Hi I’m Natalia and I’m in the fifth grade at Hillview Elementary in Pequannock NJ. I just moved here over the summer. Since I’m new I’ve been trying to make new friends so I joined a lot of after school activities and TREP$ was one of them. I joined TREP$ because I thought it would be a fun learning experience and I had a lot of friends participating. TREP$ was a great experience and I enjoined every part of it. One of my struggles in the beginning was finding a good idea of something to sell. Trust me, it’s hard to find something that someone isn’t already doing, and just choosing from all the different things you could possibly do was difficult. But I stayed true to myself and decided to make candles.
Making candles was a great experience, not only because I could spend some time with my mom, but that I know in the future how to make them if I ever need to have a side business. One of my major contemplations with the candles was if I was going to make them scented or not. I came to the conclusion that it would be too expensive if I made them scented because the extracts are expensive. Also, certain people like certain scents so choosing a particular scent that appeals to all would be difficult, so I put that idea aside. It was very fun making the candles; I learned a lot along the way. I also had some problems with naming my business. Originally, it was supposed to be Crazy Wiks, but my dad gave me the idea of Wickety Wax, and I liked it so much more so I stayed with it.
At the TREP$ Marketplace, I was both nervous and exited. My mom dropped me off and I set up my table. When I was done I helped my friends set up their tables. At the ribbon cutting ceremony the person that cut the ribbon was the one and only, Pamela deWaal, the co- owner of TREP$! When I found out who she was, I was excited and honored that she would take the time to attend my town’s TREP$ Marketplace. When she came to my table she took some photos, gave me some great advice and I was happy to meet her! At the end of the night I was really happy with how many candles I sold. I am so proud of myself! I made a decent profit, and learned how to start a business. I couldn’t have learned as much as I did if it wasn’t for my TREP$ teachers, Mrs. McNulty and Mr. Biagiotti. And most of all, I couldn’t have done any of this if it wasn’t for my mom, who supported me the entire time. For me, TREP$ was a great experience!
