Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Williams.
Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
LaBlu Serenity was created in 2019. I started out making a few skincare products just for me and my children. I was always looking for natural skin care products that had clean ingredients and scents but actually moisturize our skin. I started out by formulating body sugar scrubs because of my eczema I only get in the warm months and for my son who gets severe dry lips. We took him to the pediatrician and there was nothing they could prescribe for him, so I started making our own products. I then branched off and started making products for friends and family and it took off from there. At the time I was a store manager working 40+ hours a week and still trying to run my business. It was very hard because I was running my store and also running another store in Macon. It was taking away from me spending time with my husband and my children. Fast forward to the pandemic hitting and we had to close down the store because of the pandemic. The pandemic was a blessing and of curse all in one. The blessing was that it allowed me and my husband to be home with the children and spend time with them that we have lost working day in and day out. It also allowed me to put more into my own business and I soon realized that I was going to step out on faith and resign from my full-time position. I did my first pop-up shop and that turned out was very successful, that was another sign that it was time to go all-in with my business. I made sure I took the necessary steps to protect my business. So I got my LLC, trademarked my business name and invested in the equipment and products I needed to have a successful business.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Let me be 100% transparent when I say being an entrepreneur has its ups and downs. In the beginning of 2021, I was now a full-time business owner. I was selling my products at markets every weekend. The money was rolling in and business was flourishing. What I did not know was that when the colder months come around markets start to slow down for vendors, and I was not prepared for that. The income and sales was not coming in as much and times became hard. My husband had to pay for things I was used to paying. That was hard for me because I’m very independent, do it myself, don’t ask for no help kind of person. I ended up getting a part-time job to make up for the lost income. But what I did not do was give up on LaBlu Serenity. I kept grinding, kept praying, and learning from those challenges. Also owning your own company means working around the clock. I’m CEO, product maker, marketing manager, Financial budget, and all the above. I am praying and manifesting to be able to have a team to keep the ball rolling.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
LaBlu Serenity is a skin company based in Atlanta, GA. We make skincare products that are for our minimalist, clean and cruelty-free skincare lovers. We make everything from whipped body butters that we use some of the best ingredients such as raw unrefined Shea butter, avocado oil, grape seed oil, and so many other healthy oils and herbs for the skin. We have about 13 different scents to choose from. Customers are usually really amazed by the scents of our products because they are getting natural skincare that smells amazing. The scents we use are oil-based scents which is more gentle on the skin. We also are known for our herbal soaps and herbal face cleansers. We specialize in making body sugar scrubs those are some of our most popular items that we sell because they are formulated to cleanse your body, exfoliate, and also moisturize your skin from head to toe. All of our products are very safe to use for the whole family. A lot of our customers suffer from skin problems such as eczema, or severely sensitive skin. Those are our repeat customers because our products always work well on their skin without irritation. At this time the Lablu Serenity do not have a stand-alone store. We enjoy going around to different neighborhoods in the surrounding areas of Atlanta vending and allowing our customers to try out our products. It also gives our customers the opportunity to be able to get to us easier. We also offer drop-off services to some of our repeat customers.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Just to give you a little background about who I am. I am originally from Los Angeles California. I came to Atlanta Georgia in 2005 intended Clark Atlanta University. I majored in fashion design/merchandising. I graduated with my B.A. in 2007. I worked in management doing a lot of visual merchandising for different companies for a while. Around 2009 I went to cosmetology school at Atlanta Tech college and went on and got my cosmetology license. This was something I always wanted to do as a child. I always love doing hair and I always wanted to be a salon owner. I worked in a salon a few years up until the time I had my first child in 2011. I left doing hair because I wanted to spend more time with my daughter and husband, but once she got a little bit older I went back into the workforce for a few years. I always knew I want to own my business. I just had to figure out what business that was going to be. Being in management actually prepared me for being an Entrepreneur. I learned everything about sales goals, budgeting, selling to the public, marketing, and so much more.
Contact Info:
- Email: labluserenity@gmail.com
- Website: www.labluserenity.com
- Instagram: labluserenity
- Facebook: labluserenity
Image Credits
Tj Williams owner of Gold Ranks athletics
