Two young ladies inspired by their respective hobbies have ventured into their own home-based soap making businesses, each producing and selling their own unique products here in the far North Phoenix Valley.
Blooming Desert Bars
Temi Morgan’s passion for fine arts began at an early age, where she often found herself intrigued with many different forms of art. Her journey into soap making is a self-taught skill which began as a hobby she developed right out of high school after seeing a video of the soap-making process online. Not only was Temi interested in picking up a creative outlet, she was also looking for a way to help pay her college tuition.
In just a year-and-a-half, this 20-year-old North Phoenix native’s learned hobby has blossomed into a successful small business venture, with her products sold locally in small boutique stores as well as through her website, Instagram and Facebook pages.
Her desert-inspired themed soaps are hand-crafted with a glycinate soap base and scented with cactus blossom, prickly pear, and other essential oil fragrances. But, the coloring process is where Temi’s artistic talent shines, resulting in soaps that look too pretty to use.
“The colors I use are specifically crafted for soap and candle use and are very vibrant and so fun to use in the soap-making process. I love to mix and match the colors to see what combinations I like the most. I personally favor the contrast between turquoise blue and peach pink in my soaps. Towards the end of the soap process, I apply a glitter-like substance called mica that really completes my cactus [soap] bags and makes them sparkle and shine,” Temi told Valley Vibe.
Temi’s personal favorite scents are cactus blossom and blue Capri.
Most of the soaps are molded into cactus and succulent shapes, along with cowboy boots and traditional rectangle shaped-bars. Her biggest seller is the cactus bags she creates using different colors and designs. Her personal favorite soap is the Sonoran succulent bar: a rectangular bar that consists of three colored layers of blue, green, and pink. Two small succulents are bonded on the top of the bar, resembling her business logo.
Temi runs her small business while working toward her degree in interior design. She also plans to obtain a license in real estate after college. And, as of now, she said she has no plans of quitting her soap-making side business that she enjoys so much.
Blooming Desert Bars
www.bloomingdesertbars.com
Instagram: bloomingdesertbars
Facebook: Blooming Desert Bars
$10/soap bag; $12/bar
Krafty Katie Goat Milk Soap
Twelve-year-old Katie Shepherd has taken her love of agriculture to the next level by producing her own farm-fresh soap made from a dairy goat on her grandmother’s property in Desert Hills.
Growing up next door to her grandparents, Katie learned to tend to the chickens, goats and horses on the family’s property at a very young age. She’s actively involved with the Desert Hills Wrangler’s 4-H club, has done some mutton busting competitions, participated in the county fair raising meat goats, and recently began attending Circle Mountain Scholars Micro School in New River where students take an active role in tending to the school’s farm animals and garden.
Her soap-making venture only recently began as a way to use the milk that is produced daily from the dairy goat the family cares for and leases. The family uses some of the milk produced for consumption, but in an effort to reduce waste, she, with help from her grandmother, Melodie Van Setten, started making soap.
Katie was already assisting with the task of daily milking of the dairy goat named Goose, but was also looking for a way to make some spending money so she could buy Christmas presents for her family.
Katie’s soaps are scented with lavender, vanilla, a combination of both, and unscented bars.
Katie sells her products mostly by word of mouth and at local vendor fairs, but her favorite part of it all still is the daily interaction and connection she has with Goose and the other farm animals.
“Hanging with her, feeding her, brushing her and cleaning the milk when the machine is going is my favorite part,” Katie told Valley Vibe.
Krafty Katie Goat Milk Soap
[email protected]
$4/bar
More Young Talent
Custom 3D Printing
Hunter Cech, Desert Mountain School, age 10
HSC 3D Printing
Phoenix, AZ
www.etsy.com/shop/HSC3dprinting
[email protected]
Custom 3D Print artist making handcrafted items from plastic materials, including:
- Fidget Toys printed with unique shapes, textures, and mechanisms for stress relief.
- Custom Dog Bowls designed with specific shapes, sizes, and even engraved names.
- Christmas Ornaments crafted in creative designs, from intricate snowflakes to personalized family mementos.
- 3D Pictures using artistic representations or embossed photographs of an image or design.
Business Motivation “I enjoy 3d Printing, and hope to learn to program and design my own designs someday. The versatility of 3D printing allows for endless customization and creativity.”
Handcrafted Leather Goods
Jettie’s Leather Goods
Kaleb Jettie, 16-year-old self-taught leather artisan
Anthem, AZ
www.jlgshop.
602-717-2679, [email protected]
Leather artisan producing handmade leather products locally for over 3 years. Popular products include the double rivet keychain, wallets, bracelets and custom orders. Products are fully customizable with top quality vegetable tan leather colors, personalized text, and more.
Young Talent for Hire
Marketing Services
Kodey Marketing, Phoenix, AZ
Entrepreneur: Sydney Gauzza, a 26-year-old marketing firm founder
Services Offered: Helping clients maintain a polished and professional presence through social media, branded materials, email marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Business Motivation: “Many organizations struggle to afford a full-time marketing team or lack interest in launching large-scale advertising campaigns. Kodey Marketing focuses on the essentials of effective marketing with a goal to provide impactful, budget-friendly marketing solutions that allow our clients to achieve the visibility they deserve without exceeding their resources.”
Contact: 602-320-9915, [email protected], www.kodeymarketing.com
Videography Services
Gear Lens Productions, Anthem, AZ
Entrepreneur: Issac Goldstein, a 15-year-old self-taught videographer
Services Offered: Creates short videos based on life events/experiences, including weddings and engagements.
Business Motivation: “The feedback I have gotten from my clients has been a big motivating factor for me continuing it.” My Mom has been a photographer for 12 years and I wanted to start working with her to save up for a car by the time I turned 16.”
Contact: [email protected], www.instagram.com/gearlens_productions
Car Detailing
Jett’s Mobile Detailing, Anthem, AZ
Entrepreneur: Kaleb Jettie, a 16-year-old car enthusiast
Services Offered: Professional detailer who travels to the client anywhere in the Valley. Services ranging from maintenance/simple washes, all the way up to paint correction and ceramic coatings.
Business Motivation: “I have always loved cars, especially high-end exotics. Mobile detailing stood out to me because I realized I would personally work on these kinds of vehicles and make them look even better than before. I saw this as a passion and not so much as work.”
Contact: 602-717-2679, [email protected], www.jettsmobile.com
If you know a young entrepreneur in the community, write to us at [email protected] for consideration in a feature article in an upcoming edition of Valley Vibe.