Jungle Glow

Written By Daisy Willis

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“Lavender Aloha Body Balm” made by UH Hilo junior, Britni Schock. Photo provided by Britni Schock.

Usually when students imagine owning their own business, they think about it as a prospect many years in the future. Starting your own business can be a difficult, time consuming, and financially risky endeavor especially for a student with little or no experience. However, here at the University of Hawaii at Hilo there is one student who has not only achieved her business goals early, but has also turned it into a way to apply her college classes in a profitable setting.

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Jungle Glowʻs “Lavender Aloha Hawaiian Sugar Scrub." Photo provided by Britni Schock.

Britni Schock, a Junior in Communications, is currently making, marketing, and selling her own organic skincare products to students and community members alike. Her organic products are marketed under the name “Jungle Glow” and contain local ingredients such as Raw cane sugar from Maui, Hawaiian kukui nut oil, Hawaiian vanilla and cinnamon, Big Island raw honey, fresh Waimea lavender, and Hawaiian sandalwood essential oil. She sells Sugar & coffee scrubs, bath salts, skin & hair oil, rub-on deodorant, lip and body balms, roll-on blends, and toners, all handmade out of her home. She currently sells her products at the local farmers markets, in Benjamin Franklin, and on her website. Britni’s products strive to be as healthy and natural for the body as possible while still giving the user a feeling of being professionally pampered.

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Britni Shows off the Jungle Glow “Simple Moisturizing Lip Balm.” Photo provided by Britni Schock.

As a communications major, Britni has been able to apply the skills she has learned while studying at UH Hilo to her business. She stated that “A little of everything I have learned at UH Hilo has helped me get to where I am, and being around so many ambitious people is definitely one push for me to follow my dreams and pursue Jungle Glow. Having taken a wide range of classes in my last three years at UH Hilo, I have broadened my horizons immensely. Taking a public speaking class has helped me be more confident and organized when trying to sell my products to interested customers. My philosophy classes have taught me about what kind of ethics and morals I want to have associated with my products and build an honest company that I can be proud of and stand behind,” said Schock.

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Display of the Hau'oli Collection of Scrubs created by Schock. Photo provided by Britni Schock.

The benefits of Britni’s experience have been all-encompassing for her as a student and a person. She mentioned that starting your own business can teach you not only about the world of business first-hand, but also a lot about yourself. She stated, “ [When you start your own business] you push yourself because you have a passion for it and you have to be self-motivated. It may be hard work but I don't think there is anything more rewarding that being your own boss.”

Britni has taken advantage of modern technology by marketing her products on Instagram, Facebook, and on her own personal website. If you are interested in purchasing a skin care product so natural that it is “safe to eat” and has no artificial ingredients or preservatives, visit the link to her website here. Support your fellow student in her endeavor to create a successful business! If you have an idea for a product that you want to make and sell, don’t be afraid to take the leap. Britni’s achievement with Jungle Glow is proof that it is possible for any student to start a successful business and to apply their in-class experiences to their work.