Today, more than ever, young people are starting their own businesses to either make extra money or have it serve as their primary source of income. Whether it is due to a flexibility of hours, a desire to work for themselves, or a deep passion for a skill, “Gen Z” is changing the market and pushing forward the idea of the small business. In fact during a study done by GoDaddy, 30% of millennials said they have some sort of self run business while it was only 11% for the baby boomers. Gen Z is beginning to increase that margin as they grow older.
Joana Covas is a part of those who are striving to pave their own path, with her small business Sylvester Soaps, that she runs with her mom. Many ideas start with a solution to a problem, or simply wanting a better product than what is out there. During the start of the pandemic, she found herself with more free time to spend on a passion project and, as Joana says, her mom “had the great idea of learning to make our own soap to avoid the chemicals in the ones sold in supermarkets.”
Most soaps sold in stores are incredibly processed with an ingredients list that seems as though it is in a foreign language, but Joana’s soaps are made with simple and clean ingredients. As their business grew, they expanded to creating candles as well, as they have similar and clean ingredients.
Joana loves doing this business and it is the idea of creating that makes it exciting for her. She says “I can speak for both myself and my mom when stating that we adore being able to create new scents by adding two essential oils we like. It feels like our own little laboratory.” Making something from nothing is such a highlight of starting to sell your own products. A business like this does not come without challenges though as things do not always pan out in the desired direction. Some soaps turn out spectacular while other times it does not turn out as expected and you’ll have to start over.
Specializing in seasonal soaps as different holidays pass through, it allows Joana and her mom to explore different shapes and new scents to fit in with the season especially as they make the perfect gift.. She states “Christmas just passed and we had some really cool peppermint snowflake shaped soaps.” With loyal and recurring customers, they package these soaps with care and detail and love when people take interest in a thing they love to do.
If you are looking to explore Joana’s soap business and support by purchasing, you can check out @sylvestersoaps on Instagram and be sure to give them a follow!
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