We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nakita Burns. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nakita below.

Nakita, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My oldest daughter suffered terribly from eczema. By the time she reached high school it had progressed to a point where the over the counter and prescription medicines were no longer working. The eczema had become unbearable on her hands to the point that she could barely write. After becoming frustrated and losing hope we created what was to become one of our signature bars. Our Three Butter Bar. It did wonders! Steadily her skin began to heal.

When we realized what the natural bar soap did for her, we knew this had to be shared. And Just You Soap Company was born. Just You Soap Company was created to help others that were looking for bath soap alternatives that would not only cleanse but moisturize their skin.

We marvel at the reviews we receive regarding our products. What happily astonishes me is the number of customers that exclusively use our products over the commercial bars they used to purchase. That alone let’s us know we have a product that is not only great for our family but for others as well.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the bath and body product industry out of concern and necessity. Understanding what my daughter was going through with her eczema and seeing the effects on others’ skin, we wanted to help in any way we could. We have bars without fragrances or colorants especially made for those with sensitive skin. We also have bars with fragrances and colorants for those that want a natural bar that will leave them feeling clean and refreshed (and not ashy and stiff). I am most proud of the reviews that we receive. We know how our bars make our skin feel but to hear others say that it feels good and leaves them moisturized means that we’re doing something right.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When we decided to start the business I had just resigned from a company I worked 13 years for. I took a generous portion of my 401k to purchase the initial supplies we needed to get started.

The most important lesson you will ever learn is reinvesting! Always be sure that you are reinvesting in your company to keep stock of supplies and other tools you will need to keep your business not only running but thriving.

If you have to “live off” of all your profits you are setting yourself up for failure. Understand that in the beginning you may have to reinvest your initial profits until you get to sure footing in your business.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn is that you’re the boss and the employee. There are no days off.

Yes, you should take breaks to not burn out but don’t rest on your laurels too long. And never stop learning. We began the company in 2016 but only in the last year, 2023, did we really decide to focus our efforts to really grow Just You Soap Company.

Thanks to my daughter and our awesome customers on TikTok we have been able to sell over 2000 bars of our newly formulated facial bar in a 30 day period. For some that may seem like small beans. But for us it is big news.

We were only able to do this after refocusing and honing in on our overall goal: To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience natural soap in a way that will free them and their skin.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.justyousoapcompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justyousoapcompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justyousoapcompany