What started as a practicum project for six Kwantlen Polytechnic University marketing students has turned into a pretty successful business venture with a charity component brought into their brand.
Cassie Micona is completing her practicum in the Bachelor of Business Administration program with a focus in marketing at KPU.
“For my practicum, I have started a business with five other marketing students to create products that help balance mental health. The sales period is eight weeks long and we are competing with four other student-businesses from KPU.”
The business called Clarity is selling locally made specialty bath bombs that are crafted with pure doTerra essential oils. They are created in Richmond in small batches to ensure precise measurements and craftsmanship, she said. The team has created three bath bombs, with a fourth to be released this week.
The first three bath bombs are named Uplift, Recharge and Rest and sell for $8 each.
As a team, they decided to donate partial proceeds to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“We chose to donate partial proceeds to the Canadian Mental Health Association because all of our group members have been effected by mental health and we wanted to create a product that can not only help balance your mental health, but also raise awareness and get people talking about mental health,” she said.
Using bath bombs creating with therapeutic essential oils helps balance stress, she notes.
“We understand that life gets busy, hectic and stressful and sometimes you need to take a moment to yourself.”
At the end of the eight week sales period, the remaining profits will be donated to the KPU Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management Scholarship Fund.
The group designed and maintains its own website.
Starting a small business has its challenges, the group said.
Maintaining and balancing inventory has been and remains their biggest challenge so far.
Another major challenge they faced is a small $200 capital they were given to start the project, with no allowance for investments.
“We are also unable to go into any debt, which made it difficult to maintain inventory with the large amount of interest we have gained. We are now producing twice a week at large quantities in order to keep up with demands,” said Micona.
Another learning experience has been producing a high-quality product at the lowest cost possible.
“Our ingredients have been sourced from local suppliers and are of the highest quality, including therapy-grade doTerra Essential Oils. Our products are simple and only contain ingredients that are necessary. Our products do not contain sodium laureate sulphate which is commonly found in many cosmetic and personal hygiene products as a foaming agent.”
Find them at www.clarityqualitygoods.com, Facebook at Clarity Quality Goods and on Instagram at @ClarityQualityGoods.
