Katie Aubert displays her business and SAE, Katie’s Car Freshies, at a trade show in Kansas.
“Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” For Rossville FFA Member Katie Aubert, this motto describes her business venture and Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).
Aubert of Rossville, Kan., is a 14-year-old entrepreneur. As the owner and operator of Katie’s Car Freshies, she’s chasing and funding her dreams at the same time.
Aubert started her business to financially support her 4-H livestock. Now that she’s an FFA member, Aubert will continue her business as an SAE with the help of her advisor, Doug Reser.
In 2020, Aubert started creating her car fresheners with the help of her “mom-ager,” her mother, Jessica. Her business has grown since then, and this past April she participated in the Kansas State University’s, Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge. In this competition, she competed in a business trade show, where she had to explain to judges many aspects of her car fresheners.
“I told them about my business, why I did it, what they were, my price standpoint, the future of my business and how I would like to expand,” Aubert says. After being named as a finalist for an existing business in the competition and finishing third as a Trade Show People’s Choice Award, it’s safe to say Katie’s Car Freshies were successful.
In the future, Aubert would like to continue to develop her business.
“I’d like to expand into an old horse trailer to get them out of the house,” she says. “I’d also like to add new products like carpet fresheners and livestock mold wax melts.”
Currently, Aubert sells car fresheners in the shape of livestock animals and custom logos. She also recently launched carpet fresheners.
Aubert’s carpet fresheners.
Aubert’s product inventory of car fresheners.
The process of creating Katie’s Car Freshies includes mixing aroma beads with the scent oil of her or the customer’s choice, then putting them in the molds, baking them in the oven, letting the freshie cool, drilling a hole, attaching a string, decorating the freshies, packaging and labeling them. Aubert sells most of her products at vendor events, but she’s also located in boutiques and farms around Kansas. You can also find her on Facebook at Katie’s Car Freshies.
Katie’s Car Freshies logo, which can be found on her Facebook page.
Aubert continued her entrepreneurial goals by creating a new business called 5A Goat Rental. In this venture, she utilizes and rents her 4-H goats out for pasture clearing.
Besides FFA, Aubert is active in 4-H and the Future Business Leaders of America. This year, she will also join the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. In the future, Aubert is still going down the business route.
“I’d like to go to Kansas State, major in entrepreneurship and possibly take animal science classes there,” she says.
As Aubert expands her SAE and business, she is constantly working toward the FFA motto. From learning how to create and run Katie’s Car Freshies to serving others in her community and throughout Kansas, Aubert’s SAE is leading her down a path of success, both now and into her future career.
