If you’re looking for quality slime at a reasonable price, look no further than “kidtrepreneurs” Novi and Myli Lopez.

Novi, age 12, and Myli, age 9, began making slime about a year ago.  It was one of many activities mom Lea orchestrated to keep the girls busy over the summer.  She had no idea her girls would turn a simple summer craft activity into a small business opportunity.

“There are a lot of famous slime shops that sell them,” says Novi, who quickly realized that she could purchase the ingredients necessary to make slime and sell it for lower prices.  “I saw a lot of other people doing it, and I thought, ‘I can do that.’”

Novi and Myli produce their slime in their home.  Myli’s room acts as the warehouse for storing their slime-making supplies, and Novi’s room houses a large table where they make it.

In entering the slime market, Novi and Myli unwittingly tapped into a new fad.  “It was a really big trend that happened,” says Novi. “It really blew up a few months ago.”  There’s even a slime community on YouTube where people post videos of themselves using and reviewing different slimes.  “Some people try different challenges making slime,” adds Myli.

Novi and Myli make and market a variety of unique slimes that you won’t find anywhere else.  Their slimes aren’t carbon copies of other things on the market; they pride themselves on experimenting with ingredients and coming up with recipes that are unique in texture, color and scent.  For example, their “Vanilla Bean Soft Serve” is formulated with clay and vanilla to look and smell like soft serve ice cream. “Prom Night” is made with loose eyeshadow pigment to give it the iridescent, glittery shine reminiscent of prom dresses and makeup.  Other varieties include foam or plastic beads that pop when the slime is stretched and kneaded.

Although the appeal of slime might be a mystery to adults, it’s a popular fad amongst kids and pre-teens.  “People play with it for hours on end,” says Novi, noting that it’s almost like a stress reliever. “It sounds boring, but people just sit in their room and play with it!”

Lea is proud of the maturity and determination her daughters have shown in starting their slime company.  “I think it’s a great way to get their foot started in business,” says Lea. “They’ve learned a lot already.  She started out selling at a really low price, and she got the education that her time is worth money – the time she put in, the fact that she did the shopping, she did the research, she did the actual making.  The whole educational process of putting a product out there is pretty amazing.”

The girls made their first sale last fall when Novi was beginning sixth grade at Mint Hill Middle School and Myli was entering third grade at Bain Elementary.  They began by selling to friends and have steadily expanded their market to include friends of friends. Novi recently designed a web site to promote and sell her slime to the larger Mint Hill community, and they are working on getting Square hooked up so they can accept credit card payment.  Novi and Myli finance their work themselves, investing a portion of the profits back into their business and splitting the rest.

In the future, the girls would like to continue to expand their business, incorporating parties and group demonstrations.  “There are some really famous people who have these huge supplies and ship them out everywhere,” says Novi. “That’s kind of like what I’d like to be, one of the major ones.”

“Both of them have a lot of talent,” says Lea.  “I personally know that just like the fidget spinners this is a trend; it will come around and go around, but as long as it’s here, it’s definitely a great education.”

To learn more about Slime Planet and browse Novi and Myli’s unique selection of slimes, visit their web site at https://www.slimeplanetnc.com/shop or email novi.sings2@gmail.com.