admin There comes a point of time in our life, where we are not satisfied with the current situation we are in, or we don’t realise how much we needed something until we look for it or discover it out of the blue.
Something similar happened to Roberta Perry of ScrubzBody Skin Care, when one day while looking for better skin care products, she started her own line. While wanting to use skin care products which made her skin healthier, she decided to make them on her own.
What started as a passion to make her own skin healthy ended up as a full-time business to help the world gain healthier skin.
It gave us a place to not only manufacture but sell and share experiences with customers. – Roberta Perry
The Accidental Business
Roberta Perry believes she actually became an entrepreneur on accident. To take utmost care of her own skin, she started making sugar scrub for herself. She gave some to her late sister Michelle to try, who had the wonderful idea of creating a business to sell the scrub.
In June of 2006, Perry started preparing the products in her very own kitchen. It has been 17+ years since she started this business and Roberta believes in giving her customers the best possible experience.
The business was a way of keeping herself busy as well as spending some quality time with her late sister. While building their customer base, they met with a lot of entrepreneurs in the same field. In the beginning, being an online and wholesale shop worked for Perry but as the business grew, the thought of having a retail store for their business seemed like a great idea.
About opening the retail shop Roberta mentions that, “It gave us a place to not only manufacture, but sell and share experiences with customers.”
The Woman Behind the Accident
Roberta is a mother to 3 children, grandmother to 3 grandkids, and a wife since 1985. Although she has had her fair share of troubles throughout life, she is grateful for all the experiences and situations as well, and loves being a positive woman as she focuses on the future and the best things life has to offer.
Roberta, has had some thrilling life/risk experiences. Accidental entrepreneurship was one of them and absolutely worked out for her. Other experiences include traveling, hiking to the top of tall mountains, inline skating, drumming, and cycling.
She has had the opportunity to inline skate and cycle on bike paths throughout the world.
Just like the phrase, ‘when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade’ when Roberta wanted healthier skin she got up and made her own skin products. Now that is the determination of a woman who knows what she wants and absolutely works hard to get it.
Roberta believes being honest is the key to becoming a successful entrepreneur. She chooses to be nice and straightforward with her customers, as well as keeping it light by showing her humour. She believes it’s always a privilege when customers want to buy her products. And customizing products for them to make them feel special is her love language towards her customers.
Beautiful Growth of the Business
To make working more interesting, Roberta’s late sister suggested they have “Make Your Own Scrubz” parties hosted at their shop. These events opened their business to a larger audience and many more customers. After the passing of her sister, the store continues to host parties regularly, for ages 10-adult, and makes sure to let everyone know the parties were Michelle’s idea.
For Perry, her customers are her ‘Brand Ambassadors’ as well as family. As people are her greatest inspiration, Perry loves to make them feel good about themselves, especially when she found out that her products do just that. She makes sure no one leaves her shop without a smile on their face. Apart from travelling places and exploring the world, Perry loves to explore people. With every new customer Perry is rewarded a new experience.
About the store Perry mentions, “I love coming into the shop, it’s inspiring in smell, sight and sound. Plus, I get to interact with my customers. I call the store my home away from home.”
The growth of managing her work time and family time is balanced since many systems are put into place. Perry has to work only 6 hours a day, 5 times a week. Along with her is Wendy, her best childhood friend, who had helped out since the beginning, but came to work full time after Michelle passed.
It gave us a place to not only manufacture but sell and share experiences with customers. – Roberta Perry
Falls and Troubles
When the lockdown started, people no longer wanted to book the “Make Your Own Scrubz” parties and the cancellations grew in number. It was not a good thing for the business.
But Roberta, a natural business woman turned the tables for herself and the company. They added a home party product on the website, created a postcard explaining how to host a “Make Your Own Scrubz” at home, and started selling the kits.
Whipping up something good out of a bad situation, and not just for herself, but also for others, is in our opinion, Roberta’s superpower.
In the beginning of the business, Roberta’s focused had to shift completely from her family to the business to hold a steady ground. Her husband and kids were of course not happy with that. But time always helps. So as the business grew, and the kids got older, the dynamics of her household changed. The family learned to adapt and help, thus growing together more in love.
Surrounding herself with powerful women who support each other has helped Roberta get this far, where her products are sold to thousands of customers and her products have reached to people worldwide.
Futuristic Goals of Roberta Perry
A few years ago, the team started a private label business which helps other business owners who don’t want to make everything they sell. Sharing her experience and advice with these business owners is a joy, as she loves to help people.
Through this private label product and consulting side of the business, Roberta can’t wait to help other rising skincare entrepreneurs.
Perry’s Advice to Young Entrepreneurs
For Roberta, joining a mastermind type of group with like-minded ladies has been the key in every aspect of her business life. Her “Chignon 7” Mastermind Group as well as Indie Business Network with Donna Maria as the mentor, have changed the direction of her business and she is forever grateful.
Roberta shares that being around like-minded people who want to succeed and wish to see you succeed will always be the best thing to do.
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