36
Youth
April 19 - May 2, 2014
www.SanTanSun.com
Teens embrace creativity to make positive changes BY TAMARA KRAUS
It started with a locket, three girls and a dream to buy a car. In their Chandler neighborhood, 9-year-old Madison Butcher and her younger sister, Tatum, sat on Origami Owl founder Bella Weems’ living room floor creating bows, jewelry and eventually the “living lockets� that would lead to Bella’s direct sales company, which she began in 2010 at the age of 14. This year, the company is expected to top $250 million in revenue. At the time, Madison, known as Madi, had no idea their hobby would eventually be named one of Forbes. com’s “10 Companies Crushing it in Art & Fashion.� The million-dollar idea sells charms placed inside a locket, which are offered at home parties, or “jewelry bars,� by independent sellers called “designers.� For some, there may have been concerns about starting a company at a young age, but, Madi says, the girls decided to “go for it.� In 2012, Bella asked Madi and her mom, Tami, to be the first mom and daughter team for Origami Owl to represent the company’s focus on family. Now they are the highest-ranked mom and daughter duo, with 7,500 designers—and approximately 150 new recruits each week—under them.
They call themselves Team Believe. Tatum, now 12, joined their team this year thanks to the company’s updated policy allowing children her age to be a part of the positive power of selling. The most rewarding part of direct sales for Madi? Watching children change their self-perception. Low self-confidence. Fear of public speaking. Poor time management. Those are just a few areas Madi has seen reversed through Origami Owl. For her, speaking in front of a crowd is no longer a challenge. It’s an opportunity. Women tell her, “You’re an inspiration to me and my daughter.� “Usually I’m saying that to somebody else older than me and the fact that older women are coming up to me and telling me that I’m an inspiration for them, it’s just really empowering and makes me want to do whatever I can to help be a force for good,� Madi explains. One of those women is a family friend and one of Team Believe’s designers, Vicki Zangl. Her Origami Owl journey began about a year and a half ago, when she hosted a jewelry bar with Team Believe. After seeing Madi interact with customers to create lockets, place orders and calculate receipts, she wanted to be part of a company providing children with personal and financial security.
But she had to wait three months to join, due to the hypergrowth of the company. At times, this was a lot to handle for a young company. But Tami reminds her daughters of Origami Owl’s core values during overwhelming points: “Operate by the Golden Rule.� From traveling to regional meetings, jewelry bars and more, Tami has had to revive Madi’s entrepreneurial spirit when she missed out on social events with friends. But when she remembers she is a 16-year-old entrepreneur and inspiration to both girls and women, it’s easy to get motivated again. A junior at Perry High School, Madi balances softball, honors Spanish and the Big Buddies program with adult duties. Taxes, money management and now a car payment, thanks to her recent Volkswagen purchase, are just a few of the responsibilities she has since making her own money with Origami Owl.
But that doesn’t mean she has had to sacrifice the fun of her teen years. One of her childhood dreams came true this year when she met Raven SymonĂŠ, of Disney’s “That’s So Raven,â€? while selling at Childhelp’s “Fashion Through the Agesâ€? gala in Scottsdale. Madi and her mom represented Origami Owl along with Bella’s family to help support abuse prevention and treatment programs. While she does have a dream of being a cosmetologist after high school, she will always sell Origami Owl. “I just get all these opportunities that I would never get in school, and I’m just so proud to say that I’m a part of a business that is still in infancy and still growing so big,â€? Madi says. Since starting Origami Owl, she has gained a car, 7,500 designers and counting, and security through Team Believe. She is a force for good. Tamara Kraus is a student at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She can be reached at news@santansun.com.
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