welcome a 12-year-old artist with an entrepreneurial instinct. Jordana Slapo joins us to talk about how she turned her love for painting into a business that creates custom shoes for her clients. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of social here at GoDaddy, and I live and breathe the hustle of business. Today we're filming from the hustle of it all at the WeWork Times Square in New York City. Jordana, a really big warm welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. Well, I'm really excited to have you today. You are our youngest guest to ever be on School of Hustle. Congratulations. Thank you. You're 12 years old. And you know, some people might say that 12 is too young to be an entrepreneur. What would you say to those people? You're never too young to follow your dreams. I agree with that. It has to start somewhere, right? You love art. I know that you're very talented because I've seen your art. I'm blown away that somebody at 12 can do what you do. You took that love for art and you turned it into a business where you are creating custom orders for shoes. How in the world did you develop this idea? It's brilliant. I started by just wanting to design my own stuff and people started seeing it and they started asking me questions about it. And then I just realized that I can make my favorite hobby into something that I could get money out of. That is truly music to my ears. That it's so this spirit of what this entire company GoDaddy is all about. I would love to learn about some of these clients and projects that you have. Like who's putting money in your pocket? Who are your clients and what do they ask you to do? They usually ask me for things that they are interested in or camps or colleges. And they tell me what to do and I bring their ideas into life. So it's a concept at the start and then do you create a storyboard of what it might be and help them figure out what the final product could be? You brought some things with you today. So I would love for you to show us some of the work that you have with us. Let's start with this. Tell me about this. This is very new. I just started playing around with the hot glue gun and I wanted to try the dazzling shoes. And then I started and I thought it was very fun to make. And I feel like it took stress away. It helped me show a different type of art. And I was just very pleased with the result. When you see a different type of art is it because you typically paint on shoes like this? I usually draw with paint pens. This is more recent and I wanted to see what else I could do because you always need some sort of change. So I wanted to change it up by the dazzling. I like what you just said about always needing some sort of change. The spirit of innovation and pushing your product and your craft keeps you competitive, keeps customers coming back. Why is it important to you to continue to push your art and create that change that you're talking about? I just want people to see all different types of ways that you can look stylish. So how do you get this out there? You have your painted version. Is this freehand or stenciled? Freehand. Yeah, so you're freehanding painting shoes and you're bedazzling others. How are you getting the word out so that people can see the product and see the changes that you're adopting? I'm posting a lot on social media. I have an account that I show all of my shoes on and some of my drawings that I do on paper. And then people start seeing it asking me questions and then that's how my business really started. Well, when you think about setting goals for your business, how would you define the goals that you want to achieve? Is it the money that you make? Is it new clients? How do you think about those goals? It feels good to finish some type of design and know that they're happy with it. And I know that I get to enjoy what I'm doing while I'm making money. What is your favorite story from working with a client? It is a pair of shoes for someone that is in college in Miami and I had a really fun time drawing on it. I really like drawing a gator. It was like their mascot. And I looked at a picture and then I did it and I thought it was going to look really bad in the beginning. And then when I kept on going, I found out that it looked good and it was my favorite pair of shoes that I've done. And they're literally being worn on a college campus in Miami as we speak. Well, you're clearly very entrepreneurial. You get it at a young age. And you started with shoes and you're evolving your product line, which is great. Do you think that shoes will be a long-term business for you? Or do you think that you are going to reposition your art in other ways and sell other things as you continue to grow? I think that I'm going to keep on pursuing my love of drawing on shoes through my middle school and high school years and maybe somewhat of college. But as I grow out of that stage, I want to maybe look into like being an architect or a graphic designer and I always want to stay in the art field. See, that's where I was going to go next with my next question. I was wondering, when you think about what you're going to study in school, is art going to transcend? And it sounds like it will. Yeah. How do you see yourself continuing to push to sell and to grow that business so that it's not just a hobby, right? Because when you said at the very beginning, it wasn't, oh, I like to paint and it's fun, right? You said, I like to paint and it's fun and I found a way that I can transition that to make money. And that's why we're here today, right? Because you are taking a hobby and you're making money out of it, right? So how do you think about the key ways that you'll go about making money in that side hustle that you're going to have? And right now the side hustle is this because you're in school, right? And eventually maybe you're an architect, right? So how do you think about really getting dollars to come in? I use my social media a lot because people see it and they want to buy something and then it just starts growing my business and I get clients and I make money from them. And also what about launching a website, right? Yeah. You can have a couple of different approaches to bringing those dollars in for sure. Yeah, because I'm not old, so I'm not making a website yet so social media is a good start. That's right. But you can see that there's a path, right? There's a path where you can kind of turn the dial and invite some other avenues in and have multiple streams going for you to bring this money in the door. And that's a good place to be without affecting the studies, right? Right? You're going to do both. So that's all exciting. I really appreciate your drive and your determination and that you have that entrepreneurial instinct. I think that's so fantastic. Thank you. It's really, really great. How does your mom and dad and grandmas and sisters and people feel about this? They're always looking to see what I can do next and they're always excited for all my new things to come, all my new designs, all the new skills that I can develop. Yeah. So it sounds like you have a lot of encouragement. Where do you think this entrepreneurial spirit came from? Most 12-year-olds don't look at a hobby or talent and say I can use this as a moneymaker, but you did. Where do you get this? Well, I get this from my art teacher. She shows me all of her students' work and I wanted to see if I could try something and make money out of it and her students are doing very well with all of their art based off of how they started and how they finished. At the end of the day, what is it that you love most about your business? I love the satisfaction of my clients and how they say how much they love what I made for them and how they wear them around and then people see them and they ask where you got them. It just makes me feel good. Well, when I saw you come in in your bedazzled sort of Birkenstock sandal today, it caught my eye. I was shocked, but I shouldn't have been shocked that you made that as well. So I hope it also makes you feel good to hear from people like me who are seeing your product that it's beautiful. It's literally like, oh, sorry. No, it's literally like all the things that I love. Like, did you like go on my social and like find some things? I mean, you're clearly a fantastic sleuth to figure out how to tap. Like, somebody's like passion. I mean, we have School of Hustle. We have, tell me about this Bruce Springsteen. This is because you know that I'm a Bruce fan and I'm obsessed with his music. We have Go Daddy, Sag Harbor, University of Washington, Love the Beach, New York City, and Gold, which you can tell I'm Gold is my jam and my name. Can I give you the biggest hug? Seriously, can I give you the biggest hug? I love that hug. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. That means a lot to me. Oh my goodness. And that concludes the personal side of the interview before our next date. Best place you've traveled? Israel. Favorite movie? Big Daddy. First concert you ever saw? No, Jingle Ball. Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into? Ravenclaw. Camping or glamping? Glamping. Blast person you texted? My mom. M&Ms or Skittles? Skittles. Would you rather visit Licorice Castle or Peppermint Forest? Licorice Castle. Ideal fake sick day? Staying in bed all day. New York or London? London. Worst trend you've ever participated in? Socks and sandals. Favorite holiday? Um, Hanukkah. Instagram or Twitter? Instagram. Favorite part of a s'more? The marshmallow. One word you wish you could take away from the English language? Um, chocolate. Number one guilty pleasure? Um, I still want to know what it is. This is hard. Okay, we won't give you that one. That's okay. Let's see how we did. Let's see how we did. We got one, two, three, 13, 14, 15. Part of your day. Okay, um, going to bed. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Um, creative business. Worst piece of advice? You're too young, don't do it. How do you use your career to inspire others? I show people all my stuff and they want to try it out for themselves and it makes me happy to see that other people are doing the same thing I am doing and like doing it because I showed them what I did. Ever felt like walking away? No, because I know that things can get hard sometimes but I know that it will turn out great in the end. One thing you still need to learn? I still need to learn how to manage my school, work, art and business all at the same time. What do you want people to learn from you? I want people to learn that you're never too young to do what you want and you're always allowed to let your mind think. What's next for you? Um, I'd say that I want to keep on watching my business grow. Thank you too. Who inspires you? My art teacher. And who challenges you? I am my toughest critic. I challenge myself a lot. Well, we have one last piece of advice and this advice is for Noodle, our favorite pug. I'm going to stand right over here. You got him? You feel good? I think so. Alright, Noodle admires the way you've turned your talent into a business as a 12-year-old student. Noodle really enjoys mentoring today's youth and he would love to help young entrepreneurs like yourself. What advice would you have for an old soul who wants to help people like you in their business? Um, I would say to Noodle that just tell them to give it their all and no one's stopping you from doing whatever you desire. So Noodle, make time to give that advice and you don't want to scoff at young entrepreneurs. Yeah, they're allowed to succeed. They are allowed to succeed. Thank you for that. Thank you for that. I'm going to read three quotes and ask you to listen and tell me which one resonates with you the most and why. Okay, number one, no masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist. Number two, I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams. Number three, you must expect great things of yourself before you can do them. Who's quote number one? Number one, no masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist. What is it about that that you like? Well, it's a very true statement. If you don't give it your all, no one will see your full potential and you might not get to where you want to be in life if you don't give it your all. So you shouldn't be lazy. Yeah, right. Tell everybody how they can find your art. You mentioned you're on social media. Yeah. On Instagram, my art is Jordanna page underscore designs. Thank you for sharing your art and your thoughts with us. You're welcome. And everybody watching, follow GoDaddy across social because we are bringing the most inspiring entrepreneurs like Jordanna to you every weekend social across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TV, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, all the usual suspects. So follow GoDaddy everywhere so you don't miss out. And as always, we will see you all soon. Bye.