I’m sure you all are aware of the slime trend that took the internet by storm in 2015 and the following few years. Instead of begging their parents for toys, many children instead would ask their parents for ingredients to make the viral sensation, such as borax, laundry detergent and glue. My sister, Sarah, was one of the many people who were very invested in this trend and made slime nearly every day for almost a year. One of the YouTubers she encountered to make this slime was a young girl named Maddie Rae.
At the age of 11, Maddie Rae, was also heavily invested in the slime trend. She would regularly beg her parents to take her to the craft store to buy ingredients for slime. However, when she got to the store, she realized that there was no glue left. After asking multiple employees and visiting multiple stores, Maddie was unable to find any glue, so she decided to make her own. She developed a formula for glue that would be designed specifically to make slime. After launching her personal brand of glue, she developed a whole line of slime making products that were highly successful.
There are many lessons that young entrepreneurs can learn from Maddie Rae.The first is to look for problems and solve them. Maddie discovered the “problem” of a glue shortage in most craft stores and decided to solve it by making her own. She also built a business around something she was passionate about and a viral trend at the time. Maddie also developed engaging content on YouTube and social media to really connect with consumers in this niche industry. This content demonstrates her welcoming and fun personality and makes her followers enjoy connecting with her brand and excited about using her products.
Even though slime isn’t quite as popular as it was back in 2015, Maddie Rae’s business is still successful and she is still a “thought leader” in the slime making “industry.” Her story demonstrates the value of problem solving in niche markets.
This is such an interesting story! It is so inspiring to see how Maddie Rae noticed a problem and found an innovative solution to that problem. Most other kids would simply try to find glue at another store or wait until it comes back in stock, but Maddie Rae saw this shortage as an entrepreneurial opportunity. I am very impressed at her ability to not only create a successful business in what was such a popular and busy industry at the time, but also to stand out and set herself apart within the industry.
When you started I thought this was going to be another child making and selling slime, but it wasn’t, and I am impressed. Now I don’t claim to be a scientist or a glue expert, but designing and formulating glue at that young age seems very impressive.
I can definitely relate to this. My sister was obsessed with slime when it became a big thing and still plays with it every now and then. It’s crazy to see how by trying to solve a problem just to fit in with a trend turned into a life changing business for Maddie Rae and ended up becoming a source of income for the rest of her life.
This is a super cool story! It is a good example of how to turn a challenge into an idea, and it is impressive how she identified a problem with the glue shortage and created a successful idea around her interest in slime