When the pandemic began almost two years ago and Lexxi Laddin quarantined, she discovered on TikTok that many people were starting lip gloss businesses. The Coral Springs teen said she thought that sounded like a fun idea.

Not knowing how to start a business or how to make lip gloss, she researched everything from how to start your own business, to how to make lip gloss and how to create a website.

She bought the necessary ingredients, made the lip gloss, created a website, was active on social media and started her own lip gloss business called Popagloss.

Now, she has close to 1 million followers on TikTok, has sold out of many of her products, and sold enough lip gloss to buy her own car. And she’s only a 17-year-old junior in high school.

“Just posting on social media constantly every day the more I did, the views kept going up. People were going to my website and buying it,” said Laddin, who attends Florida Virtual School.

Over the holidays, Laddin recalls how one of the videos she posted, which detailed how to fill up a tube of lip gloss, went viral after someone commented that she wasn’t filling the tube all the way, she said.

“You have to fill it halfway or it overflows. I reacted to her comment and got over 30 million views and 3 million likes. I was shocked because after, they all started going to my website and I got over 1,000 orders,” she said.

Although Laddin runs the business by herself, she said her family helps out as well and she plans to buy a warehouse and hire some staff, but she’s not sure when.

Laddin would also like to open a brick-and-mortar store in the future and continue with her business when she goes to college and beyond, even though her future career has nothing to do with her lip gloss business. She wants to go to law school and become a lawyer, she said.

Laddin’s mother, Lori Laddin, said she is proud of her achievements and said starting her own business has taught her daughter many lessons.

“Some include finances, businesses, interacting with vendors, interacting with customers, marketing, social media, taxes, shipping, and supply and demand. I also think it has taught her to understand the value of a dollar and how good making your own money feels. But the most important thing that I believe it has taught her is that the sky is the limit, and that she truly can make her business grow and grow, just like she has,” she said.

Laddin, with the help of her teacher Janice Foltz, balanced her school responsibilities with her business, and it’s working out well, she said.

“At first, I didn’t know how to balance my business and school, so I was stressed out, and one of my teachers was giving me ways to balance both so I do the business in the morning and school at nighttime,” she said.

Foltz, who has known Laddin since last August and teaches English 3 honors and advanced placement language and composition, said Laddin is “very driven and humble.”

“Lexxi is very dedicated to her education and ensures she sets time aside to stay on pace with her assignments,” Foltz said.

Laddin has this advice for other teens who dream of starting a business: “Really focus on social media because everyone’s on social media and it’s the biggest way to promote your business.”

Visit popagloss.com, email or follow her on Instagram at @Popaglosss or on TikTok at @popaglosscosmetics.