Girls HANDLE THEIR BUSINESS
AT THE GIRLS’ ENTREPRENEUR EXPO!
PHOTO CREDIT: BILLY MONTGOMERY
BY KAYLA HOLLOWAY, MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL, CHICAGO, IL
I
n October, several young girls aged 10 to 17 talked about their businesses at the Girls’ Entrepreneur Expo! The idea for the expo was something Deola Gaiter, the creator of the girls’ lotion product Skin So Sweet, always wanted to do. “I decided to create a platform for young girl entrepreneurs to build their business and market themselves. I call it girls who are living the ‘Oh So Sweet Lifestyle’--simply doing what they love and using their gifts to create the ‘Oh So Sweet Lifestyle,’” said Gaiter. Seventeen-year-old Ariyana Maddox was one of the girls who participated in the expo. Maddox said she started her year-old business, PutaRiche Beauty, because she did not want to work for anyone else. Her beauty products, face masks, lip glosses, and lip scrubs are 100 percent vegan and organic. “I started my business because I felt that I wanted to do something for myself. I was tired of working for other people and thought [to myself] ‘You know, you’re good at this, let me take this on and do it for myself,’” Maddox said.
Nine-year-old Amani Andrade also started her business in January 2017, and she sells girl accessories such as bows, headbands and pom poms. “My headbands inspire young girls because they're really cool. When girls see my headbands and know that I sewed them, they can see that they can sew them, too,” said Andrade. Andrade was just one of several entrepreneurs looking to motivate young girls to be more confident. Asia Kennard uses her business Royal Kool Kids to empower girls by selling T-shirts and lip glosses. “This business tells girls that they can be whatever they want to be and they don’t have to work for anyone else when they grow up. I decided on making these products because I didn’t want to use other things that weren’t mine. I wanted to make my own creations and be an entrepreneur,” she said. You can catch this expo every year filled with many girl entrepreneurs. Follow Gaiter on Instagram @mrsdeegaiter or @skin_so_sweet for more inforamtion on upcoming events. TRUE STAR JR. 13