Fun Facts about Lauren:
* She loves to laugh and tell funny jokes
*She cooks AMAZING American, Latin and Italian dishes including a homemade pasta sauce
*She is a classicaly trained pianist and a Rock n' Roll drummer
*Some of her favorite books are "The Haunted" and "Skipping Christmas"
Q & A with Lauren Marie, Co-owner/Director of Operations, Bklyn Blingz:
Why did you want to start your own business?
I was always interested in learning about business and I always wanted a job but I was too young to get one. My mom seeing my interest in learning about business told me about NFTE Biz Camp. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about operating a business. What can be better than having your own business, being your own boss, and making your own hours? My twin sister, Alyssa is the more creative one and she came up with the idea of starting Bklyn Blingz after a trip to the wholesale district in NYC. She saw an amazing opportunity to have a business doing something she loved- fashion! Alyssa has an artistic eye for fashion but I have an eye to make profits! We are a great team.What is your Business Model?
We sell unique, good quality, fun, colorful, stylish, and inexpensive fashion jewelry and accessories. Our target market is teenagers, but we find that adults like our products also. Teens can afford our jewelry and accessories. At present we have sold to family, friends, classmates, and friends of friends. We advertise by wearing our own products so that when people give us compliments we tell them about our business and what we sell. We find that they are always interested because not many teens have their own business. We have our own website so that people outside of Brooklyn can buy our products. I would like to expand our market to include other high school and college students so we also have a MySpace page dedicated to Bklyn Blingz.
How has your business made an impact on the community?
The fashion jewelry my sister and I sell is currently not being offered in our neighborhood and it’s affordable. In our neighborhood alone, we have approximately 150,000 people living here. The closest accessory store is approximately a two mile bus ride to another neighborhood and there is no store of this kind within walking distance. Having our own business might inspire other teens so they realize that they don’t have to wait to be a certain age to have a job or wait for their parents to give them money. Teens can start their own business- they just need the right skills.
Lauren's Favorite Piece of Jewelry to Sport:
GOLD BABY PHAT NECKLACE
