Do’nut’ eat it…it is soap
Jackson Renberg and a display of his handmade soaps for sale at Young Ameritowne Marketplace in April 2023. YA Marketplace is a venue where children entrepreneurs showcase and sell their wares. Jackson’s product is Zing Soap.
Beginning in first grade, Jackson Renberg wanted to be an entrepreneur; he even made a fake business nametag and decided Zing was a good company name. Fast forward a few years to 2020, when Jackson was 9 and home during the lockdown, the innovative and creative kid decided to try his hand at making soap.
After tinkering with recipes and methods, Jackson created a product that friends and family loved, and he realized his donut-shaped soaps would be his first business, with the motto: “We make clean fun.”
Zing Soap’s motto is “we make clean fun” and features a signature donut shape. The soaps are hand made by Jackson Renberg.
Zing sounds “fresh and clean,” according to Jackson, and he stuck with the name for his soaps.
“I love that soap is something that everyone needs,” he said. “I also love that I can be creative and can change the shapes, sizes, colors and scents to make something boring, fun.”
Combining his love for technology and creativity, Jackson built his own computer and designed the Zing soap website. He has sold about 4,000 soaps since making his business official, four years ago. In addition to online sales, Zing soap is available at the Stanley Marketplace in Denver.
After visiting Young AmeriTowne for a school fieldtrip in 2022, Jackson learned more about the Young Americans Center for Financial Education (YAC) and the programs promoting youth education in financial literacy and entrepreneurialism. Through YAC, Jackson signed up for a booth in the YouthBiz Holiday Marketplace in Denver where he made networking and mentorship connections. That led to his entry into the YouthBiz Spotlight Business challenge, where he was named a finalist in 2023, in the 11-13 age category.
The application process is extensive and includes a business plan, but Jackson was not daunted, and he returned to the YouthBiz Spotlight Business challenge again for 2024. He was speechless when he won the 12-15 age category. Jackson received $2,000 to invest in his company plus a one-year mentorship from a prominent local business owner. Jackson’s acceptance speech in front of 500 people at the formal gala is posted on Zing Soaps Instagram page.
Jackson is philanthropically-minded, donating one bar of soap for every five bars sold to the Ronald McDonald House, a charity close to his heart after his cousin and her family frequently stayed there over the course of several heart surgeries. Jackson knows his donut-shaped soaps help put smiles on families’ faces when they are going through difficult times.
Jackson, a Noble Ridge resident, is currently in seventh grade at Rocky Heights Middle School and looks forward to next year when he will be eligible to apply to be on the Youth Advisory Board for YAC.
Check out Jackson’s Zing soap website at zingsoapstore.com and Instagram @zing_soaps.
Seventh grade Rocky Heights Middle School student Jackson Renberg won the 2024 Spotlight on YouthBiz Star award in the 12-15 age category. The award was announced and presented during a gala with 500 attendees at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on October 24. Jackson won $2,000 and a year mentorship with a local business mentor.
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Janna Renberg
