FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hickory Hills middle schooler launches small business to raise funds for class field trip to Washington DC during spring break, March 2017.
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Seventh grader at Hickory Hills middle school, Nyah Claybaker, has launched a small natural body care business to raise funds for her upcoming school trip to Washington DC over spring break in March 2017.
“I’ve always enjoyed making concoctions and experiments,” says Nyah. “When I was little, I used to make playdough and slime and lipgloss among other stuff. So, when mom and I were thinking of ways to raise funds for my trip, body care products seemed like a good idea and would go good with mom’s massage business.”
Nyah and her mother started exploring this idea in August, just two months after her father had been laid off work from Watts Radiant where he’d worked for nearly 18 years. When reviewing the informational packet about the upcoming school field trip and the accompanying online program with tools for asking for donations to fund the trip, the two decided to explore this business idea instead. They began with an online survey to gather information from potential customers and retailers about buying patterns, then researched best places to source high quality ingredients.
“We knew we’d need to get creative considering the recent changes to our cash flow and having had a little bit of experience in business ownership, I thought this would be a great way to begin teaching Nyah at a young age how to set financial goals and be in control of achieving them,” says Christy Claybaker, Nyah’s mom.
The two have been using a direct sales model utilizing social media and word-of-mouth advertising since mid-September and Nyah has now raised a little more than 20 percent of her $1,000 goal. A portion of the sales profits also goes to support the Turtle Island Restoration Network, a national nonprofit supporting sea turtle and marine life rescue and conservation. Nyah has a passion for the ocean and all the creatures in it. She’s currently using recycled glass jars to compliment her environmental sustainability model, though they’re now researching alternative packaging to make out-of-state shipping more cost effective.
One happy customer has reported incredible results after her young daughter sustained over 50 chigger bites on a weekend hiking and camping trip. After two miserable days, the mother decided to try the therapeutic bath salts she had purchased as a gift for a family member and her daughter was noticeably better after one bath. The bites were nearly gone after the third bath. The mom reported they are both incredibly susceptible and chigger bites are usually long-lived.
Nyah’s Naturals is making its retail debut at HonkyTonk Clothing Company’s second annual Sip’N’Shop event in honor of small business Saturday from 4-7pm. The event will take place at 2800 E. Battlefield Rd.
For more information about the products and online ordering, visit www.christyclaybaker.com/nyahs-naturals or call Christy or Nyah Claybaker at 417-413-5525. Nyah’s Naturals also has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nyahsnaturals.
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