KAI AMENTA is the perfect example of you’re never too young to follow your dreams.
At just 10 years old, the young boy from Romsey has officially opened his first business – an online accessory shop called Cap-Ture selling streetwear products.
Kai designed his own logo and style, working alongside his mum Samantha to get the logistical side of things moving while he mastered the creative stuff.
Described by his mum as “pretty self-motivated”, Samantha told the Review she first started seeing this entrepreneurial side of her son when he was just 7 years old.
“He would go around the neighbourhood and ask our neighbours if he could wash their cars,” she said.
“He’s also set up some stores in the garage, selling some old books and baby things.”
But with no books left to sell, it was time for Kai to take the next step up.
“He had it in his mind that he wanted to sell things, but I sat him down and sort of redefined what that means,” Samantha said.
“It’s great to sell things, right? You get money and that’s how the world goes around. When he started talking about things like ‘mum, I want to make up signs and brochures and business cards’, I thought we could probably make this a little bit bigger than what he’s thinking about.”
The one condition that his mum had was he had to give back to the community in the process, so Kai decided he will donate one cap to homelessness advocacy and assistance charity Melbourne City Mission for every five caps he sells.
“It helps the homeless children when you buy my caps and socks because they don’t have the things I do and I want to help them,” he said.
According to Samantha, Kai’s desire to support those less fortunate than him is nothing new.
“Even as a really young child in the city, he would see people on the sides of the street and ask me ‘mum, what are they doing there?’ and I’d explain,” she said.
“As he’s gotten older, every time he’s seen someone struggling or sitting down with a sign that says ‘donations needed’, he’d either ask me for money, or if I didn’t have any money, he would say ‘mum, we need to go and buy them some food and bring it back’.”
Launching his website for presale just over two weeks ago,they received more than 20 orders within the first day.
“I was so happy, I hugged my mum. People loved my style,” Kai said.
The young entrepreneur plans to do pop-up stores at the new Romsey skate park when the caps and socks arrive, while the online store will soon feature Kai’s own sweatbands, wristbands and helmet and skateboard stickers.
The young man also said he wants to be a surgeon when he grows up.
To find out more about Kai’s story, visit cap-ture.com.au
