Entrepreneurship can mean a lot of work and Kyle Smitley’s business journey is a symbol of this. She is a law student in her second year in San Francisco while also the founder of a popular organic kids clothing line, Barley & Birch. The model for her business operates on the idea of giving back. She has donated over half of her profits to the charity organizations that she feels connected with personally. Not only does her story show how successful a venture can be with the passion and drive required has been put into it, it also shows that you do not necessarily have to be well known or even as experienced as others in the field you decide to direct your drive towards. After an internship in Washington, D.C. doing research on companies that claimed to have organic products, she decided that she was going to create a brand that really stood for what it believed in, and Barley & Birch was born.
Smitley’s business has grown a lot since it started, and has gained recognition in the world of fashion. Through it all, however, she has maintained the original mission of the company: to stay 100% organic, and to help others through the company’s nonprofit work.
Organic products are all the rage right now, and they are flying off the shelves due to the health food craze, and rightly so! Americans are spending more on their health than ever and this is a great market with many customers to launch a product.