she sells soaps, & she sells satchels!
by lisa horak

Brittany Jencks and her friend Micaela are proof that you don’t need an MBA to create a successful business.

These two Asheville teens met four years ago and have much in common. In addition to being home-schooled, both come from families that own their own businesses, and both have transformed a hobby into a profitable enterprise without losing the element of fun.

Brittany Jencks, age 13, created the Silly Soapers Soap Company when she was nine years old and looking for something to sell at a craft fair. She found a soap-making kit in her basement and went to work. En route to the fair, her family stopped at a restaurant for a snack and something unusual happened: the waiters and restaurant staff admired her soaps and bought them on the spot. She promptly sold the rest at the fair and realized she could start a business.

Since then Brittany has peddled her soaps to local stores where merchants know her as “the Soap Girl.” “Most of the people have known me from before I could even see over their counters,” Jencks says with a smile. “People used to say ‘Oh, isn’t that cute’ when I’d come in, but now they treat me like an adult, like anyone else they buy from.”

Brittany maintains a sensible attitude about her business. Her soaps, which cost between $2 and $7, feature everything from celestial symbols to goddess designs to her best-selling soap, a tie-dye teddy bear. Others have objects or smaller soaps embedded in them. Brittany keeps 10 percent of her profits for spending money; the rest goes toward her education, which can include anything from books to classes to, she hopes, a trip to Canada, Japan, or France.

While the money is nice, Brittany doesn’t take her work too seriously. She recently turned down an order for 4,000 identical soaps, explaining that it would be time-consuming and boring. “I don’t want it to become a chore,” she says. “Sometimes I make soaps for a few days straight and then I don’t do it again for awhile. I don’t want to feel pressure or have any deadlines.”

Making soap is just one of Brittany’s many hobbies, along with sculpture, pottery, creating tiny dolls, and making jewelry. She is also passionate about drawing. She plans to follow her dreams and be an artist when she grows up, but for now making soaps is still exciting. Indeed, Lark Books is featuring Brittany and her soaps in a book to be published next year.

Brittany’s friend Micaela, age 12, has a similar story about the evolution of her business. She began taking sewing lessons when she was eight years old. When faced with the dilemma of what to create and sell at a craft fair, she decided to sew drawstring bags and purses. She made 40 to start and sold them all at the fair.
“I realized this could be a pretty easy way to make a lot of money,” Micaela says, and so began her idea for a bag business. Micaela’s bags come in a dizzying array of colorful, fun fabrics and in a wide variety of sizes, from tiny bags for jewelry to bags that hold a bottle of wine.

Unlike Britanny, however, Micaela had a concrete financial goal when she began her venture. Her aunt was planning a trip to South America. “My mom said I could go if I paid my own way,” says Micaela . So she bought more fabric and got busy sewing. She sold her bags at the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) and through word of mouth. “I made enough money to go to Ecuador for three weeks,” Micaela says proudly. In addition, she has purchased an IMAC computer for herself.

Micaela shares Jencks’ attitude about not letting her business take over her life. She too works in spurts. Several times a year she goes into sewing overdrive but the rest of the time she is busy being a regular kid -- playing sports, knitting, reading, and playing guitar.

Eventually Micaela thinks she may become a marine biologist, scientist, or inventor. In the short term, she’ll make bags as long as it remains fun. She is considering selling bags to local wine shops, but will primarily sell her wares at the semi-annual LEAF festival. Micaela has one steady customer for her small bags—Brittany Jencks. They are the perfect size for her soaps.

Both girls offer tips for kids wanting to start a business. “Make sure it is something you absolutely love to do,” says Micaela . “ And make sure that your product is truly unique,” adds Brittany. “Once you find the right product, the rest is easy.”
Brittany Jencks can be reached by email at brittany@sillysoapers.com.
Micaela’s purses can be purchased at the Lake Eden Arts Festival.

Lisa Horak is a stay-at-home mom raising two young daughters, Molly and Isabel. She recently moved to Asheville from Washington, D.C., and is currently working on her first children’s book.