By Michele DeLuca .
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Meet the 6 year old who has created her own lip-gloss company called “Sugar Lips by Shanya-Kay”
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Shanya-Kay Dix didn’t plan to become a 6-year-old entrepreneur.
But she really likes lip gloss. She’s been fixated on it since she was about 3, her mom says.
This year, for her sixth birthday in April, she got a lip gloss making kit and that pretty much started her on her way.
She and her mom, Shayna Smith, decided to sell lip gloss and give a portion of proceeds away to good causes.
Before they knew it, the girl had a little business called Sugar Lips by Shanya-Kay and they were labeling pre-made lip gloss with special packaging to sell at fundraising events.
Shanya-Kay, with her mom’s help, also does pop-up shops, setting up a vendor table at a Master Touch salon on Niagara Street.
One day during a pop-up, Shayna and her mom even got donations from local restaurants and sold food to raise money for autism, in honor of Shayna’s cousin who is diagnosed with the disorder.
In a recent appearance at the Autism Speaks Walk in Rochester, Shanya-Kay did a pop-up shop to sell her products labeled with the autism symbol.
She and her mom combined some of those proceeds with a special page on the GoFundMe website and their other fundraisers. As a result of their efforts, her mom handed over a $500 check to Autism Speaks, including a portion of the proceeds from the products sold.
Since then, Shanya-Kay has expanded her lineup to prepare for October when, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she will be selling pink hats, mugs, T-shirts and specially-labeled Hershey Bars, along with her lip gloss, and a portion of her proceeds will go to efforts to beat breast cancer. She will also have a vendor’s table at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Oct. 17 at Canalside in Buffalo.
“Its been fun,” said her mom about her daughter’s business. Smith, who works as a clerk in the department of human resources at city hall, added, “It’s good to see her learn about money.”
Her mom explained that 15 percent of all proceeds go to charities, as per Shanya-Kay’s wishes. After expenses, the remainder is banked in an account at a local credit union for the child’s college fund.
Shanya-Kay, who was named a Community Role Model in the Young Miss Cataract pageant last December, impressed the founder of that pageant, Monique Garner, with her passion for community service. Garner noted that the whole point of the pageant was to showcase the leadership skills and raise health awareness. “I am beyond proud,” Garner said of Shanya-Kay.
Meanwhile, the 6 year old is always ready to offer her sales pitch. During a recent picture taking session she blew a kiss to onlookers and said “”Kiss your problems away with Sugar Lips by Shanya-Kay.”
