Wellington resident and mother Holly Lichtenfeld is the author and founder of “Bright Girls Company,” a website and soon-to-be published book that teaches girls about business, turning them into “girlpreneurs.”
“My mission is to teach girls, 8 to 12 years old, to understand business, entrepreneurship and money so that as they grow up they understand these things and can be more successful in whatever they end up becoming,” she said.
For the past few years, Lichtenfeld has been writing her book filled with engaging characters, illustrations and activities to motivate girls into business and entrepreneurship.
“My feeling is that very few young girls will actually go into a big businesses on their own,” she said. “What I’m focusing on is what are the skills that girls are lacking and that are contributing to the wage gap and revenue gap.”
Recently, she has been testing her activities and getting feedback from girls in the area and friends of her daughter, Kira.
“I thought they were really fun. It’s a really good idea,” fifth-grader Lauren Shiell said about the activities. “I think girls should be doing things like lemonade stands. The activities really made me want to do a lemonade stand.”
“I think it is wonderful. They need girls to be entrepreneurs,” Lauren’s mother Shannon Shiell said. “I love the term ‘girlpreneurs.’ I think it identifies with girls and gets them excited about being leaders in the workplace.”
Lauren and Kira have already started their “girlpreneurship.” For the past two years the girls have made crafts, done lemonade stands and bake sales to raise money for the panda program at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., according to their mothers.
“It made me feel motivated to do more things like that because it was hard work but it really paid off,” Lauren said.
She is not slowing down, however, even after raising about $2,000 for the pandas with Kira. On to her new venture, Lauren started her own website called Stempoweringgirls.com, which is like a Kickstarter for young girls and their business ideas.
“I hope she learns that she can do anything she wants,” Shannon Shiell said. “She has the skill and the book gives them the confidence.”
Lichtenfeld has her own Kickstarter campaign to help fund the printing of her book,”Your Own Business Can Be Great,” which is scheduled to be released in July.
“I want to continue to go to all the places that will help girls the most with fun and engaging ways to expose girls to these things that will help them be successful in their lives,” Lichtenfeld said.
Visit brightgirlscompany.com.
