MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota girl is blazing a trail as an entrepreneur at just 3 years old.
For AJ Smith, it all started a year ago.
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“From the age of 2, she’s always really been into watching me when I wear makeup,” AJ’s mother Angela Smith said. “With her wanting to express herself, we thought of ways to, how do we make it developmentally appropriate for her to explore makeup? Her dad’s compromise was lip gloss and nail polish, so that was a safe way to let her explore.”
So along with the help of her co-creator, her twin brother Jax, and her parents, AJ started making her own natural coconut oil lip gloss.
Her parents are both teachers so it started as a teaching moment.
“It’s math, it’s science, it’s reading, it’s measuring, it’s so much more, when we are doing it as a family we’re teaching her that she doesn’t know, it’s just fun,” Angela Smith said.
And then friends started asking about the hands-on project.
“The feedback we got from people is this is great, you should share this with other people,” Angela Smith said.
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And so they did. AJ got to work and diversified her product base.
“We have all the colors, red and orange and yellow and blue and indigo and violet,” AJ Smith said.
They got licensed and are now selling products. They chose their logo for a very important reason.
(credit: CBS)
“We are really big on representation and at the age that she is at, how much is out there that she can see of herself,” Angela Smith said.
Now, other little girls who look like her can be reflected in this burgeoning beauty line.
“It’s definitely so much more than lip gloss, it’s about creativity, self-expression, building her self-confidence,” Angela Smith said. “We try to show parents, how do you teach your child to be creative, how do you promote self-expression and that’s what Beautifly stands for, so that’s what we’re all about.”
And don’t worry, it’s not all work. At 3, she has it figured out — a product with a purpose and a perfect work-life balance.
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The hope is to start launching the products this summer in farmers markets and festivals. The products are already available by mail — just check out the Beautifly by AJ social media pages or the Beautifly by AJ website.
