© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

She's only 10 years old, but she's already the CEO of her very own cosmetics company

Paris Muhammad, CEO of Paris Place LLC, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the moment she made history as the youngest member of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce in Georgia.
Tenisha Odom
Paris Muhammad, CEO of Paris Place LLC, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the moment she made history as the youngest member of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce in Georgia.

Whether it's babysitting or flipping burgers, most people's first jobs do not compare to what Paris Muhammad is up to. At just 10 years old, she is the CEO of her own makeup company called Paris Place LLC.

The fifth-grader from Georgia made history becoming the youngest ever member of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce in Georgia last month.

"I started my business when I was seven years old," said Muhammad. "Me and my nana, we started selling air fresheners and body oils. And a year ago, we added lip gloss to my collection."

Her mother, Tenisha Odom, said she knew early on that her daughter had a passion for cosmetics.

"I would see little patches of makeup on her face, and I'm like 'Are you in my lipstick or in my makeup?'" said Odom. "And she would, you know, kind of give me the side eye, so I know she was doing something."

Her makeup is already being sold in beauty supply stores in three states — Arkansas, Georgia and Virginia — and can be shipped across the country. Muhammad said her products are for everyone.

"My lip gloss is not sticky or too shiny. My lip glosses are vegan and gluten free as well," Muhammad said.

Muhammad said her business has really taken off this year. She has her own billboard in Atlanta, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and even met celebrities. Her mother said the sky's the limit for her daughter.

"I knew she was going to be something because she has always said she never wants to work for anyone," said Odom. "We would talk about entrepreneurship throughout the years. Little did we know she was really listening."

Muhammad hopes to have her own shop one day, but for now, she'll continue to grow her business while following her mother's one rule: no CEO work on school nights.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jessica Green
Jessica Green