By: Jarret Romanello, The St. Lucie Post
June 18, 2021
A young lady in Fort Pierce is making other girls feel beautiful with a company she started to overcome negativity and to remain focused on her goal of being an entrepreneur.
Ariel Perry, 14, of Fort Pierce, started getting bullied after switching schools in 4th grade. Perry was continually harassed and tormented through elementary and middle school by her peers. “They told me I was the wrong look,” Perry remembers.
Ariel’s mom, Simone Reid, taught her daughter to love herself and others despite the unkind treatment. “The only approval that matters is your own,” Reid told The St. Lucie Post.
After graduating middle school in the summer of 2020, Ariel started a company – Ari’s Flawless Beauty Collection to make other girls feel pretty. “There is no right or wrong way to look,” Ariel says.
Ariel makes her lip gloss, shea butter, and body scrubs and sells them along with hair care products and accessories on Instagram and through her website www.arisflawlessbeautycollection.com. Her first client was an aunt who she made a body scrub for to comfort her while pregnant.
Last year, the Fort Pierce Central High School Sophomore made 75 sales on Instagram and 38 more from her website. Most of her sales come by word of mouth. Ariel even has a business card she hands out to potential customers. “My customers tell me my products are so amazing,” Ariel says.
On Thursday, Ariel attended the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Police Athletic League Summer Camp and developed a business plan to grow her company. Deputy Michael Favale said, “Ariel is an amazing teen that doesn’t understand her true potential.”
Deputy Favale, Coach Ken Wilson, and Ariel discussed ways to market and grow her company. Ariel uses her current profits to reinvest in more products and saves a portion of her sales with a dream of opening a storefront one day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, bullied students are at increased risk of depression and lower academic achievement. That hasn’t stopped the future business leader. “Ariel is always on the A/B Honor Roll in School,” her mother says.
The St. Lucie Sheriff’s Police Athletic League is an excellent place for kids and teens to build their confidence and learn how to overcome negativity. After Summer Camp, Ariel trains three nights a week to improve her health and fitness.
What’s more, Ariel is setting up a table with The St. Lucie Post at the Dunn’s Kids Foundation Touch a Heart Truck Show on Friday, July 9, 2021, from 5 PM – 9 PM to sell her products. The over 200 truck event will be at the PAL Center at 1963 S. US-1 Fort Pierce, Fl 34982.
Ariel even negotiated a deal to have her business card placed for free as the first digital advertiser in the St. Lucie Post. Ariel’s company is registered with the state of Florida as a Limited Liability Corporation.
“I hope that my products make other girls feel beautiful on the inside and out,” Ariel told the St. Lucie Post.
Aris, I am so proud of you. Someone sent me this notice because I do not do the newspapers or Instagram, but your story got my attention. Continue to feel good about what you do. Remember always, there is only one place where success comes before work – in the dictionary. You have the attitude to be successful. Dr. Pinkie Hendley