Though he hadn’t necessarily figured out exactly what he wanted to do for a living, Dylan Godsave knew one thing by the time he reached eighth grade — he didn’t want to end up working for someone else.
So, he figured, why wait?
Godsave, now a 15-year-old freshman at Center Grove, partnered with classmate Carson Wilhelm last year to start up Casual Cosmetics, a company devoted to making high-end bath bombs, bubble cakes and face masks.
Most people hear the word “cosmetics” and think about makeup. For Godsave and Wilhelm, it’s more about relaxation and comfort.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“It’s a different type of cosmetic; it’s not the everyday cosmetics that you see,” Godsave said. “But it’s something that’s in high demand right now, and not a lot of people are in this market.”
The pair came up with their first products through trial and error, just mixing different ingredients together, trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t. Eventually, they consulted with some professionals who were more well-versed in fragrances and chemicals.
It has worked out well. When it first launched its product line, Casual Cosmetics offered four bath bomb fragrances and four bubble cakes. Just months later, the company has eight bath bomb varieties and more than 25 different bubble cakes — not to mention a line of four face masks expected to be available this spring. Soaps are also in the works.
The expansion has come quickly because the original product line caught on so fast. Godsave said that the company had a commercial kitchen making the products that he and Wilhelm had helped create, but demand quickly outpaced supply and Casual Cosmetics had to link up with a distributor based in Illinois. The product is warehoused in, and shipped out of, Greenwood.
Casual Cosmetics offers free two-day shipping — something that Godsave views as a necessity nowadays.
“With Amazon taking over the market, people kind of just expect free shipping,” he said. “(And) really, this has actually helped us grow a lot, because now that people know we have free shipping, they purchase more.”
Currently, the company is having difficulty keeping pace with the orders it’s receiving from around the country, but Godsave hopes to be able to expand and begin shipping internationally in the near future.
The biggest challenge for the two, Wilhelm said, has been marketing. He said he believes getting the word out and promoting the company has been more challenging than all of the paperwork that comes with getting off the ground.
“It’s definitely been hard to start the website up and keep track of money and all that stuff,” he said, “but getting out and reaching out to customers and advertising has definitely been the hardest part.”
Both of the partners have had to learn to balance the responsibilities of the company with not only their class work, but also with busy extracurricular schedules. Godsave is the head sound engineer at Center Grove High School as well as at both of the district’s middle schools, and Wilhelm plays soccer and also tries to maintain a regular fitness regimen.
The flexibility that comes with being your own boss — and the desire to maintain that flexibility throughout their lives — has helped them to make it work.
“I’ve always wanted to be independent,” Wilhelm said. “Entrepreneurship is inspiring to me.
“It helps that he’s my friend and we get along.”
Once he graduates from Center Grove, Godsave plans to go to college and study business. The end goal, after all, was always to be his own boss — and even if Casual Cosmetics doesn’t end up lasting over the long haul, he’ll find something else to take its place.
“If you can provide me a product, I can provide you a client,” Godsave said. “I love taking on a challenge.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Casual Cosmetics
What: A local company specializing in high-end bath products, including bath bombs, bubble cakes, face masks and soaps
Who: Center Grove freshmen Dylan Godsave and Carson Wilhelm co-founded the company in 2016.
Website: www.casualcosmeticsusa.com
Where: Casual Cosmetics will be selling some of its products locally at Whale of a Sale Indy South, which will be April 20-22 at The Gathering Place.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
