Will Kilbride may be a little wet behind the ears when it comes to being an entrepreneur, but given his line of business, he wouldn't want it any other way.
When most boys his age would be outside with friends, or inside playing video games, Will is ankles deep in ingredients to make bath bombs, soaps and scrubs.
That's OK, he said, because he knows it's for a good cause. Not only is the 13-year-old Grade 7 student at Carl Nesbitt Public School the CEO of his very own company — Soaps for Sudbury — he's is donating all of his profits to Maison McCulloch Hospice.
Will settled on the hospice because it's his school's charity of choice, and Carl Nesbitt has donated about $12,000 already, he said.
It all started with an entrepreneur fair at his school. At the beginning of May, Will came up with the idea of bath bombs because he knows girls in his class use them, and so does his sister.
“I wanted my product to be something popular,” he said.
Will never imagined just how popular his product would be, though. He brought in $850 at the fair, and his bath bomb business exploded.
His efforts won him first place at the Rainbow Board entrepreneur fair, earning the right to represent his board at the regional entrepreneur fair on June 8 at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. He claimed first place in the young entrepreneur category there, too, as well as the award for best presentation, on top of making about $500.
After that, he was approached by Stitch and Stone — they saw his Facebook page, Soaps for Sudbury https://www.facebook.com/SoapsforSudbury/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf — in downtown Sudbury to sell his product over two weekends.
“That was really successful,” Will said. “We made about $1,000 in two weekends.”
The momentum has just continued to build. Now he's setting up shop inside Be Greater Organics on Lasalle Boulevard. Soaps for Sudbury will have a grand opening June 17 at 10 a.m., where Will plans to make a donation to the hospice. His goal is to raise $2,000, and he's already made more than $1,500.
Will doesn't do it all on his own, though. It's a family affair, with mom, Kristie, dad, Jason, and his sister, Emma, all doing their part to help in the success. Together, they make several dozen bath bombs a day, spending hours together as a family.
“In the end, it's all going to be worth the hard work, because then I get to donate my profits,” he said. “I just want to thank everyone for supporting me.”
Will's parents beam with pride when they talk about their son.
“We've really enjoyed the whole process,” Kristie said. “It feels so good to be able to give back. It's a win-win when we get to make these and spend this time with Will. We are very proud.”
