Manhattan Beach's Taylor Ryan 'Unstoppable' As Her Business Grows

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — You can only imagine the pressure Taylor Ryan must have felt the day she competed live for the title of America's Next Top Young Entrepreneur at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) 12th Annual Saunders Scholars National Competition this past October.

"The national competition was intense," she told Manhattan Beach Patch. "The initial Manhattan Beach competition wasn't as tense. For the Manhattan Beach competition, we submitted videos in advance so nothing was live. I had spent months preparing so I knew my businesses inside and out. I was thrilled when I won the Manhattan Beach competition, and immediately started preparing for nationals."

As a participant in the Manhattan Beach Chamber YEA! Program, Taylor first competed locally in front of a virtual investor panel in May 2020. She was selected to represent Manhattan Beach YEA! in the national competition by judges from the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce and local business community.

That competition put her among 36 semifinalists who competed virtually in a Shark Tank style pitch competition that awarded more than $80,000 in cash prizes and college scholarships to the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology to the students with the best businesses in the U.S. More than 20 states nationwide were represented as were 35 middle and high schools.

"The day of nationals was chaotic. We all had to speak live on national television and there were no do-overs. I woke up early that day and put on my favorite business outfit for that extra boost of confidence. There was a lot to do in a short amount of time," the 15-year-old Mira Costa High School freshman said. "My parents and I spent the whole morning setting up and rehearsing. When it came time for the speech I was nervous. Then once everyone was done it was announced that we would be getting a call within the hour telling us if we were in the finals. Everything we had worked for, taken hours out of our day, had late nights for, was all riding on this. When I gave the finalist speech, I was so grateful it was over. I loved this whole experience but it was draining."

Afterward, she "sat and watched the amazing competition. Everyone was so impressive and intelligent." But then her hopes for winning were dashed and Taylor learned another life lesson. She explained, "When the winners were announced and I was not one, I was upset. I had spent months working for this and it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. After a bit of time I realized how much of a blessing it was. I learned so much and met so many people along the way. Not winning pushed me to work even harder to prove that I was worthy of the top three, and that my business is going to go far."

Since the October competition, Taylor has been working on prototype testing "so we can create the best product for our consumers. I have been the test dummy so far and it's been a fun experience." For those who don't know, Taylor, an avid lacrosse player, designed, pitched and launched her business Unstoppable Protective Gear, which makes protective sports breast cups for women so they can play on the field without fear of being injured.

And as she continues to blaze her trail, she offered the following to other young entrepreneurs. "My advice to anyone who would like to start a business is to go for it. There is no reason to hold yourself back from what you want out of life. Failure isn’t an option, you either win or learn, both help you achieve your dreams. Also I highly recommend the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. They helped so much along the way and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them."

Taylor is set to receive a Certificate of Recognition as CEO of Unstoppable Protective Gear and a Finalist at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy 12th Annual Saunders Scholars National Competition from the Manhattan Beach City Council at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 5.

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