By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Three years ago, in a stroke of ingenuity and entrepreneurial ambition, three Kennebunk girls approached their parents with a business plan. Now in eighth grade, Grace Jandro, Mackenzie Rowe and Sabrina Kayser attended their third Sea Road Christmas Fair with “Ladybugs,” their handcrafted beauty product line. 

During the summer between the fifth and sixth grade the trio dreamt up multiple businesses in the fashion and beauty industry, but only one — offering lip gloss, soap, shower gel, lotion and body mist —  stuck. Rowe said with some online research they developed a plan involving the process of making the products, bottling supplies and labeling. When they approached their parents with the business plan, mothers Nancy Jandro and Cathy Rowe jumped on board to help finance the start up and streamline the production. 

“Two years prior I had opened my own business and I was willing to help them,” Cathy Rowe said. “They had gone online and done their research. Nancy and I were both floored with their ideas.”

Production began in fall 2005 in order to have products to sell at the annual Sea Road Christmas Fair, and it took the girls nearly a week to produce the amount they needed. This year to make all the products needed for the fair, Jandro said it took only two days. Cathy Rowe said not only did production take longer when they first started, but she had to keep a close eye on the budding company’s finances, especially during the fair.

“We needed to watch the money as they counted out change or added up cost. It’s been interesting to watch this develop from a parent’s perspective,” Cathy Rowe said. 

This year, although both Cathy Rowe and Nancy Jandro were present for the fair, the girls handled sales themselves, and Cathy Rowe spent the following afternoon tabulating  profit. The third year of production has also marked the addition of body mist and shower gel to the line as well as more scents for a total of six varieties — green apple, peach, lavender, cucumber melon, vanilla and cinnamon.

While Grace Jandro said they argue sometimes over what to make and what new scents to try, there was a unanimous agreement deciding on the name “Ladybugs.”

“We had thought up a ton of names during the whole car ride to the mall one day,” Kayser said.

“We went to Macy’s café, and there just so happened to be a lady bug on the napkin, and I said, ‘Hey what about Ladybugs?’” Grace Jandro said. 

The girls have recently expanded their sales base this year — selling products at The Little Red Wagon in Lower Village and Shaper’s Hair Salon in Kennebunk. Mackenzie Rowe said the fair was successful and they are all hoping the store sales will be successful as well. 

As word has spread about their business, they have received custom orders, one for a Mother’s Day event and another for a 7-year-old’s birthday party, and a lot of feedback.

“A lot of adults are really impressed,” Grace Jandro said. “Our classmates think it’s cool that we are making money through our own business, not chores.”

Despite a successful three years and running, the young entrepreneurs aren’t getting too ahead of themselves with future plans. While they’ll continue making products, Grace Jandro said, “we’ll have to see how things play out” for growing the business in the future. 

“We’re going to wait and see, and tune into what happens,” Mackenzie Rowe said. 

“Ladybugs” lip gloss, soap, shower gel, lotion and body mist can be purchased at The Little Red Wagon or Shaper’s Hair Salon, but for custom orders. The girls can be contacted at ladybugsonline@yahoo.com.