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Marketplace Op-Ed Series: I Chose to Rely on Myself, Not Become a Statistic

Sep. 7, 2012 2:47am

Coconut Rain was born a hobby! Owner, Lynsi O'Dell, started making laundry soap for her family of 7, including 5 very active children (3 of whom are boys!) […]

Coconut Rain was born a hobby! Owner, Lynsi O'Dell, started making laundry soap for her family of 7, including 5 very active children (3 of whom are boys!) just for the fun of it! However, all her children suffer from eczema and sensitive skin. She wanted to make the formula gentle for their skin, yet still cost effective. Without any intentions of starting a business, she continued to produce her soap for her family, while working a part time job in addition to the full time job of "Mom". After a year and a half of research and testing, she had the perfect formula!

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coconut.rain@yahoo.com

Author's Website

This column is part of our ongoing series of op-eds this election season from small business owners working with The Marketplace by TheBlaze. We often hear politicians talk about what small business owners want, and if elected, what public officials could do to help these entrepreneurs. But we haven’t heard enough from small business owners themselves. This series will feature small business owners discussing their business, ‘how they built that,’ and what it has been like trying to sustain and grow their business over the last 4 years.

My name is Lynsi O’Dell and I was stereotyped to fail.

In 1997 my husband and I became teenage parents. Based on statistics, our marriage would end in divorce and I would end up depending on the “System” to survive. This is not an op-ed to confirm our failure, but one to confirm our success, built on true American values; hard work, dedication and resilience.

In 2007, my husband suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age of 29 that kept him from working to provide an income for our family (as a Journeyman Electrician) for months. I operated a state-licensed daycare, but after he became dependent on my care, I could not continue. I found a job working as a server in a Bistro to make ends meet. I was five months pregnant with our fifth child.

I started making my own laundry soap to save money. I enjoyed it and the sense of accomplishment it brought. Our family suffers from eczema and other skin sensitivities so I began a quest to alter this recipe to become natural. For nearly a year I tweaked the recipe, tested it and began again until I found the perfect ratio of natural ingredients that not only cleaned exceptionally well, but were also cost-effective and safe for the environment. A friend that I worked with asked to purchase the finished product. Our business was born!

Nothing about running a small business has been easy. I don’t have a college degree. I have taught myself every step of the way–from writing a business plan, to understanding profit margin, to product development and patent law. I have made plenty of mistakes but learned from them as well. I have sat at round tables surrounded by all men and had offers thrown my way to purchase a percentage of my business from people trying to make a fast buck. I have also had individuals attempt to reproduce my product without success and some who believe in the products so much, they want to sell them too.

I manage 5 distributors across the state of Michigan, where the meaning of unemployment is very well understood. With their commissions they provide food for their families, diapers for their babies and gas money for their minivans, which they use to transport their children to and from school.

Marketplace Op Ed Series: I Chose to Rely on Myself, Not Become a Statistic

Products From Lynsi O'Dell's Coconut Rain

My business is debt- free and self -sustaining. I haven’t received any grants nor partnered with any financial investors. I operate my business with the same values I was raised with (that I also teach my children). I am self-reliant, honest and hard -working. While working 16 hour days, fitting in a parent-teacher conference and a soccer game is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, I also serve as the Fundraising Coordinator for my children’s elementary school and teach the preschool class at my church.

In recent months, my business has received national attention because of its success. It is growing quickly and has experienced a 38% sales increase since May alone. The need to expand to meet demand is evident.

Our president made a statement earlier this summer. ““If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. “

I respectfully disagree.

Many Americans would argue that it is the government that helps businesses to thrive through services like roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. But business owners pay back government support in the form of income taxes, business taxes, property taxes, gas taxes . . . Maybe it is business that built government?

I had a choice. I could’ve been a statistic. I chose to rely on myself.

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Comments (21)

tabrit
Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:02am
What would the President know about working, he’s never done any of that! To him, it is just another 4 letter word. He came from nothing, and rose up to become the POTUS. That’s called success, a word that he distains.

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Bobgood1
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 9:56pm
I hear a lot of pessimistic responses. We must stay positive, make sure that our Free American Enterprise stays alive. We must not let anyone or any group stop the Business Freedoms we have available in this Country. These attempts to convince us that the Gov. will deceide everything for us, must be resisted. We must SAVE the Freedoms tha this Country provides.

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- RSHLUVER
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 1:08am
  Watch 2016:Obama’s America http://2016themovie.com/ It explains everything. Obama is dangerous!!!!
  
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blair152
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 7:06pm
Self-reliance=bad. Dependence on the State=good.

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- Bobgood1
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 9:43pm
  This is a great story of what is possible in very few countries. The negative attitude of Blair, is sad that she has bought into the Liberal Speak, that You’re nothing without the Gov. Good job ( Bad) Ob. You are slowly killing peoples incentive to build something themselves. Don’t let any Gov. do that to you. We are not Europe or a Third World Country.
  
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grumpy77
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 6:17pm
This sounds good, but I want to know who manufactures it, how much they make, how their health is and what happens to the waste. Not saying any of it’s bad, but it’s awfully hard to create a business without foisting some of the costs off on unsuspecting others.

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januscatinhat
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 1:59pm
Love this story. Had an aunt who had 8 children, husband killed by train, who noticed worms in soil around pond made nice rich dark soil–very unusual for the normal red clay area–and from her observation, help of the local university testing facilities and her three oldest sons was born packaged planting soil. From this planting soil grew the family’s vast wealth (over time) which began with one huge packaging machine that sat out on on the lower end of the property that her sons learned how to work, make a distribution line and thus the soil literally made this entire clan completely independently wealthy, honest hardworking lovely people. True story.

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January24
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 12:38pm
This is a great story because it embodies the values that Americans USED TO treasure.

I’ve heard Barack Obama say that he doesn’t know how his mother would have made it through college with him in tow without food stamps.

I say that she could have found a way; she just wasn’t motivated to do so. Other students live at home and work until they’ve saved enough money to go to community college for at least their first two years. But that was beneath Obama’s mother, no doubt. That’s the Democrat way; look to the government for help FIRST.

Contrast that with Marco Rubio’s mother who worked the overnight shift at K – Mart in order to provide for her family. Then you will understand the vast difference in the work ethic imparted by Rubio’s mother, as compared with the “gimme” mentally imparted by Ann Dunham Obama to HER son.

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freedomisasfreedomdoes
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 12:21pm
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/12/grand_rapids_mom_turns_coconut.html

“I said no four times, and God said yes five times,” said O’Dell, who last year perfected the formula for an all-natural laundry soap named Coconut Rain.

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commoncents5
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 10:24am
I know that this is probably a bad analogy, but if you have a product that someone wants to buy you do not need roads or bridges. The customer will find his way. Example moon shine which grew into the sport of racing.

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bgotts27
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 6:16pm
Hers is a great story.

It’s too bad, however, that she didn’t build that!

All sarcasm aside, it wasn’t even the government that built most of our roads and other infrastructure: it was private citizens blazing trails, fording rivers, and toiling the soil. Local governments got involved later, and the federal government has very little to do with anything related to any infrastructure anywhere.

Of course, the federal government does take our tax dollars, wastes most of them, and then sends a portion of them back to the states to help with interstates and other infrastructure – but the government can return only a portion of what it has previously taken away.

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betterthantv
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 5:57pm
I’ve been using this stuff for about 2 months now. So far we love it.

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- deano24
  Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:22pm
  I won’t use Tide detergent after using Mrs.Lynsi O’Dell detergent.I consider her Lavender detergent consider to be the best. Other great products from The Market Place are Bacon Freak, Nebraska Star Beef, & Van Roehling Sauces & Rubs. Go check them out.
  
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rupoed
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:42pm
While I don’t agree with the direction the President was going with his speech, I understood the meaning he was conveying. That we ‘owe’ others for our successes, in that a new born ‘needs’ others to grow and prosper, hence that child becomes indebted to all those they learn from until adulthood. I see this thought process as a way to levy more on those that are successful. I believe that it is a personal debt not something monetary as I think the President has yet to elaborate. Example: If you were selling a widget and breaking down the percentages for commissions to pay your employees, you didn’t do the math, it was your 6th grade math teacher did. This is the major flaw with the President, and he cannot or will not see it any other way. He honestly believes the world is moral regardless of religion or nation, and unfortunately it is far from that. Example: I read an article on why a young teenage girl in the middle east killed herself, because she was betrothed by her mother to her rapist as to not dishonor their family, it is nice resolution with the more conservative murdering the victim instead. ‘Google Translate’ see for yourself.

Democracy is that we choose our own path, not walk one laid out for us, or if they choose, not to walk at all, the point is you have the right to succeed as much as fall in our country, but it’s ultimately a choice.

While I’ve not been as financially successful, I can be happy for the success in yours. Take care and God Bles

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NovemberGirl
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:57pm
Beautiful Strong Girl!
I have created a home based business as well…on my own. Please take a minute to view it. Stand at work & exercise at your desk; http://standingfit.com

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- tbrew
  Posted on September 23, 2012 at 7:15pm
  Very Cool…I love this…thanks so much for sharing…Brenda
  
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SCREW-WINDOWS
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:19pm
Sad but true some lib will file a lawsuit because they got a rash from your product putting you right back where you started. It does not pay any longer to become inventive but rather a liability.

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Angry-Elf
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 11:51am
Excellent article… We need to hear more about this type of enterprise. Glad to hear hard work has a good outcome. Way to go Lynsi!

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Cataclysm
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 11:34am
Great Story, people everywhere need to read this and learn that there may be hard times now, but you work hard and have faith things will get better. You can succeed in anything.

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JerryNic
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:54am
This gal is great! Her best line is: “Maybe it is business that built government?”
Right on.

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- tbrew
  Posted on September 23, 2012 at 7:13pm
  Right on…I love that Buiness Built Governent,,,,
  
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