In this second of four back-to-back episodes about personal care products, Leslie Arthur discusses how she started her first business in Hawaii 16 years ago and organized the most recent business, now seven years old. She shares practical advice about research and development; selling retail, wholesale, and by consignment; and strategies to make product lines more cost effective and accessible.
Leslie started making and selling soap, bath, and body products when she and her boyfriend, now husband, lived in Hawaii in 2004. This was a practical decision, based on opportunity, access to unique flowers and fragrances, limited regulation, and access to a tourist market. But it was also a rush to sell her own products, sometimes hundreds of products a day. And it made more sense than selling food, another interest of hers. Fast-forward a decade and Leslie re-created her business as an alternative to a desk job and a way to manage her family life. Now in Richmond, Virginia, Leslie lives close to the largest farmers’ market in the state. This has given her huge opportunities to learn from her customers, streamline her product line, and grow her in-person business. Similar to many of us, though, the onset of Coronavirus changed Leslie’s business. She had to pivot to online sales—a difficult transition. In doing so, Leslie’s resilience and creativity has led to savvy sales strategies. Learn how Leslie has adapted her business approach, including an updated website (version #3), production, and sales.
You can find out more about Leslie’s business at https://www.facebook.com/BonAirNaturals and https://www.instagram.com/bonairnaturals/ as well as purchase her products at www.bonairnaturals.com.
You can also find the book that Leslie referenced, Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine, by Mike Michalowicz at https://profitfirstbook.com/.
For more information about the movement behind the podcast, visit our Facebook Group, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/350301745982098; follow us on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/cotcup/, and check out examples of our guests’ creations on Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/cotcup/boards/