by Jeffrey Stephens
Hello! My name is Jeffrey Stephens, and this is Pace Innovation.
One of my favorite podcasts, “How I Built This,” inspired me to start this series. I was introduced to “How I Built This” by my mother. She had begged me to listen to the podcast and at first I refused, until she had to force me. After listening to my first podcast, I wanted to listen to more. This inspired me to start my own series about people at Pace Academy who start something new.
The first innovator in my series is Jaden Middleton, a 6th grader and the owner of Middleton Fingerknits. Jaden’s business began when he was ten years old and on a vacation to visit his aunt. While there, his aunt taught him how to crochet. He learned how to make many things such as blankets and scarves. Jaden wanted to make more things with his new found skill because it relaxed him. He then decided to sell his scarves and blankets with family and friends.
When Jaden gets into high school, he plans to open a store where he can sell his creations. He said that if he could go back and build his business again, he would work more on developing skills and techniques for finger knitting and crocheting.
When I asked Jaden if he thought his business was because of skill or luck, Jaden replied that his business was built off of both hard work and skill because he had to work to get better.