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

Hi Amanda , thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I have always wanted to start a business. Since early college, I have been collecting notebooks of ideas. Call it a side hustle, a business, or a passion project, I thought about it frequently. I felt this constant weight on me every day I did not take action to put that dream into motion. It felt like a forever knot in my stomach.

I specifically remember being at dinner with friends when the word “wantrepreneur” was used. I thought to myself, that is me. I wanted it badly, but it was a want. Certainly far from being a reality. I read a ton of self-help books, listened to podcasts, and researched ideas frequently. Years passed with no action. I was consumed by my day-to-day work, unable to break free from my immediate responsibilities. When listening to a business podcast, I remember an individual comparing their journey to entrepreneurship to a skateboarder running around with their board, but never putting it down. I could relate to that feeling. Lots of activity and thought but no progress forward.

I entered my thirties and realized everything I thought I was working toward, a big corporate career, was not what I wanted. I was working long hours, I was glued to my desk, and I was struggling to find the time to do anything but sleep, eat, and work. I told myself – this cannot continue. If I devoted some of my energy to something else, could I not build anything of value? I was at a point where even if it did not result in any financial gain, the act of doing was far more important. I had spent so many years thinking, brainstorming, and writing to find that “perfect” idea, that I was in a state of total inaction.

So I took a risk. I founded a company called BODDI after going through a challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being isolated and working long hours, I started neglecting my health and personal hygiene. It made me realize the importance of personal hygiene in maintaining mental well-being. This experience pushed me to create a solution that would make it possible for everyone to stay clean and healthy, regardless of their lifestyle, situation, challenges, or adventures.

I left my corporate job to start BODDI and told myself I would dedicate the next few months to giving it a try. After more than two years of development and testing, BODDI was born. BODDI is a natural body cleanse that doesn’t require rinsing and is packed with ingredients that effectively cleanse and hydrate the skin. Whether you’re going from a workout to a meeting, living life on the road, exploring the mountains, or juggling a busy family and work life, BODDI is your instant refresh.

It was a big decision, but I learned a lot:
– There is no perfect idea. There are always challenges that will need to be worked through.

– There are always risks and trade-offs. The largest risk and failure would have been to not have never tried.

– There is no perfect time to start. It will always be busy, there will always be a project, and there will always be a life event that often tries to pull you away.

– There is no passive or easy business to launch. It all requires time and effort.

– Small steps lead to big steps. It feels overwhelming, but things can be accomplished one bite at a time. An hour each day can get you started.

-Let go of what others will say/think. I worried about this at the start. It does not matter. It feels uncomfortable in the beginning, but that fades.

– There will be good days and bad days. The rule of thirds. When chasing a dream or doing anything challenging, you are meant to feel good a third of the time, ok a third of the time, and bad a third of the time. It is ok to have bad days. They will happen.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I created BODDI while going through a challenging time in my life. I was working long hours in the tech industry and realized the time I was investing into my corporate career was no longer leading me to the right place. That commitment and energy needed to be re-directed. I needed to course-correct and better reflect and outline the life I wanted to create for myself.

Through that difficult time, I started to neglect my hygiene and health. Daily tasks like showering, and brushing my hair and teeth became a challenge. I thought to myself – if I have all the resources available to maintain my health and hygiene – an apartment, hygienic products, clean water – how incredibly difficult must it be for someone who does not have a home, is living on the road, juggling multiple jobs or overall lacks access to a clean water source.

I created BODDI to help ensure that anyone, anywhere could stay healthy and clean. Being and feeling clean and refreshed is very connected to mental health. I also wanted the product to be natural and safe for all skin types, but still highly effective. I spent two years developing the formula before moving to production. It needed to be right!

The primary goal upon starting was to develop relationships with homeless shelters in the NYC area. I wanted the brand to be closely tied to its mission of helping to support those who lack access to clean water. I am actively trying to build relationships with partners servicing the homeless community to see how BODDI can help. I will continue to build on that focus as we get closer to launching at the end of the 2024 year.

In addition, I truly admire those who live a life aligned with their goals, aspirations, commitments, and or passions. I wanted to create a product that would help someone stay clean and healthy anytime and anywhere to ensure that no matter where life led a person, staying and feeling clean would not have to be sacrificed.

Everyone has a story to tell. People are doing and are capable of incredible things! Training for your first 10k, raising a family of 4, starting a company, going on a 1-month road trip, hiking a long trail through the wilderness….it all takes incredible courage. BODDI is there to help you feel good and clean while achieving it.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was committed to developing a product that was natural, hydrating, non-sticky, and effective – helped remove odors and dirt from the skin. It took a few tries to say the least. Developing the product took time.

I started working with a formulation company, and after a year, determined they were not the right partner. After a year of developing and testing, I was back to square one. Not a fun place to be. I knew I had to pivot. Armed with more knowledge about the process, I started reaching out to over 150+ partners – gathering more information and getting feedback, all to ensure my next step was the right one.

Cold calling and reaching out for help can be uncomfortable. I certainly struggled with it, but knew I had to do it if I was going to continue in this process. You learn to lean into the uncomfortable and to get ok with the fact that at times, progress may take longer than you had originally planned for.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

When I decided I was going to move forward with my business idea, my experience was in analytics, strategy, and operations. I knew little about the steps to produce a hygiene product. I started as you would expect, doing a lot of research (Bing / Google) and collecting as much information as I could.

I read articles about ingredients, spoke to freelance formulators and dermatologists that I found on Upwork and Fiverr, found Facebook groups for entrepreneurs, and reached out to those who had more experience to see if they would be willing to connect. One of my greatest learnings is that more times than not, people are willing to connect and share their thoughts. I found smaller companies and reached out to their founders to see if they would be willing to chat for a consulting fee. Anything I could do to make a connection, I tried.

Those conversations and recommendations led me to manufacturers, designers, and formulators which then led to another set of potential partners and connections to reach out to.

In addition, I kept a spreadsheet of all manufacturing companies I was finding via searching online and on Google Maps, reading articles, and looking at product labels. I emailed or called over 200+ manufacturers. I spoke to anyone who responded to my inquiries. Even if they ended up not being the right partner, I left with a small or large amount of information I did not have previously.

A few of my largest takeaways:
– Start domestic. I found that trying to create a custom formula and product with a partner overseas was too challenging. There were too many unknowns. I wanted to ensure my formula was kept safe and private and I wanted to be able to go to my manufacturing partner and view the process if needed. The increased control I would have over the process as a brand-new product outweighed the cost difference of manufacturing overseas.

– Finding a manufacturer willing to produce a smaller number of units proved to be an added challenge at the start. However, they are out there. There are manufacturers domestically that do not require a large initial order. I made it a priority to find a partner that was willing to grow with me, instead of meeting a minimum purchase order amount I would not be able to support upon launch.

– Ask a lot of questions. My first formulator partner proved to not be the right one. That became clearer as I started asking more questions and getting second and third opinions. Have a checks and balance system set up. If something does not feel right OR you are uncertain, find an outside opinion. Hire someone with experience on Upwork or Fiverr. I double and triple-checked most steps at the start to make sure I was informed.

Contact Info:

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