She’s the QUEEN of SLIME
A passion for schoolkid craze and eye for business inspire birth of Unicorn slime
A NINE-year-old Durban girl has discovered that the secret to making a dime lies in slime.
Skyler Carmichael’s love for goo has even stretched her weekend hobby across borders, with 500 orders for slime coming from schools in Swaziland.
The Crawford Preparatory North Coast pupil joined hundreds of thousands of children around the world when the slime-making craze began last year, and gooey recipes were shared online.
Three weeks ago, her hobby turned into a money-making business.
“I love making slime, but it’s an expensive hobby and my friends were all wanting me to make slime for them and to sell it to them. This way I could do both,” Skyler said.
Five hundred bottles of Unicorn Slime by Skyler were shipped to Swaziland after two schools there discovered the Grade 3 pupil’s business on Instagram.
With more than 100 bottles sold to her classmates and 200 to local businesses, Skyler’s parents, Ian and Dreshni, are now talking about mass production.
“Three weeks ago Skyler gave us a plan of how she wanted to package her product and asked her dad to make the logo. I then went out and bought the containers and of course I assumed it was just a silly project she wanted to do, so as any mom would do, I told myself that I was just going to facilitate it,” said Dreshni.
“We were blown away when Skyler told us that she wanted to put a warning on the bottles to say that kids couldn’t eat it. She was obviously thinking ahead of us.
“We never expected her business to boom like this.”
Dreshni said the product had gained a lot of attention.
“We had to scurry with the production of it and we have to remind Skyler that she is still a student so school comes first and slime comes second.
“We are still learning how to juggle it all.”
Skyler makes about 50 bottles of slime in her parents’ garage every second day.
Skyler experimented with many recipes before she found a “not too sticky” texture.
She won’t give away her trade secrets, but slime is usually made from borax, food colouring, water and, the most expensive ingredient, glue.
Dreshni said Skyler, who sells the slime for R30 a tub, has made a “a lot of money for a little girl”.
Skyler plans to use the money to make more slime, give back to less fortunate children and save as much as she can.
“I don’t like spending my own money but I do like spending my parents’ money,” she joked.
She also wants to be the “girl boss” when her business is registered.
“So I can finally tell my mom what to do and give her instructions,” Skyler said.
Notwithstanding her entrepreneurial skills, Skyler wants to be a “famous singer” when she grows up.
School comes first and slime comes second. We are still learning how to juggle it all