By Jill Fox
Most children take it easy during summer break, but one young entrepreneur is busy starting a business for her furry friends.
While quarantined in her Parkland home, Jocelyn Evans, 11, has focused her efforts on something special, her new line of dog accessories.
An owner of two dogs herself—a French Mastiff named Portia and a Goldendoodle, named Stewy, Jocelyn said she started her business, Doggie Designs to make dogs happy and comfortable.
“I have always had a love for dogs,” she said.
After her friends noticed her two pups wearing homemade dog collars and harnesses, they asked her to design collars for their own dogs. She decided to take her talents to the next level: dog designer.
Jocelyn just graduated fifth grade at Heron Heights Elementary School and attend North Broward Preparatory School in the fall. Although she spends the majority of her time dancing competitively for Dance Theater, Jocelyn quickly found the time to develop a website and Instagram account for Doggie Designs.
She began by marketing to her parents’ friends, and through word of mouth, sales increased. The collars and harnesses she designs come in a variety of designs and shoppers can even add bling to the collars.
This isn’t Jocelyn’s first professional attempt. At the age of 7, she self-published a book called Your First 10 Years of Life. In the self-improvement book, she breaks down the small amount of spare time children have and encourages readers to make every minute count.
Writing books run in the Evans family. In addition to Jocelyn’s book, both of her older brothers have authored books as well.
In 2017, with the assistance of their father, the three siblings held a contest on Twitter to help out a child who was being bullied at school. They used their earnings from book sales to send him to Walt Disney World and included flights, the resort, and even joining the family for some fun at the Magic Kingdom.
Jocelyn’s father, Michael, a book author himself, recently started Backyard Movies of South Florida, a social distancing compliant, outdoor movie company run by high school athletes in Parkland. Both of Jocelyn’s brothers are involved in that project, which donates $100 from each movie to Make Our Schools Safe.
Following in the footsteps of her philanthropic family, Jocelyn plans to find a worthy animal rescue to donate her proceeds from Doggie Designs.
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Author Profile
- Jill Fox is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. She has worked in public relations and television for over 20 years. Fox lives in Parkland with her husband and their two children.
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