Sheena Bradshaw started making soap at her kitchen sink after her dad developed allergies to commercial skincare products. 

She researched the process and began working on formulas and finding ingredients that would be good for your skin but still feel luxurious. After using the products herself, and giving them to family, Sheena launched her skincare business called ‘The Body Bakerie’ in December 2019.

Three years later and Sheena has now expanded her brand beyond soap to include various items such as body butter sticks, sugar scrubs, and lip butter balms.

Yello asked Sheena to tell us more about her life as a small business owner and how she hopes to continue growing her product line in 2023.

Describe yourself using three words. 

Ambivert. Resourceful. Sincere.

Tell us a bit about your childhood.

My parents moved us into a modest two bedroom home in St Thomas, when I was about six years old. 

I attended Sharon Primary and The St Michael School. I am a graduate of the Barbados Community College – Hospitality Institute, The University of the West Indies, and The University of Napier. 

Growing up as an only child, I was an avid reader, and at home my parent’s library had around 560 books and magazines of different genres.

What were your initial career plans? 

To be involved in the hospitality industry, primarily in the role of an event planner.

When / why did you start your business ‘The Body Bakerie’? 

The business officially started in December 2019, although I was making the products for some time for family and myself. 

My interest in making bath and body products arose when my dad began having challenges with allergies, including to commercial soap. 

I did copious amounts of research before I attempted to make products, especially soap, and started at the kitchen sink. 

It has also been my outlet for releasing stress from work, life etc.  

What was the biggest challenge you faced getting started? How did you deal with it? 

Like many other small business people, finances and marketing. I started with personal funds and grew incrementally to the point where, right now, I am no longer using my personal funds to support my businesses. 

I am still learning the marketing side, it is really not my speciality, but I depend on persons like Christina Hunte (a marketing professional) to give me some tips. 

There is room to grow in 2023.

What products do you currently offer?? 

While our primary product is handmade soap, we also produce lotions, body butter sticks, sugar scrubs, candles, wax melts, and lip butter balms. 

Around special holidays / events, we normally offer gift sets which are curated with the products mentioned above, and custom orders during the year.

Who is your typical client? How do they find / order your products?

My slogan is: ‘You deserve a little luxury’. That ‘you’ refers to guys and gals who value the notion of taking care of their skin and their mental health. They value feeling good and looking good, while also taking care of their skin.

It is also for the gift giver who purchases the products as gifts because they want to make the women / men in their lives happy and feel special.

Customers can contact me via mobile, WhatsApp, or social media. Depending on the occasion, clients can also customise certain orders. Once we finalise the order, customers have the option of collection or paid delivery.

Where do you get inspiration from for your products? 

From Pinterest, Instagram, magazines, other soap artists on YouTube, customer suggestions, a random pattern or colour scheme. For example, last Mother’s Day, I saw a picture in HGTV magazine, with a mother and daughter duo, and the inspiration for a soap came from the colours of their outfit.

Tell us more about the process of soapmaking from concept through to delivery.

Normally it begins by designing a soap, I have a small notepad that I use to draw designs in. Once I have that complete, then I figure out what the fragrance notes should be. Sweet or sultry? Green or water notes? My formulas usually remain the same, but the formula depends on the technique I am using (fellow soap makers will understand).

What is the unique selling point for The Body Bakerie?

I believe my unique selling point, and this has been confirmed by customers, is that while I mostly use the same natural butters and oils as others, there is a unique measure of creativity when you purchase a product from me. The customer can tell straight away that a great deal of thought and care has gone into developing each product.

What are your plans for The Body Bakerie over the next 12-18 months? 

This journey with The Body Bakerie has been fairly interesting. I am always researching products, ingredients, additives and their properties, along with ways in which I can reduce costs to the business. 

For example, because I make a limited number of candles, I started researching how to make my vessels from concrete. I made and tested vessels for a few months and now I offer concrete candles through my other business Simply by S.  

My aim over the next 12 months is to continue to streamline my brand and start to scale up. 

I use social media but most of my business has been through word of mouth. While that is fine, next year I would like to push some more, attend more events, get involved with collaborations with other small businesses, and use every opportunity, such as this one, to grow the business.

Who are the local entrepreneurs you admire?

Kerri (@l’irrek), Shahida (@shadari_jewellery), Janelle (@dajani_body_care), and Sheresa (@resasminiatures).

These are all local female entrepreneurs who are pushing and trying to build their brand and businesses, but always have words of encouragement.

What advice do you have for aspiring small business owners? 

Keep going and do not compare yourself to other similar businesses, especially in terms of social media. For the most part, people only post something positive on social but that may, or may not, really represent the health of the business.

Concentrate on your products, take your customers suggestions into consideration, and take whatever opportunities you can to grow the business. For instance, there are times when I go dormant on Instagram, mostly because it is a lot being the CEO (Chief Everything Officer), but in real life I am busy with wholesale and / or custom orders.

What do you love about Barbados? 

The beaches, and while that may sound a bit cliché, I have been on a journey of discovering beaches and bays that are not spoken of regularly. The latest one was Ginger Bay in St Philip. 

What is your philosophy / motto in life? 

It has always been to try. My parents would say to me “nothing beats a fail but a try”. Once I have an idea for a project I give it my full effort. If it doesn’t work, OK, what is the lesson learnt? If it does, how can I go harder? 

Never be afraid to try or to ask questions.

If a film was made of your life what would it be called? Who would play you?

‘Living life through a series of unfortunate events’. Probably a Nollywood actress.

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Order soaps, lotions, and other skincare items from The Body Bakerie online via https://thebodybakeriebb.company.site/ or Facebook and IG – @thebodybakerie.bb.