Renee and Stacey Binskin have been making a name for themselves this year.
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With the help of their mum and a support worker from the Endeavour Foundation, the Medowie sisters, both 18, began a handmade soap business which has gathered quite a following.
“We run out of soap really quickly at the markets,” Ali Binskin, Renee and Stacey’s mum, said.
Renee and Stacey’s Soaps began with help from a family member who taught the pair, and Ali, how to make soap using a melt and pour method last year
After testing their soaps on family and friends around Christmas, and finding their products were popular, they began selling them at the Medowie markets in April.
The girls have become regulars at the markets, creating soaps for special occasions such as Mother’s and Father’s Day.
Renee and Stacey’s Soaps are now available from Little Pantry Co in Medowie.
The girls also have a uniform thanks to a sponsorship from Century 21 Curtis and Blair.
“The community support has been amazing,” Ali said.
“We’ve had people come [to the house] to buy soap and messaging us asking what we’ll have at the markets.”
While it is a fun project for the girls to come up with different scents and shapes for their soaps, the business is a real money-making exercise.
Since starting Renee and Stacey’s Soaps, the girls have been learning business skills such as money handling, paying for supplies and splitting profits between them.
Selling soaps at the markets has also provided the girls with real customer service experience.
Renee and Stacey finish up at Irrawang High School this year. Ali said the family was unsure what the girls would do once school ended.
The business venture, it is hoped, will provide the girls with an income.
“They’re learning how to divide their profits, but this has been really good for their confidence, to get outdoors at the markets,” Ali said.
“This year has been about learning new skills, but we’re going to get into it more next year.”