Bear Mayer had a problem with conventional baseball batting gloves: they rip too easily. So, when he was 16 years old, he and his dad created Bruce Bolt, a company that makes top-of-the-line batting gloves made of real leather instead of synthetic materials.

Distinctive for the lightning-bolt marking atop each glove, the gloves have been sold to thousands of people, and a handful of professional players have used them in Major League Baseball games. The gloves are made from 0.9-millimeter cabretta leather that reduces rips and tears, and they also provide support for wrists.

As for advice on how other young people can find entrepreneurial success, Bear offered some wisdom: “If you have an idea that you feel like could be big and you know could be big, just run with it.”