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This Entrepreneur Literally Put Helping the World Onto Her Shoulders Alissa Lentz's HERO backpack company is trying to inspire greatness and compassion one bag at a time.

By Dan Bova

This season on Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch, Alissa Lentz entered the elevator with an unusual product on her back: a HERO backpack. Every HERO backpack comes with a HERO card inside that tells the inspiring story of people like Frederick Douglas who have made a positive difference in the world. Ten percent of HERO's profits are donated to human rights initiatives and equality-focused education programs.

The idea for HERO came from Lentz's childhood. As a Russian immigrant, she struggled to understand the language and culture in America and felt isolated. But, she says, when a friend drew a superhero inside her backpack, she suddenly felt empowered, and so hopes her line of backpacks will help anyone "who might think they don't fit in to feel like a superhero."

Related: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Your Ecommerce Fashion Store

Lentz stopped by Entrepreneur's offices to explain more about her brand's mission and to give tips on how to get your own accessory business off the ground. Watch the above video and be sure to watch how she did on Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch.

Dan Bova

Entrepreneur Staff

VP of Special Projects

Dan Bova is the VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim, and Spy magazine. His latest books for kids include This Day in History, Car and Driver's Trivia ZoneRoad & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars, The Big Little Book of Awesome Stuff, and Wendell the Werewolf

Read his humor column This Should Be Fun if you want to feel better about yourself.

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