Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantel Powell.
Chantel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2017, when I picked up my six-year-old son Kameron from basketball practice my exact words to him were, “You smell like a Grown Man!” My baby boy smelled terrible and I wasn’t having it! I set out to purchase deodorant for him but I knew I wasn’t about to put any aluminum-based deodorants on him. I was disappointed to discover there was nothing I trusted as there was a lack of chemical-free kid-friendly deodorants on the market and there was nothing “cool” enough for him to be excited about putting on every day.
Having eczema and believing in natural remedies, I was always in the house, creating different solutions for my family. I was very careful about what I put on my own skin so I wasn’t about to place anything on my son that I wasn’t comfortable with. I remembered my grandmother would put baking soda under my arms before I went out to play, so I decided to get some ingredients I had in my kitchen: coconut oil, cornstarch, baking soda and essential oils and create my own. Once Kam started wearing it, always wanting to help others, he had the idea of “Mom, you should be making this for everybody”! After initially downplaying his request, I decided he might be on to Something!
In 2018 we launched with only 21 family and friends at a small intimate party at the Spice Suite in Washington D.C. Afterwards, we took a grassroots approach and was able to get out to markets, expos and events to connect in-person with people and educate families on the importance of choosing better products. In less than 18 months, Play-Pits has become a six-figure, hand-crafted product-based company with over 28k. ORGANICALLY grown followers, world-wide customers, and products in stores nationwide!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I do not think any budding entrepreneur has a smooth ride, especially a black woman entrepreneur. I would consider getting people to take us seriously as a hurdle. In the beginning, when we would approach retail, we would have many doors closed on us. I had to get out my feelings, continue to focus on making the best product I could, let word-of-mouth carry us and decided to allow the retailers to come to us instead; they did. Another hurdle would be getting organically listed on “best of” lists. Deodorant is colorless and although we are always grateful for whenever we appear in an article or blog, our product should not be relegated to only “Black-Owned Company you should know” roundups. Many of these “best of” blogs/websites often post the same big corporate brands or white-owned brands that they are affiliated with or pay commissions to be listed. We have grown organically without having to pay for public relations and affiliates and believe if we make enough noise, they will hear us; they did.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Play Pits – what should we know?
Play Pits started out as a natural deodorant company for kids that parents could trust, which now specializes in making products for the entire family. Being organically recognized in Good Housekeeping for 2020 “Best smelling kids’ deodorant” was extremely exciting but being listed on Beyonce’s Black Parade put me on cloud nine! What sets us apart is that we took a boring product in a boring category and created an experience! Another difference and maybe the most important is that I am not a faceless corporation pumping out a product to stay relevant; I am my customer. I am a mother who wants the best for her child and wants to be able to trust the products that I purchase for my family; I just decided to create the products.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
People know myself and Kameron as the faces of the company, but I am very blessed to have an incredibly supportive family and village behind me. Even if they thought I was crazy with the idea, they still believed in me enough to lend their support in various forms. Before we had employees, I had cousins labeling containers, aunts and uncles packing orders, friends telling friends, and neighbors cooking dinner for my family because our kitchen was always tied up. I also credit Nikki Creator/Owner of Zen in a Jar, a luxury body care line as my fairy godmother.It was during a meeting with her when I was developing the brand that I heard the “cha-ching” of a sale on her phone, which affirmed that I could make money doing this.
With all that said, the unsung hero in helping us to achieve the success that we have is my husband. He has supported the idea of Play Pits since day one by sacrificing crucial family time to respond to numerous emails and contact customers; traded date nights to stay up late and brainstorm ideas and pitches, gave up home-cooked meals to wipe tears and listen to frustrations, etc. Other than myself, he is the only person who knows our formula and for a critical time during our start-up phase, he handled all operations while I was away.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.playpits.com
- Email: customerservice@playpits.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playpits
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Playpits
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