Tyla Simone Crayton is a 16-year-old home-schooled teen entrepreneur from Houston. She is the CEO of Sienna Sauce, which started in April 2017. Crayton created the recipe for her special secret sauce when she was just 8-years-old.
What We Know:
- Crayton grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and relocated to the Sienna Plantation area of Texas, hence the brand name Sienna Sauce. In an attempt to recreate the flavor of sauce she missed from back home, she replicated a similar sauce.
- The home-based company offers three flavors, which are Sweet & Tangy, Spicy, and Lemon Pepper. “My sauce has potential to be even greater than ketchup,” Crayton said. “Not only does it taste great, but it’s healthy because it is gluten-free and high-fructose corn syrup free.”
- Crayton is selling the award winning sauce in over 60 retails stores, online, and through 90 distributions across the U.S. and earns an estimated $8,000 a month, according to blackbusiness.com.
- Crayton joins a long list of Generation Z (25 and younger) entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S. According to Business.Org unlike previous age groups, Generation Z has grown up with the internet, and they inherently know how to market themselves through social media. They also grew up through the recession of the 2000s, which has made them wary of the ‘security’ of working for major corporations.
- Since launching, Sienna Sauce has already been recognized for its rich taste and quality. The brand participated, and won “Best Sauce” in the 2018 and 2019 Sauce-A-Holic Fest, competing against 15 other brands.
- As Crayton’s business rapidly expands, she already has many accolades under her belt. She has won two pitch competitions: $25,000 in the Side Hustle Showdown on GMA: Strahan, Sara & Keke and $10,000 in the REVOLT Pitch Competition for young entrepreneurs. And she also received the Pinnacle Award from the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce as the first-ever recipient to receive an award for Youth Entrepreneurship.
We expect Tyla Simone Crayton to go long and far. She has a great attitude. Proud of this young Texan!
