Natural Born Leantrepreneur

Meet Addison, a girl after my own heart. She launched her business just over two years ago manufacturing ‘bath bombs’ which has grown into a stable income source for this impressive 7-year old. Using her hard-earned cash, she’s expanded the product range and kicked off a sideline slushy business. She has her own bank account, investments and a credit card machine! Respect. Grown-ups can learn a lot from her, so I thought I’d finish the year off with a Leantrepreneur interview with this adorable girl to encourage us all to follow our dreams into the New Year.

Addi, what inspired you to open your own business?

"It started as a school project where we had to make something at home with what we had lying around the house. I decided to make ‘bath bombs’. Then my grandmas started buying. Then my grandpas started buying. Then my friends."

Addi has two rescue animals named Flo and Zorro. One is a Collie and the other an ‘Africanis special’ – or an African mixed breed of unknown origins. Addi donates R2 from every product she sells to her choice of charity, FORA (Friends of Rescued Animals) which is where Flo and Zorro come from. Her mother has taught her that it’s not only about making money but about sharing and giving back. With the profit she earns, a portion goes to charity, some into investment (and business re-investment) and then she gets to spend a little on herself. 

And what problem do you solve for your customers?

"I make bath salts, kettle descalers, pinecone firelighters and slushies. My bath bombs make your skin very soft, help you relax and is good for eczema." 

Moms love to buy Addi’s bath bombs to help with their children’s skin problems. Now Addi has a Facebook page and even a corporate contract! Many of her patrons are word-of-mouth and repeat customers. She understands that some products are seasonal and developed a diverse range that keeps the income flowing throughout the year. I find her range to be perfect for gifts and a little self-indulgence. Her parents are serial entrepreneurs and openly admit her business is the most stable out of all of them!

How do you make your bath bombs and long does it take?

Addi enthusiastically showed me the process of making bath bombs. I can’t divulge her secret recipe, but she uses high-quality ingredients such as coconut oil, essential oils and Epsom salts lovingly moulded to size. She can produce one batch in about 20 minutes, but the total lead time is a day due to the drying process. They are investigating ways to improve this by climate-controlling the manufacturing room. Of course the critical to quality element is the unicorn love. 

Does anyone help you in your business? Could you do this without your team?

"I have a ‘Momager’ – my mom has the secret recipe in her head, and mom says dad is just the assistant. My aunty helps with the labels and my friend, Travis from across the road, also comes to help. I am offering my friends R50 for every ten egg boxes they help me paint as well as products. I need their help to make orders, and they get extra spending money for Christmas."

Addi is expanding her team. She has to ramp up production and is recruiting friends to come in and pick up the slack. She offers them cash and incentives! Her mother is her coach, helping her understand cost and profit, and instils in her that money does not grow on trees. She wants to equip her daughter with the tools to take care of herself, to build her thinking around business concepts and risk, setting her up to succeed in any business should she choose that path. In Africa, I believe entrepreneurship is the future, and it’s lovely to see this kind of hands-on learning where a young entrepreneur builds a team to fulfil the purpose of the business.

Tell me about a problem that was hard to solve and how did you tackle it?

"The bath bombs crack if you don’t make them right. We have to use the right ingredients and also can’t make them on rainy days." 

They discovered that the bath bombs were cracking and broke the product down into its elements to understand where the source of the problem was. Excellent root cause analysis in action! Through much trial and error, adjustments to the formula and process control, they managed to stabilise the quality.  

How do you help the environment?

"I recycle, re-use and reduce. I use toilet rolls for the descaler packaging. I paint egg boxes for the bath bombs. I collect pinecones and use old candles and leftover crayons to make firelighters. I use paper bags, and I am trying to use less plastic, but I still use some." 

It’s incredible how focused Addi is on saving the environment and caring for the planet. She seemed genuinely dissatisfied with the amount of plastic she still uses, even though she has worked hard to reduce it. 

If one of your friends wanted to open their own business, what advice would you give them?

Work hard and have fun!

That’s sound advice for us all. Addi has a brilliant business, but she also has plenty of time to have fun and play. Work-life harmony comes naturally to her. 

There you have it. A girl with PURPOSE, PROCESS, PEOPLE, PROBLEM-SOLVING and PLANET all worked out. If that isn’t a Leantrepreneur in the form of a Kidpreneur, I will eat my hat.

Check out her Facebook page to learn more.