Derry girl launches dog shampoo and designer pawfume at the age of 11

A Derry girl has begun her entrepreneurial career with the launch of her dog shampoo and designer ‘pawfume.’.

Ella Carlyle has taken her idea and made it real with her business, ‘Best Pooch'.

The 11-year-old had a love of dogs and an entrepreneurial spirit, so she decided to pair the two to launch her own business.

She said: “I really love dogs, so firstly I designed my own wee logo, and then I got a branded name, ‘Best Pooch,’ so I have gone about it all the right way, I feel.

“I got my design graphic designed for the bottles, and now it is the early stages of my own wee business; it is super exciting.

“It is all specially formulated for dogs, the shampoos and perfume with natural ingredients.”

Ella’s mother, Lynne Brennan, is the owner of Maverick’s Hair Extensions & Beauty Gift, where the dog shampoo and designer pawfume are available.

The Thornhill College student was inspired by her mother’s own brand and hair products when starting her venture, and like when her mother started, she has an ambition to expand her business.

She said: “I am proud to this point because I can see what I am doing, and so far it is successful.

“We got the products made a few weeks before Christmas, and we saw over this period a number of people coming in and purchasing the product for their dogs out of this business.

There will be expansion as originally we started it off on my mother's business page (Mavericks Hair Extensions & Beauty), but we plan on launching my own social media page through a social media manager we have got on board, Roisin Henry, and through our future website being built by my stepdad, Darren Brennan.”

Both her parents, Lynne and Darren Carlyle, are extremely proud of their daughter and the journey she has started.

Lynne said: “I am very proud of her as a mother. It is important to me to teach Ella about work ethic and to do something that you are passionate about, and I can see her fulfilling that, and she is determined to continue it, and she is loving this new wee venture.

“There is room for expansion as she grows older too. 

“It is also beneficial for her in teaching about financial resilience for her when she is older too.”

The dog shampoo and designer pawfume are available at Mavericks Hair Extensions & Beauty in Northside Shopping Centre Derry, and for those that visit, they can enjoy the different dog puns on the pawfume products.