Soap biz helps teen with Asperger’s thrive
Business helps teen deal with Asperger’s obstacles
Detroit entrepreneur’s life changed for better after launching his company
DETROIT – For Spencer Kelly, being an entrepreneur isn’t just a calling, it’s part of the elixir that changed his life.
In just two years, Kelly, 17, has gone from starting Expedition Soap Co. in his parents’ home to selling almost
$100,000 worth of product.
It started as a way to pay back his dad for a replacement bicycle after his was stolen in June 2016. Kelly left it outside a restaurant “for just a moment” when he dashed inside, only to come out and find it gone. His dad bought him a new bike with the understanding Kelly would repay him $300.
“I was thinking about a business that I could start to make the money to repay my dad, and it dawned on me: Soap! I use soap, you use soap, the guy down the street uses soap, even the president uses soap. Who doesn’t use soap?” he said.
That September, just as he started
10th grade, Kelly launched his soap company featuring all-natural ingredients. He partnered with a local artisan who helped create the handmade products. Spencer and his family finish and package the products at home and sell them at vendor shows or online at ExpeditionSoaps.com.
What makes Kelly’s story even more compelling is that 10 years ago, he wouldn’t have been able say how his bike was stolen or what motivated him to start his company.
When Kelly was 4, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that can cause social and behavioral challenges. His parents took him to doctors to find out why he wasn’t talking or connecting with people. “It’s horrifying to not be able to talk to your mother or have her understand what you are trying to say,” Kelly said. “(As a child) I was kind of like a one-way sponge. I could take everything in, but I couldn’t get anything out.”
He began receiving speech, occupational, social and biomedical therapy, along with chiropractic care. At age 7, Kelly started participating in social and recreational programs that helped him learn about business and team building.
“Becoming an entrepreneur has been the No. 1 way I have been able to cope and deal with my Asperger’s syndrome. It has helped so much and helped change my life,” Kelly said. “I feel so passionate about what I am doing.”
Today, Kelly has well over 2,000 customers – many of them repeat ones.
“When I started my business, I wasn’t able to speak to people very easily,” he said. “That’s a challenge I’ve definitely overcome.”
‘Baskin-Robbins of soap’
The soap company has become a family affair. The company sells handmade body butter, bath bombs and approximately 73 varieties of soap, which are biodegradable with a blended base of vegan oils and organic Shea butter.
“We’re the Baskin-Robbins of soap,” said Tracie Kelly, his mom.
Now, Kelly has his sights set on attending the University of Michigan next year and hopes to attend the Ross School of Business there. When he goes away to college, the plan is for his younger brother, Grant, to take over the soap company.
“It’s almost hard to remember how challenging it used to be,” she added. “Spencer came from not being able to hold any sort of conversation, repeating the same words and having lots of daily motor functioning challenges as a kid. To look now at how far he has come to level out in a very typical manner and at all that he has accomplished is phenomenal.”
Kelly’s even getting national attention: He will serve as a panelist at the 2018 U.S. Autism & Asperger Association World Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on Nov. 28-Dec. 1.
Power of entrepreneurship
Kristin Rohrbeck, director of Oakland University Center for Autism Outreach Services (OUCARES), the local program that helped Kelly all those years ago, said entrepreneurship can be a path to employment for others with autism.
“A lot of people on the autism spectrum have found success through selfemployment, especially when they have a strong support system to help them develop their business. That is certainly the case with Spencer and his family,” she said.
When asked what he’s learned as an entrepreneur, Kelly speaks with wisdom beyond his years.
“I learned that nothing is instant,” he said. “You have to work hard. Also, I wish I had known about trademarking early on. It’s easier to do at the beginning of the business than waiting a few years to do it.”
Kelly donates a portion of his sales to organizations that have helped him, including the U.S. Autism Association and OUCARES. Through the ups and downs, his goal remains the same – to inspire others and be a voice in autism for those who cannot. “My business taught me not to give up,” Kelly said. “It taught me to take responsibility and see things through.”