GOLDSBORO, N.C. -- While most kids are spending their summer break playing outside or sitting in front of the TV, 9-year-old Eli Wilson has built himself a business.

Earlier this summer, Eli’s aunt sent him a pack of 50 plain white masks and told him to get creative and to send her back a few of the finished products.

Eli loved how the first batch of tie-dye masks turned out, so it sparked an idea to make more and sell them online. Now, he sells tie-dye masks and shirts through his Tie-Dye By Eli Facebook group.

Eli’s favorite part about his tie-dye creations is that each piece is always different.

“What I like about them is that none of them turn out exactly the same, even if you try to,” Eli says.

Since June, Tie-Dye By Eli has received roughly 50-100 orders a week. Because of all the profits, Eli decided he wanted to donate some of the money to charity.

On June 29th, Eli donated $300 to United Way to help with their COVID-19 relief efforts.

“Eli has grown a lot over the summer. He has dyslexia and that makes school very challenging because the curriculum is so reading intensive, but he has really grown in his entrepreneurial spirit and mindset. He’s been spending his summer learning about business, learning about money, he’s been making all the decisions for the business -- when we order new masks, how many masks, how we put them online, and even how to ship and package them,” Eli's mom, Maegen Wilson says.

Next week Eli will be donating a portion of his sales to the North Carolina Zoo and Aquarium.