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(article) Teen entrepreneur thrives
Her mom calls her a regular teenager.
But Jasmine Lawrence, 16, of Williamstown is the founder and owner of her own natural beauty products business.
Lawrence was 13 when she launched EDEN Body Works. Since then, the company has amassed nearly $1 million in sales of its own brand of shampoo and hair conditioner.
But that's not all. Beginning next month, EDEN Body Works' Peppermint and Tea Tree hair care collection will begin appearing on 280 Wal-Mart shelves nationwide.
A junior at Williamstown High School, Lawrence excels in math and science in the school's engineering academy.
In 2004, she won a contest making it possible for her to attend a two-week summer business camp sponsored by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an educational nonprofit group.
"I just thought it was something cool to do over the summer," said Lawrence.
The experience changed her life.
"We teach kids how to run a small business," said Steve Mariotti, 54, founder and president of NFTE, an organization that has helped 200,000 teenagers and young adults in the U.S. and in 13 countries become entrepreneurs.
But Lawrence is a cut above, according to Mariotti.
"The sky's the limit for Jasmine," he said. "I've waited 27 years to see a kid under 18 own a business that actually gets more than $25,000 in sales. What an inspiration for other kids to see that this is possible."
Mariotti said Lawrence's special success is due to several factors: an ability to get things done, national media exposure and a compelling story connected with her hair care products.
An accident with a chemical hair application left Lawrence nearly bald at the age of 11.
"I tried to put a ponytail in her hair, but the whole ponytail fell off," remembers April Lawrence, the teen's mom.
"Of course I cried," said Lawrence, when asked to recall the incident which happened in a salon. "I was so scared and so shocked, it changed my personality completely. I became nervous and shy. I kept to myself and didn't want people taking pictures of me."
But Lawrence's bad hair experience made her stronger, wiser -- and now successful.
She began to read labels on hair care products.
"Some ingredients would have normal names like tea tree. And other ingredients had 20 letters," said Lawrence.
Lawrence researched the properties of natural products such as jojoba, lavender, tea tree and rosemary. Steering clear of chemicals, she bought essential oils from natural products and made her own gentle shampoo and conditioner.
"It worked for her and it smelled good," her mother said.
When Lawrence turned 13, her bald head was history.
That summer, she won the contest to attend NFTE's summer business camp in New York City. Camp was fast-paced and business concepts were made easy for teenagers to understand.
Hooked on business, Lawrence decided to start her own company.
"I was so inspired and so compelled to really go for it," she said.
But the sweet-smelling oils that she mixed in her kitchen didn't click in her mind as a marketable product.
"Her first product was a headband with rhinestones on it. She called it "Sweat in Style,' " April Lawrence said with a laugh. "But then she thought about selling her hair care products. That was the aha moment for her."
Newly graduated from camp, the 13-year-old returned to NFTE with her unique hair care formulas.
"They put her in a business incubator program in the fall. They have volunteers, real professionals, who help people start their own businesses. What they did for her was invaluable," April Lawrence said.
With NFTE by her side, Lawrence consulted with a formulator who conducted microbiological testing on her mixtures. Then, in 2005, Lawrence registered her trade name and started to legally form as a single-member LLC. NFTE is now helping her company form a board of advisers.
Early last year, the media began to notice.
In February 2007, Lawrence was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. In October, she appeared on The Montel Williams Show. The TV hosts found out about Lawrence through the EDEN Body Works Web site, which details her story.
"I talked (on TV) about how I got started, and about working on my contract with Wal-Mart," said Lawrence. "This is every small company's big dream -- to get a major retailer. It shows that I'm going in a positive direction with my company."
For the teen, the TV experience itself was almost as exciting as her company's Wal-Mart deal.
"Montel gave me a few gifts," said Lawrence, "a huge harmonica and a date at a spa with my mom. I was so shocked."
Today, EDEN Body Works products are made and warehoused in Chicago. Most of the sales are from the company Web site and at salons.
The company employs three managers, including Lawrence's mother.
Lawrence's office time is spent updating a blog on the EDEN Body Works Web site. Customers from around the world send in questions about her products. Each month, the teen responds to 50 to 200 e-mail messages.
Since Lawrence is black, some people want to know if EDEN Body Works hair care products are for everyone.
They are.
"That's the No. 1 question," said Lawrence.
She likes helping people.
"Once I responded to a family that adopted African-American children and they didn't know how to take care of that kind of hair. I gave them tips of what they can do, different styles, and referred them to a Web site about natural hair so they could learn about it," the teen recalled.
And, as Lawrence grows, so does EDEN Body Works.
"We are purchasing a building and go to closing by the end of January," April Lawrence said.
The building at 345 S. Main St. in Williamstown will serve as the company's home office and its first retail location.
"Jasmine wants her company to go international. She wants to do holistic natural living products, wellness products," her mother said.
But first there is college. Lawrence plans to major in electrical and computer engineering and , business administration.
Success in business can be all-consuming. But April Lawrence wants her daughter to take time off and enjoy her teen years.
"She goes to the movies with her friends and manages her high school school basketball team," said April Lawrence. "She would love to play basketball, but she can't commit the time."
In addition to her mother, Lawrence says her best friend, Katrice Sylvester, 16, of Williamstown, is an important influence.
"I always go to Katrice's house and bring her shampoos to try," said Lawrence. "She's a really big supporter of me. She helps me get my homework done and keeps me focused."
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