This Little Parent Stayed Home

Technology has continued to change our lives in immeasurable ways and information at the tip of our fingers has become the norm. As entrepreneurs, we know that the internet has opened the doors for business opportunities all around us.
Watch out now – here comes our tech-savvy teenagers, growing up with computers at their disposal and information-on-the-go being all they have ever known.
Two years ago, at the age of 14, Ava Anderson may not have seen herself as a teenage entrepreneur. However, an alarming special about dangers in the cosmetic industry led her on a mission to find “safe” skin care products. She bought, researched and tried products, recommending those with lower toxicity through her newly created blog. Over that year, she became increasingly frustrated with the limited choices in the marketplace.
Through a family contact, Ava made a trip to New York with her own entrepreneurial mom, Kim, to meet with a well respected skin care manufacturer. The goal was to see if they could make some safe products for Ava. That very meeting led to the start of Ava Anderson Non-Toxic, an eight month old product line currently distributed nationwide through a direct sales force and one of the fastest growing direct sales company’s in history.
We are excited to have Kim and Ava Anderson joining us this Friday to get the whole low down on filling a niche, choosing their marketing strategy, developing a direct sales force and working for a 16 year old CEO. Kim has plenty to share about running her own business while raising her children and now working for one of them! Tune in this week!

Ava Sprague Anderson, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Product Development Ava Anderson grew up hanging around her mother’s home store. She always dreamed of starting her own business. She loves researching products online. Her strong belief in fairness and truth, from the time she was very young, drove her to solve the issue of unsafe cosmetics and skincare. She looks forward to pursuing the mission and building a business while enjoying her school and friends.

Kim Anderson, Founder, President
Kim’s more than 25 years as a business leader and entrepreneur started in the executive training program of Jordan Marsh and buying department of Macys. She owned a Sales Rep business in the fashion industry before founding her own clothing store, and home store. For 15 years, Teapots & Tassels, Co., a cornerstone business in her town, was awarded “Best of Rhode Island” in several categories repeatedly, and was featured in Southern Home Magazine. Personal commitment to the guiding principles of service, as well as creativity, product quality and uniqueness drew loyal customers from long distances. As a designer, Kim and her team of employees maintained a thriving interior business, often working on more than 30 projects at once. Kim has founded and led several significant community based programs. Kim was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” award by the SBA in 1991 and “Citizen of the Year Award” in 2005 by the East Bay of Chamber of Commerce, for her Katrina relief effort, that sent 3, 40 foot containers of children’s clothing, food and water to Saint Bernard Parish within 5 days of the storm.