Hockaday is filled with talented, confident and insightful Upper Schoolers, and in my last year, I want to learn about as many students as possible. And the best way to do so is, of course, over a scoop of ice cream. This issue, I took the one and only Sasha Kitson—an entrepreneur and part-time employee at Alto—for ice cream, and she had quite the scoop to share.
Although many Middle Schoolers ran slime businesses that taught them the basics of running a business, senior Sasha Kitson took entrepreneurship to the next level. During the COVID-19 shutdown, Kitson picked up soap making as a way to pass the time; little did she know that a few bars of soap would turn into Herbal Kiwi, a company selling beautiful products like soaps and candles.
“When I started selling soaps online, I fell in love with the business side of things,” Kitson said. “I was really inspired to go and learn more, and it’s definitely a lifelong passion.”
Through trial and error and with the support of her parents, Kitson taught herself how to manage time, stay motivated and remain disciplined in creating her product. Over five years, Kitson has made more than 2,000 sales on Etsy.
“Entrepreneurship is different from school,” Kitson said. “You don’t have a teacher, and you don’t have a textbook, so you really have to motivate yourself to stay on track. It’s so valuable learning how to show up every day.”
In addition to running Herbal Kiwi, Kitson works part-time at Alto, a rideshare company. After interning there this summer, Kitson was offered a paid job as an Accounting and Finance Coordinator in September.
“I ended up applying to over 100 internships this summer, but luckily found a position at Alto,” Kitson said. “I cold emailed them about five times and pestered them so much until they offered me a position.”
On top of working at least 10 hours a week at Alto, Kitson manages Herbal Kiwi, Model United Nations and the rigor of academics and athletics.
“Apple Calendar is my holy grail,” Kitson said. “I try to knock out schoolwork by 6 p.m., and then I’ll start anything extracurricular, but every week is variable because some weeks I’ll focus in on studying for tests or a specific project.”
In addition to managing time, Kitson handles her profits. She even had enough funds to pay for her school tuition for a year as a way to thank her parents for the endless help and support they have given her.
“The bigger picture knowing that I’m doing all of this work now, so I can go travel the world and work a really cool job later, keeps me motivated,” Kitson said.
Through both successes and failures as an entrepreneur, Kitson has learned that failure in business is essential to later success.
“It’s completely normal to not get any results when you first begin, so just embrace it,” Kitson said. “It would be horrible to stop at 100 no’s when that yes is right there.”
