He’s the Boss!

Alejandro Buxton started his own candle company.

Courtesy of Smell of Love Candles

Alejandro is a business owner and Youtuber.

Alejandro Buxton is pretty busy. Like any 12-year-old, he goes to school every day. Alejandro is also an entrepreneur (a person who starts a business). Before and after school, he runs his company, Smell of Love Candles.

Alejandro began making candles to help his mom. She likes to light candles, but the scents were giving her headaches. Alejandro learned which ingredients might be causing those headaches, and he made candles with different ingredients. His mom felt so much better that Alejandro decided to start a candle business. Today, Smell of Love Candles makes candles with 26 different scents. They’re available online and at a kiosk (a stand) located in a mall near Alejandro’s home in Virginia. Alejandro’s mom helps him with the business side of things, and his younger sister, Valentina, assists with packing up candle orders.

Courtesy of Smell of Love Candles

Alejandro shows a friend how he makes candles.

Alejandro’s business is doing well, and he’s making money. He uses some of it to buy comic books and saves some of it so he can go to college. Alejandro wants to help other kids go to college too. According to the Smell of Love website, the company uses some of the money it makes from candle sales to pay for a scholarship fund. A scholarship is money that is given to kids to help them pay for their education.

Alejandro hopes to inspire other kids to follow their dreams. He offers advice on his YouTube channel and even hosts a podcast called Lessons from a Kidpreneur.

To Alejandro, success isn’t only about making money. It’s about using what he has to help others.

“My future goal is to just help people around the world,” Alejandro told the Gazette.

News Extra

Go, Artemis!

JSC/NASA

On November 28, Orion reached its farthest distance from Earth. This was its view.

NASA is halfway through its Artemis I mission, and everything looks good!

NASA launched its Orion spacecraft on November 16, 2022, and it started orbiting the Moon on November 25. Orion is made to carry up to four astronauts, but no humans went on this trip. The purpose of Artemis I is to test the performance and safety of Orion. It’s sort of like a practice run. On November 28, Orion was 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) from Earth. If all goes as planned, it soon will carry astronauts way out there, too.

Artemis I is only the beginning. NASA is planning Artemis II for 2024. In that mission, Orion will take four astronauts to the far side of the Moon (the side farthest from Earth) and back.

Artemis III is planned for 2025. Orion will link up with another spacecraft, which will land two astronauts on the Moon. It will be the first time humans have set foot on the Moon since 1972!

Fun Fact

Odors (smells) are strongly connected to our memories. In fact, an odor is more likely than a picture to bring back a memory!

Kids in Biz

An entrepreneur is someone who starts a business. And a kidpreneur is a kid who starts a business!

Many kidpreneurs do something extra special with their business—they use their success to help others. Here are a few of their stories.

When she was 13, Kimeila Campbell started a magazine called YNTY. (Those letters stand for “You’re Never Too Young.”) The magazine has articles about kids and teens who are working hard to reach big goals. There’s also advice for readers who have goals of their own.

Courtesy of Labelladiva Public Relations

Kimeila Campbell

Eight-year-old Jack Bonneau needed money for some LEGO toys, so he started a lemonade stand at his local farmers’ market. Along the way, Jack had to learn about the rules of running a business. Jack realized that learning how to run a business could be an important skill. So, he started a business called Jack’s Stands & Marketplaces, which teaches kids how to start lemonade and food stands.

Courtesy of Jack’s Stands

Jack Bonneau

Alina Morse was 7 when she invented the Zollipop, a lollipop that’s delicious but doesn’t contain sugar. Today, Alina’s company sells lots of candy. It also has a program called the Million Smiles Initiative, which teaches kids about how to keep their teeth and bodies healthy.