Most high school juniors find jobs at ice cream shops and super markets, but not Alix Samuel. The summer before her junior year, in 2009, Alix, a Pennsylvania native, began her own business combining her interest for art and helping others. Now a sophomore at the University of Michigan, Alix is ready to get her company, Eco Totes of Expression, a local tote-bag painting business, up and running again and in an even bigger way.
HC: What gave you the inspiration to start your own company?
AS: My inspiration for starting my own company blossomed out of thin air when I realized I wanted to make some money, and have fun doing it. I brainstormed a couple of ideas for craft items I could make and sell, and the tote bags were the winning idea.
HC: How did you get the compnay up and running?
AS: In order to get the business up and running I borrowed money from my parents to pay for the supplies. As soon as I made my money back from selling bags, I paid my parents back, and then began making a small profit for myself. After creating a few different designs, and selling them to friends and family, someone suggested I post pictures of them on Facebook. This led to more publicity and resulted in more sales.
HC: What did the company do? What were your goals with the company?
AS: My business has grown significantly since 2009. It went from me making just a couple of tote bags for my mom and grandmother, to selling them to friends all across the country (one in Alaska!), to running small birthday parties, to someone finding me on Facebook and requesting a donation of bags for their gDiaper cloth diaper promotional event in Kentucky. My original goals were to make a little bit of cash one summer, so I have technically surpassed my goals in many different ways, but I am always altering my goals to fit the current circumstances.
HC: What are you studying at Michigan and how is it related to your work with Eco-Totes of Expression?
AS: I am studying Communications at the University of Michigan. I am also double minoring in Art & Design, and Community Action and Social Change. My minors directly relate to Eco Totes of Expression. [They] encompass my passion for art, with helping others, which in turn directly correlate with the underlying values of Eco Totes of Expression.
HC: What made you decide to start it back up? And what are your plans to do so?
AS: Since coming to college, my business has somewhat fallen by the wayside. I did not bring my supplies with me to school, and therefore haven’t made much progress within the last year or so. However, the latest expansion of my business occurred recently and by chance. A woman messaged me on Facebook telling me about how she is a member of gDiapers, which is an organization that promotes and sells cloth diapers to other eco-friendly mothers. She told me about a picnic they were hosting in Louisville, KY, in partnership with ABC Kids Expo, and was wondering if I would donate bags as party favors for some of the families who attend the event. I was honored to have been asked to participate in such an event, and eagerly agreed to it. I’m hoping this jump-starts Eco Totes of Expression back up again, and that my clientele continues to expand beyond the confines of my neighborhood.