Brandon Boynton

Brandon Boynton is a 2014 graduate of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce YEA! class in Anderson, IN. Boynton is the CEO of MostBeastlyStudios LLC, a mobile application development suite.

For the purposes of the YEA! program, Brandon focused on his flagship product, The BullyBøx.  The BullyBøx is a mobile application that allows students to safely an anonymously report bullying in schools. The app empowers students, providing them a means by which to be heard by their school administrators. It does so by allowing them to report on a platform that is comfortable to them…their mobile devices.  As such, they are equipped with the ability to report bullying from anywhere, at any time.

A BullyBøx account is purchased by a school district.  As such, the mobile reporting app is free to students. As reports are made, email notifications are automatically sent to administrators, alerting them of the situation.  In addition, The BullyBøx features a Key Word Alert function.  Administrators have the option of receiving auto-generated phone calls, serving them with immediate notification when life-threatening words are included in the report.  Finally, in an effort to battle cyber-bullying, The BullyBøx allows students to attach photographic evidence, such as screenshots.

In addition to providing a means for safe and anonymous reporting, The BullyBøx allows administrators to track data analytics, an essential tool for evaluating and improving upon current school policies, related to bullying.  Rather than relying on abstract data collected by outside entities, this feature allows school administrators to make decision based upon real data collected from their own school.

Brandon wants to ensure that no student is robbed of a means by which to be heard.  Therefore, in addition to our mobile platform, reports can be made via text message (SMS), or on a desktop computer or any other web-based device at www.bullyboxreport.com.

Do you have any updates for us?

Since graduating from the YEA! program, I have been featured on national television (CNBC), as well as in several national publications.  The BullyBøx has received significant national, as well as international, attention.  As such, MostBeastlyStudios, the parent-company of The BullyBøx, has developed incredible momentum.  We have designed and built several mobile apps for outside entities, and have several very large contracts pending.  In addition, I have been able to build my development team to include web developers, Android developers, and more iOS developers.

I have been honored to have the opportunity to serve on my local Chamber of Commerce, and was recently appointed to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business panel.  In many ways, I am most proud of having the opportunity to come back and serve as a mentor to current YEA! participants, as I believe so strongly in what YEA! has to offer students.  YEA! and the people behind it truly changed my life.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

While it may sound a bit cliché, I would have to say that my biggest accomplishment has been to provide a voice to students who may be getting bullied in school, in their neighborhood, or online.  During my 8^th grade year, I personally felt the devastation that can be delivered through bullying and bullying-related behaviors.  This experience, as well as a passion for mobile development, allowed me to offer students a method by which to be heard…a reporting platform that they can use safely, anonymously, and without threat of retaliation. In addition, I take great pride in knowing that The BullyBøx serves to promote “upstanders”…those who report bullying on behalf of the victims.

What skills have you acquired through YEA!?

Quite honestly, this list is far too long for any blog.  However, I would have to say that the area that I have grown in most would be that of public speaking.  Having successfully presented to local CEOs, as well as some of our nation’s most successful business men and women, has empowered me with a realization that I have the ability to speak to anyone, anywhere.  Additionally, through my involvement with YEA!, I quickly began to develop organizational skills.  Whether it be simply scheduling meetings, making deadlines, or assigning tasks to my team of developers, these are all skills that I began to develop through my participation in YEA!.  Finally, I would have to say that my interpersonal skills have grown tremendously.  Through the partnerships and collaboration that YEA! fosters, I have learned to effectively work with others, toward a common goal.  Conflict resolution, the assignment of tasks, creating and maintaining a shared vision, salesmanship, and the ability to motivate others are all areas in which I have grown in great stride.  Finally, YEA! provided me with many of the basic tools necessary to be successful in the business world, including a basic understanding of financing your business, marketing, goal-setting, and a refusal to give in to the myriad of challenges that anyone in business will inevitably face.

What was the most challenging part about starting a business? The most rewarding?

I’d have to say that my biggest challenge was having a desire to produce a positive effect, as it pertains to a problem that is systemic to our society, a problem that is bigger than any one person.  I wasn’t sure if my idea, my efforts, would be able to produce a change…to provide a workable solution.  My biggest reward?  My first sale. I realized upon the signing of that very first contract, that if I never went any further, there were hundreds of kids who now possessed a platform by which to be heard.  A platform by which to call out for help, or make others aware of the issues they were facing.  As I began to develop The BullyBøx, I had the attitude that if I could help one single student, my efforts would not have been made in vain.

College plans?

As I prepare to enter my senior year of high school, I am beginning to narrow my focus on colleges. While I remain open-minded, I am currently leaning toward Purdue University.  At this point in time, I plan to study computer science, with a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurialism and business.

What advice can you offer to young students who are looking to start their own businesses?

Never doubt yourself or your abilities.  As a typical lower-middle class teenager, from central Indiana, I have built a successful business that continues to grow.  We are fortunate to live in a country that still rewards hard work and ingenuity.  We live in a country in which a simple idea, bundled with a refusal to give up, can produce great things.  That being said, success can be measured in many different ways.  For some it may be financial success.  For others it may be knowledge that you made a difference in our world.  Whether you are selling a belief, a service, a product, or a cause, it is imperative that you believe in yourself.

In a capitalistic society, the market will provide you with significant insight.  Allow your current and prospective customers/clients to direct your business.  It will never work the other way around.  Learn to trust and rely on others.  People, in general, are generous with their time and energy.  Take advantage of the assistance local community leaders and business mentors can offer you.  People such as this were instrumental in my success.  And, for that, I will be forever grateful.  I look forward to the day that I can pay it forward, serving as a mentor to up and coming entrepreneurs.  I would love to someday be able to serve as a venture capitalist, investing in new businesses, new ideas, and helping to make dreams become a reality.

Finally, I would have to say that there is no better organization that will provide students with a better framework for establishing a business than that of YEA!.  I, along with my family, promote YEA! every chance that we get.