Hi! My name is Kaitlynn and I am 11 years old.
I founded Bandit’s Biscuits when I was in the third grade.

Two years ago, my teachers introduced my class to the idea of running a business. We learned about advertising, buying materials, managing money, selling strategies, and many other business skills. It was during this unit that I decided I wanted to start my own business! But what could I do?

I thought about it, researched with my dad and tried a few different things. Then one day I found my mom’s dog bone recipes (a family secret!) and realized that our dogs LOVE cookies and we LOVE our dogs and want only the best for our “babies”! I thought other owners might feel the same way, so I decided to give it a try. I made up a sample batch and gave them to any dog owners I could find to have their dogs taste test. My dogs and any other dog that tried my cookies found them delicious. I knew I had a winner! In fact, I even had a customer already. Nancy, our delivery lady, loved my dog treats so much that she ordered some right then to treat the dogs on her route as well as her own dog!

With the help of my family I adjusted the recipes: Mom suggested using all natural, human-grade ingredients—vegetable puree, mint and parsley from our garden, fresh eggs from my grandparents' farm—Dad helped me find ingredient suppliers (only natural stuff in my bones!), and we all worked on packaging, pricing, and advertising. Our dogs Bandit and Paisley (Australian Shepherds) very happily became official taste testers. Bandit’s Biscuits was born!

I have sold Bandit’s Biscuits everywhere: the obedience and agility classes our dogs attend, dog parks, street fairs, friends, neighbors, relatives, teachers, pet stores, and anywhere I might see hungry dogs. Business was going so well that I decided to donate some of my profits to an organization that helps animals. I researched several animal shelters and decided that Animal Friends for Education and Welfare (AFEW) was the group for me. All the money they receive goes to the animals, the people are friendly, and I even get to help take care of the animals sometimes. As my donations to AFEW started adding up, they were able to buy a shed to hold their adoption days in instead of having to rent space. This really made me feel good.

Over the past few years, I have learned a lot about running a business, selling, and working with people. And sometimes I have to make so many batches of bones that my family has to help me and it gets done a lot faster! Most people are surprised when they find out I have my own business, because kids aren't supposed to be business people. I have really enjoyed having my own company, though, and I like making the biscuits (and Bandit and Paisley like testing new cookies!). My goal is to have Bandit’s Biscuits be the BEST dog treats there are!