- December 26, 2024
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Ah, summertime.
It evokes thoughts of the beach, pool and sun.
But for some young entrepreneurs in West Orange, it signifies a time when school is out and more time can be spent focusing on making some extra cash.
Meet three local youngsters who are showing that the virtues of hard work and entrepreneurialism are alive and well.
When Franco Umandal, 5, wanted a VTech Watch, his sister suggested he sell some of his old toys to make money.
So in the heat of the afternoon that day, the Umandals set up an impromptu garage sale to sell the toys. They created a sign that read “Pre-loved Toys.”
“(I sold) a Spongebob pillow,” he said. He also sold a collection of smaller toys and figurines he had.
“It was really nice because a lot of ladies came over (and made purchases), even if they didn’t really need the toys,” his mother Laurie Umandal said. “They found Franco very cute.”
The sale started at noon, and people were still making their way over to the Umandals’ at 7 p.m. that evening. In all, Franco made $54 — exactly what he needed to purchase the Vtech Watch from Amazon.
Franco, who lives in Winter Garden, still has toys left over that he plans to donate to other kids in need, through Goodwill or another charity.
He has two words for the community that came out to purchase his pre-loved toys.
“Thank you.”
Three years ago, Gabriella Dalmeida wanted to make extra spending money.
She already received an allowance from doing chores around the house, but she wasn’t making quite what she wanted.
One day, while walking her dogs, Balto and Charlie, an idea came to mind: Why not get paid for walking dogs?
Dalmeida, now 14, lives in Independence, so she decided to post on the neighborhood’s Next Door website — a site that allows neighbors to network. She advertised herself as a pet sitter, and when people asked her about her experience, she talked about how she cares for her two dogs.
At first, she started pet sitting for people she knew, but then she branched out to other neighbors’ homes, as long as she could meet them beforehand.
Three years later, she has been hired to watch pets more than 60 times.
“I like it because I love dogs,” she said. “I love doing my job even though it’s not considered a job in a way.”
Dalmeida is willing to watch most animals, though most of her experience is with dogs and the occasional cat. The only animal she says she does not wish to take care of are snakes.
When Dalmeida first started the business, she took care of a dog named Bella, an Australian Cattle Dog and German Shepherd mix. Bella is playful, and she became one of her favorite dogs to care for. Dalmeida still watches Bella regularly.
She likes to stay in the surrounding neighborhoods when she agrees to pet-sitting jobs, because her mother has to give her a ride to any job she accepts.
To hire Dalmeida, contact her on Next Door.
Kylie Beyl, a 16-year-old student at West Orange High School, wanted to find a way to get a job but work on her own schedule.
The answer came when her mother, Tracy Lewis, received her FabFitFun subscription box in the mail.
The box, which is delivered to their home during different seasons of the year, contains a mix of health, beauty and fitness products. But Lewis and Beyl were especially impressed with the Inkling perfumes in the box, and Beyl decided she would like to try to sell the perfumes.
They contacted the company, which agreed to let Beyl start distributing and selling the product.
For everything Beyl sells, she receives 50%. She sells her products at events like the Ocoee Family Fest, and she plans to have a booth at the Winter Garden Farmer’s Market the next time space is available.
She also sells the product on social media and at her website, ksinkling.com.
Recently, she has also begun selling Perfectly Posh products, which include lotions, bath scrubs and other pampering products.
Soon after Beyl began working for Inkling, she and her mother signed up for a mission trip to Swaziland, where they will join a team through Children’s Cup.
Beyl and Lewis sponsor a child in Swaziland, so they will get to meet their child while they are there, as well as serve at CarePoint, a safe place where children can go for food, medical needs and education.
In addition to raising money for her Swaziland mission trip, Beyl also hopes to go on a France summer trip with West Orange High School before she graduates.
“I have a jar for Africa, and I have another jar for France,” Beyl said. “In my room I have them sitting out. I see it everyday so it motivates me.”
Connect
Visit Beyl’s website at ksinkling.com and her Instagram
@live_love_pamper. Contact her at (701) 306-0961.
Beyl is on her mission trip to Swaziland October 18-27. She needs $3,200 to go.
