Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Britany Bibeau. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Britany, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

This is one of those topics that has become very taboo. Nobody wants to ask their friends and family to support them. They just want to feel supported. And truthfully in today’s society nobody supports you more than somebody you don’t know. It’s almost as if the support from friends and family hast to be earned. I’m not saying as a small business owner I haven’t had friends and family support me because I am very grateful to say that I have been showed support over the years and I have an amazing support system in place. But over the years I can say there has definitely been different times where I necessarily didn’t always feel supported. Sometimes you have to be the support system, and search for your type of people. Build your community of supporters by supporting others but whatever you do, do not cancel your business just because people you know do not support you. The world is literally full of strangers who rooting for you to win. A customer will become a friend faster than a friend will be a customer.

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?

My name is Britany Bibeau. I am the sole proprietor of Bath By B, a vegan bath and body business located in the city with a heart of gold (Timmins, Ontario).

I have always been a really creative person, and an advocate for self-care. I know that you personally cannot fill from an empty cup. And when you take time to fill yourself, you can then pour into others without leaving yourself empty. Also wanting to live a zero-waste lifestyle as well as reduce my carbon footprint I started looking at natural products and the ones that I could eliminate in my home. When you mix self-care and zero waste together you get a girl who is obsessed with creating zero waste self-care products. I didn’t fully commit to my business until 2021-2022 and then I launched my website I really love learning and one thing about creating and formulating products is the opportunity to always learn and grow as an entrepreneur.

I run my business from home and am also a SAHM Stay at Home Mom). As my family and children grew, I struggled to find balance between motherhood and being an entrepreneur. There’s been stagnant times where I needed a break and things were put on pause but thing’s really picked up and went into full gear for me well all of my babies started school full-time in 2022. The summer before they started school, I competed in a local grant competition and won which was honestly a big surprise. Northern Ontario has so many talented individuals and I can say Timmins is also very lucky. I competed against some amazing individuals.
Winning the competition gave me the confidence and reassurance that this is where I’m supposed to be. It showed me that I deserve a seat a table with individuals I connect with, to be seen and heard. I know more than anyone that it is sometimes hard to step out of your comfort zone and take up space. But if you don’t, you’ll never know the truth behind your own potential.

I never imagined I’d be given the opportunity or platform to speak about my small business and what it took to get here. The growth and sacrifices, how I really started with nothing and put everything I made back into my business. The lack of support and the community that I have built around that. Community over competition is such an important part of the business world that I feel a lot of people often get wrapped up in. There’s so many talented people and room for us all to sit at a table and be successful. We all go through seasons of doubts and self-sabotage, unlearning unhealthy habits. Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everybody but it’s something I am so proud of. It’s a title I wear proud because it’s something I never thought I could be successful at or even achieve, not because the products aren’t amazing and I don’t have fun creating them but because I doubted myself and my potential

I started formulating bath bombs and since then have worked my way up to shower steamers, body butters, soap scrubs, bath salts and my newest endeavour has been cold processed soap. I also create soy wax candles made from an eco-soy wax, and a few other products you can find on my website. Everything is made in house, and in small batches so I’m able to control quality as well as offer freshly made products with a longer shelf-life.

I really like to focus on using vegan and nut ingredients. A lot of my customers have both sensitive skin and have nut allergies so you can find a lot of products made without harsher ingredients as well as nut butters and oils. Your skin is your body‘s largest organ and what you put on your skin is so important. I use vegan ingredients because it’s good for you skin. Simple as that, it’s natural and you really can’t go wrong. Also, self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. I’m not going to use all these big fancy terms, it’s straight to the point no hidden ingredients, just straight up love for your skin.

I just wanted to take a moment before we continue to thank the Canvas Rebel team for giving me opportunity and the platform to speak about my small business journey. I could be more grateful, thank you.

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

All my life I feel like the universe has thrown me curveballs just to test how strong and resilient I am. Whether it’s lessons in friendship, personal lessons or lessons within my small business I am truly thankful for them all. Growth is such a beautiful thing and it usually happens when you step out of your comfort zone.

One thing I did last year was step out of my comfort zone and really start to take myself seriously as an entrepreneur. After a really bad year of dealing with my mental health and losing my father I realized I had two choices. I could wallow in my self-pity or I could pick myself up off the floor for the hundredth time and give it another go.

There will always be good and bad days. But I know for a fact that the good days totally outweigh the bad, and it’s worth it to put that effort into yourself. It’s what your made of, not your circumstances. The same water that softens the potato, also boils the egg.

I truly felt like the universe seen the work and effort I was putting in and things started to comeback tenfold. I felt like I got a second chance to start over. I started putting myself first, putting time into my yoga and meditation practices, going for nature walks, and dedicating myself to my business like I never had. It was time to put forth the effort and show not only myself but the world what I am capable of.

I wish I knew then what I know now. And that is that no matter what if you put in the work and follow your dreams things will work out. What is meant for you will always be. Energy is real, and the type of energy and love you put into the world will always find its way back.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I manufacture everything in house. I source most of my ingredients from local suppliers in Timmins, around Ontario.

One of my main suppliers, is Fizz Fairy Bath Treats & Krazycolours Canada. Shout out to Tina and her team. They have really been a huge party of my journey and very supportive over the years. Of your interest in creating your own products they are a great place to begin.

Since everything is manufactured in house by me it is also produced in small batches which really lets me control the quality of the product and shelf life which is something that I really love.

Learning the ins and outs of formulating bath bombs wasn’t an easy process. There was lots of trial and error, testing and failed batches. Weather plays a huge factor and some days I still end up with cracks or failed batches. But I love to learn, and one thing about formulating bath and body products is the room for growth and learning experiences. This past year I learned the art of cold process soap and started making my own soap bars. Since my business started, I have expanded my knowledge and with that have been able to add many different products from bath bombs and shower steamers, to formulating soaps, soy wax candles and bubble bars. I hope to expand in the coming years to be able to offer more vegan bath and body products but I have learned that less really is more. Sometimes as small businesses we have the urge to do it all, but timing is truly everything. Trust the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bath-by-b.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bathbyb/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/100063699150005/

Image Credits
Amanda Joy @magicalgirlphotography
Britany Bibeau @bathbyb (product photography)