New business roundup: Two new businesses are coming to Ashland this fall

By Cassidy Brown

Busy parents with dirty car seats or kids struggling in school are in luck with two small businesses coming to Ashland this fall that could solve both problems.

Tiny Traveler Detail Co. is a locally owned business specializing in professional car seat and stroller cleaning that is skin-safe and eco-friendly. Owners Bryce and Isabel Sanders founded Tiny Traveler Detail Co. when they realized their nieces’ car seats required a deeper clean.

“Our service is so that busy parents don’t have to worry about it,” Bryce Sanders said. Sanders does the stain removal and detailing, while his wife focuses on setting up their social media presence and website, the latter of which, he promised, is coming soon.

The company’s “professional car seat detailing service is designed to remove dirt, stains, and everyday messes,” according to the Facebook page, and will “leave your little one’s seat fresh, safe and spotless.”

Sanders, a full-time Missouri Army National Guard soldier, has already met many matches for tough stain removal, including the most feared substance in any family’s household: slime. Even for slime, Sanders said he knows what products and chemicals to use that won’t provoke allergies, pose harm, or bother kids or their skin.

Tiny Traveler Detail Co. officially opened for business on Aug. 1, and since then has been taking a tedious and difficult chore off of busy parents’ to-do lists. “They bring it to us, and it’s like brand new again, and it’s clean and sanitary,” Sanders said.

Customers can schedule a pickup and delivery appointment with Tiny Traveler Detail Co. by texting the number listed on the Facebook page or messaging the page directly.

Tutoring services

DOT Education Company is a tutoring company founded by Heather Smith, a former elementary teacher and curriculum coach who has worked in education for 18 years and is passionate about supporting “gap” students. The company is opening in Ashland this fall.

When working in public education as a curriculum coach, Smith found that students who were struggling or behind the district’s standards needed additional support and plans in place for them to be successful. Schools with limited resources can struggle to provide the resources tailored to these “gap” students’ individual needs for success. So Smith decided to help fill the gaps she saw with DOT Education Co.

DOT stands for Differentiated Opportunities to Learn, meaning DOT Education Co. aims to tailor a supportive curriculum to the individual student, which it will do through individual and small group instruction that aligns with the curriculum used by their school.

When DOT Education Co. opens for business in October, Smith said she plans to begin by primarily tutoring elementary students, focusing on math and reading, but she has a larger vision for what the company could become.

Smith saw a need in the Ashland community for a service like this while working at the University of Missouri as a project manager for federal grants in education, when she worked closely with many schools in Boone County.

She hopes that in the future, DOT Education Co. will provide coaching and consulting in schools and districts about developing plans that support struggling students, similar to the private consulting work she’s done in the past for school districts.

Smith also wants DOT Education Co. to eventually provide learning opportunities that serve as additional opportunities to support the curriculum students are being taught, such as hosting STEAM labs.

Smith is currently interviewing to build her staff, which she said will comprise only certified teachers with classroom experience. Enrollment will open in September, with the company’s first sessions beginning in October, Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. DOT Education Co. will initially prioritize elementary students but is open to homeschool, alternative and public school children.

“We’re excited to offer an opportunity to support and enrich students in the area where it’s local, right by school,” Smith said. The company will run out of an office building on Henry Clay Boulevard. “Parents don’t have to drive to Columbia or Jefferson City to get that additional support– it’s right here,” she said.

She believes DOT Education Co. will be a resource for families to “help support their kids and get them up to where they want to be: with their peers and not feeling behind.”

“Ultimately, we want kids to feel successful,” Smith said. “Every student is an individual learner … and in these settings where we’re one-on-one or small groups, we can tailor instruction to really meet students where they’re at.”