Ellie combined her love of crafts and the knowledge she gained from studying the environment in school to create her own green products. She became interested in making homemade soaps after her cousin had several skin rashes and needed a gentler alternative. Cool2Sweet was born!
LEFT: Ellie Peters presenting $150 check to Gwinnett Medical Center nurses for the NICU babies at a Heart of Gwinnett monthly meeting.
The learning process led to some science lessons, marketing and record keeping instructions, and a website for orders. Ellie and her mom experimented with colors, fragrance and molds. “We have cute chocolate soaps and lots of different fragrances,” says Ellie. “My favorite is the blueberry-pear body soap.”
While making and marketing soaps is fun, Ellie takes her business very seriously. Providing for her community by making charitable donations is at the top of her priority list and her charity of choice is the NICU at Gwinnett Medical Center. “The babies are so tiny,” says Ellie. “Their hands are so tiny compared to mine; they are pretty small.”
Recently, at a Heart of Gwinnett Business Networking meeting, Ellie presented a check to representatives from Gwinnett Medical Center for the benefit of the NICU. The check, totaling $150, was raised through Ellie’s hard work and commitment to being a responsible and civic-minded businessperson. “I had to learn to talk in front of a crowd and be loud enough so they can hear me,” says Ellie.
Ellie continues to experiment with her products and is preparing to participate in the annual Spring Green Festival sponsored by the Heart of Gwinnett Business Network. Ellie and her mom have set a goal of attending at least two networking meetings a month to further her education in owning a business. The two networking groups, Heart of Gwinnett and The National Business Chamber have both helped the business in many ways. “Learning to be a better person for society and herself is my main goal,” says Jen Peters. “I want Ellie to learn to be organized and how to multitask so she can balance work and school.”
Jen’s goals for Ellie are based on her learning how to build a business and where giving back takes place. Networking has been an important tool in that education, so Jen and Ellie have embarked upon a new method of networking directed at Kidspreneurs. They have begun a networking group aimed at kids who want to build a business and are seeking a real business-to-business support network. “We have launched a Facebook Group called Kidspreneurs,” says Jen. “From there, we will see where it leads us.”
Ellie is on board to see where it leads and is very excited at the prospect of growing her business within her community. “We have to keep trying even if there are obstacles along the way,” says Ellie. “There are going to be those obstacles, but you can get over those.” With that attitude, Ellie will no doubt be successful with Cool2Sweet.com and Kidspreneurs. Those tiny little hands that reach out to Ellie’s heart will continue to benefit from her work. “It’s great knowing you did something good to help other people.” By Beth Volpert-Johansen
When eleven-year-old Ellie Peters told her mom, Jen, about her desire to start a business, mom figured the idea would blow over. A year later, mom and daughter have embarked upon a journey that has not only changed their lives, but the lives of the tiniest among us.
Ellie combined her love of crafts and the knowledge she gained from studying the environment in school to create her own green products. She became interested in making homemade soaps after her cousin had several skin rashes and needed a gentler alternative. Cool2Sweet was born!
The learning process led to some science lessons, marketing and record keeping instructions, and a website for orders. Ellie and her mom experimented with colors, fragrance and molds. “We have cute chocolate soaps and lots of different fragrances,” says Ellie. “My favorite is the blueberry-pear body soap.”
While making and marketing soaps is fun, Ellie takes her business very seriously. Providing for her community by making charitable donations is at the top of her priority list and her charity of choice is the NICU at Gwinnett Medical Center. “The babies are so tiny,” says Ellie. “Their hands are so tiny compared to mine; they are pretty small.”
Recently, at a Heart of Gwinnett Business Networking meeting, Ellie presented a check to representatives from Gwinnett Medical Center for the benefit of the NICU. The check, totaling $150, was raised through Ellie’s hard work and commitment to being a responsible and civic-minded businessperson. “I had to learn to talk in front of a crowd and be loud enough so they can hear me,” says Ellie.
Ellie continues to experiment with her products and is preparing to participate in the annual Spring Green Festival sponsored by the Heart of Gwinnett Business Network. Ellie and her mom have set a goal of attending at least two networking meetings a month to further her education in owning a business. The two networking groups, Heart of Gwinnett and The National Business Chamber have both helped the business in many ways. “Learning to be a better person for society and herself is my main goal,” says Jen Peters. “I want Ellie to learn to be organized and how to multitask so she can balance work and school.”
Jen’s goals for Ellie are based on her learning how to build a business and where giving back takes place. Networking has been an important tool in that education, so Jen and Ellie have embarked upon a new method of networking directed at Kidspreneurs. They have begun a networking group aimed at kids who want to build a business and are seeking a real business-to-business support network. “We have launched a Facebook Group called Kidspreneurs,” says Jen. “From there, we will see where it leads us.”
Ellie is on board to see where it leads and is very excited at the prospect of growing her business within her community. “We have to keep trying even if there are obstacles along the way,” says Ellie. “There are going to be those obstacles, but you can get over those.” With that attitude, Ellie will no doubt be successful with Cool2Sweet.com and Kidspreneurs. Those tiny little hands that reach out to Ellie’s heart will continue to benefit from her work. “It’s great knowing you did something good to help other people.”
