Young entrepreneurs set up shop in Belgium

Children are getting an early start on learning the ins and outs of running a business, courtesy of the Belgium Area Chamber of Commerce.

Splash Pad Sunday added a kids’ market, and a handful of young entrepreneurs set up shop. Like Chamber members, their product lines and backgrounds run the gamut, and some operations are donating to charities.

Sophia’s Soap and Co.

Port Washington High School senior Sophia Johnson of Belgium started to dabble with making soap when she was in eighth grade. She turned it into a business during her sophomore year, and today she sells her bars and other designer soaps at farmers markets.

Johnson’s process includes buying bases and melting them down, using goat’s milk, shea butter or cocoa butter and a propolis, a resinous mixture produced by honey bees that is good for the skin, she said.

She forms different shapes into molds, and adds scents and dyes, such as beetroot, turmeric and lavender. It takes about half an hour for the soap to dry in a mold.

“My family’s tested them. We have some at home. They work well,” Johnson said.

She said she works on her business every week, sometimes for several hours at a time.

“I’ll kind of get carried away making a batch. Sometimes it will be an all-day event,” she said.

Johnson does not profit from her sales, however. A quarter of the money goes to Speed the Light, an overseas missionary organization that Johnson heard about through Portview Church in Port Washington. The rest goes back into making the soaps.

“I’m not making any money,” Johnson said.

Her business can be found on TikTok at Sophiasssoap.official.

Khloe’s Bored Nails

Ozaukee High School freshman Khloe Allen may be getting a head start on her career by making her own press-on nails.

“I started thinking about cosmetology school and stuff,” she said.

She buys nails, polish and gems to create a myriad of designs and color patterns.

Depending on the design, it can take one to three hours to complete 10 nails — a full two hands’ worth.

“It started out with me wanting to do it for fun,” she said, adding her mother suggested turning her hobby into a business.

Allen’s TikTok account can be found at khloe.bored.nails.

Rubber Bandits and more

Ozaukee Middle School seventh-grader Brynn Gehrke and her family and friends started a three-pronged business.

They make bracelets out of different colors of fishtail rubber bands, tiny versions of the office tool that look a little like braids.

Each bracelet takes about five minutes to make, Brynn’s fifth-grade brother Jacob Gehrke said.

Supply is another story.

“It takes a lot of rubber bands,” Brynn said.

Jacob said each bracelet is made of 50 to 56 bands. He enjoys customer interaction the best.

“Seeing the people and having conversations with them sometimes. They can share their own stories,” he said.

Brynn and Jacob’s sister Jenna, who is going into first grade, makes color pictures with her friend Ava, a seventh-grader.

Ava’s seventh-grade brother Joey put together packs of baseball cards for sale, and he helps make bracelets.

Brynn got involved with business through Ozaukee High School’s Young Entrepreneurs Market in February. Their business helped raise money and awareness to fight breast cancer. Brynn, Jacob and Jenna’s aunt is a survivor, as is Joey’s teacher.

From broken arm to bustling business

Cedar Grove-Belgium freshman Hanna Landeros didn’t plan on crocheting or starting a business, but three years ago that changed.

“I broke my arm in summer and I just started crocheting,” she said.

“My family told me I was really good and I could sell them,” she said.

Two years ago, she did just that at art sales events. She has made various animals, phone covers, bags and pill sacks.

“I like making cows. My dad works at a cow ranch,” Landeros said.

Depending on the size, each piece can take from 30 minutes to three hours. Landeros has even made sweaters and tops she wears.

She wants to own her own business some day and has already realized “that it takes time to learn what you want to learn.”

Landeros’ crocheting has an Instagram  account (@baddieincrochet).

Sparkle Squad

A gathering of friends inspired a group to make bracelets and necklaces with different beads.

“They came over for a sleepover and I’m like let’s start a business,” Cedar Grove-Belgium fourth-grader Riley Villarreal said.

It didn’t take much convincing, and Splash Pad Sunday was the perfect event.

“Let’s do it. Let’s get some customers,” fifth-grader Emmy Boscher said.

The bracelets include numbers, letters and a variety of colors.

“It just kind of calms me down making stuff,” third-grader Everly Boscher said.

“It gives us something to do on weekends and not bug our parents,” Villarreal said.

They’re donating their proceeds to victims of the Texas floods.

“Our teachers always say why don’t we try something new? So we are. That’s what inspired us,” Emmy said.

They also determined they wanted to give people something to eat, and the squad decided on fruit cups.