Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Augustine.
Hi Ana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a 51 years old female entrepreneur & small business owner of a 31 years old & 22 years old male both in college. One is an army veteran & the other a business major/football athlete. I’m also a marine corps female veteran which is rare I am one of the few & the proud. I started my skincare/body care business to make everyone feel good.
Created it from the bottom up. Started my business with $500. I did my business page, logo, marketing, formulated & created my own products, packaged & shipped them myself. I researched for years seemed like but only a couple of months actually. I procrastinated for years as this had been a dream of mine to own my own business. I was caught up in being a mom & giving my all to my kids. As a multiple breast cancer survivor self-care & self-love was beneficial to me. While going through breast cancer my skin was brutal, dry & irritated at times. Plus I had hair loss. I wanted to make sure I invested in making myself & others feel good about themselves even while going through a type of illness. I wanted to formulate & create natural products for both men & women with all types of skin. This is my passion & I take pride in being in the lab as I call it. I call myself Chef Bela because I’m always cooking up something in the lab. I take care of my business like it’s my baby. By creating different products & smells it brings me so much joy. In this business, you have to have tough skin & not let things get to you. Your priority is keeping things afloat & not feed into negativity.
As a small business owner/entrepreneur I want to bless others as I’ve been blessed. I started out with just me alone. Now I have a whole team that includes admin & logistics etc. I have got great reviews & I’m always giving back in some shape or form. My biggest seller is my youthful glow body oil & my whipped shea body butter. I have a line of over 40 plus products. I hope that they enjoy my products & I make them feel special. I’m blessed with a gift of creating & crafting that’s my purpose. I’m living purposefully now. I love to cook & entertain. I’m kinda shy but I’m not naive. I like going out to eat trying different things, traveling & maybe venturing to a jazz lounge or some event here in Atlanta. I’m a big sports fan so I love to watch sports. Cherish each moment of life. I would like to thank my Hunny Reginald, my kids Arie & Jomier for supporting me on my endeavor. And also my Mom for always pushing me to keep going & not to give up! And lastly my Dad, siblings, extended family & friends for believing in me & my dreams. I’m fortunate to have a big support system! Ana Chabela “Bela” Augustine
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I lost a lot of money when I first started trying to create products, wage the costs of ingredients & the pricing of selling & shipping. I also had to do everything on my own at first so it was very tiring because I also have a full-time job. The marketing is a very time-consuming keeping your audience & consumers engaged. If you don’t have a big budget for marketing it can be an issue at times.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business specializes in body care, skincare & hair products. I create & formulate products for the entire body from head to toe & also hair products to stimulate your hair. You should know that first I’m a female entrepreneur in very competitive beauty industry. I’m known for my body oils & skin creams. That’s my baby-making oils. That was the first thing I created. I called it bela’s youthful glow body oil. What sets me apart from others is my ability to give back even when I don’t have as much as other entrepreneurs. I always wanna make my customers & supporters feel good about their bodies & the way my products make them feel. I’m most proud of my brand because it’s made out of love. My body care, skin care & hair products are made with natural ingredients & very authentic. They’re made for people also with sensitive skin such as eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis. I always preach be kind & love wins. My customers know that I appreciate them. I have a product line for women & men. I offer affordable natural products with bundles & I am always having sales & giveaways. I also do wholesales for customers. I have 35 wholesalers that use my products in their boutiques, businesses, pop-up shops & online businesses. I don’t upcharge or price gauge customers. I will also deliver the same day in the Atlanta area if need be.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something surprising that people don’t know about me is that I’m actually very shy. I’m not a person that likes to be vocal or live & in person on social media. I do a lot of posting for marketing but not live. Also, they wouldn’t know that the reason I wanted to do a body care & skincare business is that I had breast cancer twice. And the most shocker is that I’m a marine corps veteran. They are like wow you’re beautiful you look like you’re soft lol.
Pricing:
- Most of my products are affordable under $20.
- My wholesale is $100 for 10 of the same product items.
Contact Info:
- Email: belasbodycare@gmail.com.
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/BelasBodyCare/shop/?ref_code=share_shop&ref_surface=share_shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belasbodycare/?fs=e&s=cl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelasBodyCare/
