Success Story

Fran Ngong was a mortgage loan officer who made shea butter soaps as a hobby and as tokens of appreciation to her co-workers.  When her employer terminated her position due to declines in the real estate market, Fran withdrew money from her retirement savings and began to sell her soaps, creating Fran’s Organics, a client of the Raymond V. Haysbert, Sr. Entrepreneurship Center at the Greater Baltimore Urban League. Over the years, she added natural deodorants, salt scrubs, and skin moisturizers, which she sold at festivals and special events. She has operated kiosks in major area malls and recently opened another location at BWI Airport as part of the Launchpad Program, which provides reduced rents on kiosks to support minority businesses and assists with startup costs on associated with airport leases.