North Smithfield twins awarded for business
NORTH SMITHFIELD — Kate and Kristianna Lapierre are still in high school but that hasn’t stopped them from getting a good start in the business world.
The twin sisters, and members of North Smithfield High’s Class of 2020, are the operators of Twin Skin, their homebased company that makes and markets eco-friendly lip care products featuring all-natural ingredients such as beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter and essential oils.
The twins were recognized last year in Lt. Gov. Dan McKee’s Entrepreneurship Challenge for Rhode Island high school students and recently gained recognition at the third annual Rhode Island Inno on Fire Awards highlighting innovative start-up companies in the state.
Inno on Fire is a business promotion organization now operating in 14 states around the country in support of creative start ups using innovative approaches to problem solving and economic development.
McKee was on hand at CIC Providence for the award ceremony and said later the students’ selection for an Inno on Fire award under the Health and Wellness category with other members of Rhode Island’s business start up community bodes well for their future success in college and business.
“Kate has already been accepted Babson College and it’s a great
to
entrepreneurship college,” McKee said.
If she does choose to attend Babson, Kate would be following another of McKee’s Entrepreneurship Challenge honorees, Cumberland’s Sree Dasari of La Salle Academy who was recognized for her Vadati VR business in the 2018 challenge, according to McKee.
“Our students are not only getting regional attention but also national attention now,” McKee said of Inno on Fire award the Lapierres collected.
At her family’s home on Willervale Avenue this week, Kate said she originally got the idea for Twin Skin as part of a school project while she was a sophomore.
“We had to research a business idea and come up with a business plan,” she explained.
“But I became so passionate about the idea I knew wanted to actually create the business,” she said. At that point Kristianna got on aboard and True Skin was born.
“We knew we wanted to market lip balm and we wanted it to be all natural and Eco-friendly,” Kate explained.
The Eco-friendly part of the concept was to get away from the traditional cosmetic product packaging that is largely plastics, Kristianna explained.
“It’s always covered in plastic, so we knew we wanted to do something to combat that issue,” Kristianna said.
The solution was to put True Skin products in all-natural, paper-based packaging that they were able to purchase from suppliers online.
The cardboard-like tubes are biodegradable and the twins also rely on paper bags and biodegradable box packaging as part of their distribution materials.
The lip balms, lip tints, and lip scrub products in their line are all made at home and then marketed through online sites such as Etsy and Facebook, they noted.
The business has been a successful entrepreneurial endeavor for the twins and they noted they will soon be adding a website that will make purchasing their products even easier.
Kate said she still hasn’t committed to her choice for college although she does see Babson as a strong option given its reputation as a business school.
Her experience with Twin Skin should help no matter what she decides for the future, she noted.
“I think because I want to study entrepreneurship, this is a great opportunity to learn about running your own business, making products and marketing them,” Kate said.
Although she is thinking more along the lines of studying political science when she gets to college, Kristianna said her involvement in Twin Skins should still be an asset in her future.
“I think the big part of what we get out of it is the experience,” she said.
While Kristianna and Kate have already gained their recognition with the help of Lt. Governor’s Entrepreneurship Challenge, McKee noted other R.I. school students still have time to join this year’s challenge and complete for $14,000 in scholarships.
“The future of Rhode Island’s economy depends on our ability to cultivate and retain young, entrepreneurial talent. The Lt. Governor’s Entrepreneurship Challenge is our way of letting students know that we want and need their skills in our state,” McKee said of the latest Challenge.
Rhode Island’s credit unions and other local businesses donate the funding that is awarded in the scholarship competition and McKee also relies on small business owners help evaluate the students’ business plans.
Millennial Rhode Island has also supported the growth and development of the program each year it has been offered, he said.
Rhode Island students in grades 9-12 can take the challenge by submitting a business plan to the Lt. Governor’s Office by Friday, April 10, 2020.
The top five students or student teams advance to a Shark Tank-style business pitch competition at the New England Institute of Technology in May 2020 where a panel of judges award scholarships based on pitch scores. Students can apply and find guidelines for the challenge at www.rilgec.com.
Follow Joseph Twitter @JNad75
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