About

The annual 7 Under 30 Speaker Series features seven successful FSU alumni entrepreneurs who started businesses before the age of 30. Speakers talk about their experiences in starting and growing a business, and participate in a Q&A session.

This event will also be streamed live at: https://www.youtube.com/c/JimMoranCollegeofEntrepreneurship

Speakers

Kennedy Joy Foristall

Raide, Founder & CEO

Kennedy Joy Foristall is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Raide, a clothing rental marketplace app launched in 2023. Raide innovatively allows students to expand their clothing options, become entrepreneurs, and combat fast fashion’s environmental impact.

In only a year, Raide has been featured on the front page of the Tallahassee Democrat, was a finalist in the TCU Values and Ventures Competition and was the overallwinner in JMC’s InNOLEvation Challenge.

Kennedy Joy believes that “you make a living off of what you get, but a life off of what you give.” Honored as a 2024 FSU Humanitarian of the Year, she continues to inspire others to turn everyday challenges into meaningful solutions. As FSU Seminoles, we are encouraged to be legacy builders - for ourselves, our community and our world, and Kennedy Joy is steadfastly committed to mentoring others in their entrepreneurial journey as a foundational way of fulfilling this mission.

Jen Simpson

Just Get Fit, Owner

Jen has been passionate about being active, healthy, and fit her whole life and after changing majors multiple times she graduated from FSU with a B.S. in Exercise Science to pursue her career.  She then went to massage therapy school at the CORE Institute of Massage Therapy and obtained her license to practice in Florida.  She also holds national certifications in Exercise Physiology, Strength & Conditioning, Kinesio Taping, and Active Release Techniques.

She opened Just Get Fit in 2016 with a partner and continues to own and operate the facility here in Tallahassee. Jen works with many different individuals of all ages and abilities with an emphasis in post-rehab corrective exercise. 

She is part of a fitness professional mastermind group and obtained her Life Coaching Certification earlier this year.  She also participated in a Professional Speakers Course to help further her impact in the health and fitness industry and beyond.

Wilson Carter

Clutch, Founder & CEO

Wilson is an MBA graduate from FSU and the founder of Clutch. Founded in 2019 with a crowdfunding campaign, Clutch has gone on to be one of the leading consumer electronics brands. Clutch is the World's Thinnest Charger and has been featured on top publications like The Today Show and Good morning America and has sold over a million units.

Tayla Covington

Crowned By Thorns, LLC., Founder

Tayla is a dynamic serial entrepreneur remolding the trajectory for successful entrepreneurship. Born and raised in Tampa, Florida - Tayla developed a tact for business ownership and entrepreneurship in her single parent household helping her mom manage finances. Tayla founded her first company Crowned By Thorns, LLC. at FSU's Legal Clinic in 2017 and began selling apparel.

Eventually, Tayla entered into professional America working as a consultant at leading fortune 500 companies. Her unique professional experiences served as the origin for her own business consulting company TC Professional Services. On her pathways to a million dollars in sales, Tayla created additional companies like Nella's Organic Sunshine, 99 Investment Group, and Covington Logistics in order to continue pioneering solutions and services for her global community. Tayla is considered to be one of the nation's next youngest black entrepreneurs. In Tayla's spare time she loves educating kids and scuba diving.

Bradford Olson

TreeHause, Co-Founder

Bradford is the co-founder of TreeHause, an innovative furniture design and manufacturing company bridging high-quality, custom artisan-made furniture with direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Launched in September 2021, TreeHause quickly gained recognition, featured in the Wall Street Journal as a rising star in the furniture industry. With a lifelong passion for design, Bradford partnered with his twin brother, an architect, to bring their shared vision to life.

A 2015 FSU graduate in Finance and Real Estate, Bradford began his career in supply chain management at Vanguard in Philadelphia. His entrepreneurial spirit led to a bold move in December 2020, relocating to Indonesia amid the global pandemic to start a furniture business. Now at the helm of TreeHause, Bradford offers unique furniture through e-commerce and custom projects, expanding the company's reach while preserving traditional craftsmanship.

Sarah Painter Hayes

Painter Hayes, Co-Founder

Sarah Painter Hayes (b. 1994) is a North Florida painter and muralist. She graduated from Florida State University‚ College of Fine Arts and since has painted artworks across the United States as well as in Haiti, Spain, Portugal, and Canada. She has received commissions from the Office of the Vice President, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., as well as many other major corporations, municipalities, and non-profits. Later this year she will be doing a solo exhibition of her Florida Girl series at the Wiregrass Museum of Art. Currently, she resides in Tallahassee with her husband and fellow artist, Cosby.

Adam Taylor

Taylor Financial, Founder & CEO

Adam, originally from Tallahassee, graduated with a bachelor's degree in hospitality from Florida State University. He began his career in the restaurant industry and eventually became a sommelier and the youngest managing partner at The Capital Grille in Tampa. He transitioned to financial planning in 2011 and opened his own firm, Taylor Financial, in 2018. He is dedicated to his craft, often joking that he has more letters "behind" his name than "in" his name due to his many designations.

Taylor Financial has received the Seminole 100 award, which honors the fastest-growing businesses in the nation owned by alumni, for six consecutive years and has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Nasdaq News, LA Weekly, NY Weekly, and on local CBS and ABC networks. In 2024, Forbes recognized Adam as one of the top 100 advisors in Florida. Adam is married to Andrea and they have a daughter, twin boys, and a black lab, all with names starting with the letter "A."