Teen Entrepreneurs Leverage Social Media for Success

Gen Z entrepreneurs are using social media to grow businesses, with innovative strategies and community building at the forefront.

Young entrepreneurs from Generation Z are making waves in the business world, finding success by harnessing the power of social media to reach audiences like never before.

One notable example is Michael Satterlee, the mastermind behind a “tactical reload can holder”—a novel twist on a traditional can cooler. This innovative product has reportedly brought in monthly sales of up to $300,000.

Rather than investing heavily in advertising campaigns, Satterlee opted for a simple approach: he posted a casual video of himself chugging a Dr. Pepper and reloading another into his holder. The video has since gained over 50 million views on Instagram, showcasing the viral potential of social media marketing.

Satterlee attributes the video’s success to the uniqueness of his product. “I think it’s just, they hadn’t seen anything like it before,” he remarked, emphasizing how novelty can drive consumer interest.

However, Satterlee also stresses that businesses shouldn’t flood their social media pages with constant product advertisements. “You have to disguise your business account like you’re an influencer,” he advised. This strategy involves engaging with trends, entertaining followers, and creating a community where people feel a genuine connection beyond just buying a product. “At the end of the day, what followers are is an audience. People aren’t just going to follow a product. You want to build a community,” he explained.

Similarly, teenage brothers Kirk and Jacob McKinney have found their own path with their business, Junk Teens, which specializes in junk-removal services across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Accumulating a following of 500,000 across various social media platforms, their approach diverges from Satterlee’s. Initially, the brothers did not utilize social media until their third year in operation. Rather, they focused on traditional business practices—responding promptly to customer inquiries, booking every job available, and reinvesting profits back into their venture—leading to approximately $3 million in revenue in 2025.

Although social media wasn’t foundational to their strategy, it has become a useful tool for brand recognition and employee recruitment. “In any home-service or blue-collar business, one of the most important parts of the whole business is the employees, the people, the team,” Kirk stated, highlighting the challenges of hiring in sectors that often have less appeal.

The McKinney brothers aim to attract new recruits by showcasing the positive aspects of their work. “I wanted to attract people to work on our team by showing that what we do is fun,” Kirk said, noting the benefits of working within their team environment.

Tailoring their content to suit different platforms has been crucial. On Facebook, they provide local updates and engage their direct community. In contrast, they focus on creating brand awareness on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, platforms where their target demographic spends much of their time. Kirk noted, “We want to create a brand that sticks, that people remember, and they know Junk Teens is a spot you go to for a good job.”