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

Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I created ButtahBody back in 2020 out of necessity. I realized how much money I was wasting on moisturizers and lotions. None of them kept my skin moisturized throughout the day and most of them were filled with ingredients I didn’t know or understand. I had no idea what I was putting on my skin daily.

I was tired of brands pandering to the Black dollar, creating products based on what they think we needed or wanted. Most of these products did the exact opposite of what they claimed to do and contained toxic ingredients. I was tired of this, tired of getting the bare minimum.

Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies and I wanted something that loved my skin as much as I did. I knew I couldn’t be the only person feeling this way.

So I created ButtahBody, almost as a love letter to the Black community.

All ButtahBody products are made with top-tier, 100% natural ingredients, each one specifically chosen to nurture OUR skin. We practice brand transparency and heavily promote self-love/self-care. Too often we are misled by brands just to get our money. I didn’t want that for ButtahBody – I want people to choose our buttahs not for the fancy wording or logos, but because it really does what it says it will do, leave your skin feeling smooth, soft and moisturized all day.

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 background and context?

When I started ButtahBody, I was known for being CourtneyChews on Instagram. Starting ButtahBody felt like a natural addition to what I was already doing. At the core of both businesses is the love I have for my community, the Black community. CourtneyChews highlights and supports Black owned businesses while ButtahBody shows love to the Black community with products formulated specifically for them.

I believe that love for my community is what sets me apart from other skincare businesses. It’s why I use ingredients known to nourish our skin. It’s why I pour love and good energy into each batch I make. If my energy is off I will not make a batch until I get myself together because I don’t want to transfer my bad vibes.

Don’t think energy is transferable? Think about it this way — have you ever been around someone who was in a foul mood and all of a sudden, you felt like you were in a bad mood? That bad energy was transferred right to you. I would never transfer my bad energy to my buttahbabes.

In the short time that ButtahBody has been around, I’ve seen the impact it’s made in people’s lives. You should’ve seen my DM’s when I announced we were closing shop for a while, lol. People love our buttahs so much – and that’s what makes me the most happy. Most of my customers are people I’ve never met before, who have tried the product and adore it. To receive so much love from the same community I created ButtahBody for is everything!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As an entrepreneur, you have to expect the unexpected at all times. The best entrepreneurs are the ones that know how to roll with the punches. Cliche, but true. There will be times when your patience, finances and mental are tested, sometimes all at once. You have to be able to bounce back from these instances.

During one of ButtahBody’s first pop-ups, I ran out of jars for the buttahs. I ordered more off Amazon and expedited shipping so they could arrive in time. However, they arrived late and missing some jars. The flyers I ordered for the pop-up were incorrect. And to top it all off, the lady I had to help me print my labels correctly was sick and unable to do so.

It seemed like everything that could go wrong was going wrong. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get to me, I shed a few tears. But I only let that last for a minute – it was crunch time. Missing the pop-up was not an option and neither was half-a*sing my effort! So I made the decision to sell only what I had — about 20 of our 6 and 8 oz jars. I woke up early in the morning to re-create the flyers and get them printed at the local Fed Ex as soon as they opened. While I was there, I called the lady so she could walk me through the process of printing the labels correctly. It was hectic but it made me stronger. And, most importantly, the pop-up was a huge success.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Events where you can do in-person sales, like pop-ups, have been the best way for me to meet new clients.

My mother has said always said I never met a stranger and that’s true. I love talking to people and connecting with them. What better way to do this than being a vendor at an event/pop-up? It can be so beneficial for your business.

You can really get a feel of who your supporters are, what they like and don’t like, what catches their eye, etc. All helpful to know when you’re marketing online. In-person sales are also a great way to network. You never know who you’re going to meet. I did a pop-up at an event space in Atlanta and the owner of the venue became one of my biggest supporters!

I strongly encourage all businesses, but especially new businesses, to participate in a pop-up or an event where they can do in-person sales.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.buttahyobody.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/buttahyobody
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/buttahyobody
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@buttahyobody We are currently working on restocking. Our re-stock date is November 25th – please be sure to go to www.buttahyobody.com and sign up to join the Buttah’d Tribe for early access!

Image Credits
All photos are property of Courtney Britton