If you watched this last year, you know that every now and then, we like to feature start-up kids. These are students starting businesses to turn their passions into profits. This week, we wanna tell you about Catherine Schmitt-Palumbo, a seventh grader at Ruffing Montessori Middle School and founder for Little Lights Candles.
Catherine sells her candles most Saturdays at the farmer's market in the Cleveland neighborhood of Shaker Square. She says she wanted to start a business to get some skills, make some money, and also have some fun.
She squeezes in time to make them after she's done with her homework, of course, and also right after she comes home from the market, since that's when she has lots of new ideas.
Catherine tells us that people really seem to like autumn, so she makes pumpkin- and apple-themed candles. She's already planning ahead for the holidays, too. And there's another special occasion coming up that Catherine wants to promote: it's Election Day! She's got "Vote" candles to encourage folks to get out there and cast a ballot. She also makes a special product line called Candles for a Cause and donates a portion of those proceeds from those candles to organizations that she cares about.
Catherine's learning lots of lessons that she knows will serve her well no matter what path she decides to follow. If you think you might want to start a business, Catherine says, you should remember, people will turn you down, but don't let it discourage you, because there are people out there who will support you - just stick to it. Great advice, Catherine!
For all that hard work you're doing and the lessons you're sharing, we're giving you and Little Lights Candles this week's NewsDepth A+.