We recently connected with Brittanie Shue and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I started this journey to satisfy a personal need. I had suffered for most of my life with allergies and was highly sensitive to most ingredients. As my allergies worsened over the years, it had grown to a point where I realized that even my medical providers were unable to help. In fact, the things they suggested only made matters worse. My allergies were to the point that I was suffering from severe skin reactions and an agitated immune system. I felt hopeless. As someone in the medical field, I was surprised that it had failed me. At this point in my life I was on 4-5 different allergy medications, including an asthmatic inhaler.

I decided to go back to the basics, seeking health from the inside out. I focused on removing stress triggers, teaching myself better ways to react to unexpected or uncomfortable circumstances. Knowing that sleep was important for the body to have reconstruction opportunity, I got myself into a solid routine. But this didn’t eliminate my allergies, it merely set the stage for my body to take care of itself. I am a firm believer that our bodies are designed to heal, repair and restore itself but I knew I would need to give my body the fuel to be strong enough to do so. So, I first made the switch to whole foods, focusing mostly on organic fruits and vegetables. As I started my research, I learned that fruit is your detoxifiers and vegetables are your building blocks for repairing yourself.

As I made my nutritional conversion to organic whole foods, I realized that I had unnatural chemicals that filled my everyday life. Of course this couldn’t be good for you, right? I started reading books, journals, blogs, and listened to podcasts of naturopathic and holistic practitioners, herbalist, homesteaders, etc… I discovered a whole new world and way of living. I learned to make nontoxic cleaning products for our home, and the first thing I replaced was our laundry detergent. Making this one simple swap had a very big impact on my allergies. I was very intrigued, wondering if the answer to my lifelong allergies could really be this simple. One by one I removed commercial chemicals from our home. As this conversion transpired, I realized my need for allergy medication was dissipating. I was slowing coming off my allergy meds one at a time. This was very liberating. Ironically one of the last things I swapped was our personal hygiene products. I didn’t know how to make those on my own, so I was buying from other handmade sellers. My skin allergies were slowly disappearing. I realized one day that I was allergy free. Wow, this was the answer. All this time it was all the unnatural ingredients I was consuming, cleaning my house with and lathering all over my body. From that point on I was hooked, this was my new life.

I took courses, had mentors, and a lot of my own research and trial and error, but here I am. Being able to make all-natural safe, organic products for my family brings me the greatest satisfaction. My family also had allergies, not quite to my extent but nonetheless, this new lifestyle has rid our whole family of the misery. Making safe, healthy skincare for others brings me a great personal reward. I have suffered for decades and if I can bring the smallest relief to others, I consider this journey to be worth it. My mission is to educate others that healthy skincare doesn’t have to be complicated nor expensive. Nature offers us everything we need. Every product I make, and sell is the very same products you will find in my home used by my family and me. I carefully research each ingredient, the benefits and consider where the ingredient originated and how was it sourced.

I know the all-natural approach has been trending for a few years. I am rather new to it myself. I have been making skincare products for about 3 years now for my family and myself. It was all the positive feedback and stories from others of how my products were solving some of their personal skin problems. They gave me the confidence to share this with the public. My approach to starting my business is very organic and simple. Try my products, see for yourself, once you do you will love them. I only use ingredients that matter, that serve a purpose, and that I have trialed myself, and with third party testers. My business has grown quite a bit in the first year through reviews, referrals, good ole fashioned word of mouth. I pride myself on knowing my clients by name, remembering each person’s needs and particular skincare need. I know as I grown this may become more difficult to sustain, that’s only natural. But I will always value each person and their feedback. They have guided my expansion of my product line and continue to be my motivation. I get tearful when I receive heartfelt thank you notes from clients that have had some life changing outcome, because I know what it is like to suffer. If I can someone, it fuels the fire in my heart.

Brittanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Brittanie, I am the artisan soap maker behind BShue Soap, LLC. I also make various all-natural skincare products. The decision to make this a business came from sharing the products that I made for my family and myself with our extended family, friends, and neighbors. Their feedback was overwhelming. People opened up to me about personal skincare issues they were experiencing and how after using my products they saw almost immediate results. I know what it is like to suffer with allergies and feel hopeless. I decided that was enough motivation to put myself out there and offer others the opportunity to have a better life.

I am most proud of the foundation I am building with my clients. Their trust in me and my products makes me very emotional. I use the very same products they are buying from me. I believe that makes all the difference to them. Not only do I explain what is in each product, but I break it down ingredient by ingredient, explaining why that ingredient was added and what properties it brings. This is not just a business and products I am selling online, it is my life choices, and I love to educate others on what it could do for them too.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think being transparent has made a difference in building my reputation within my market. I always disclose all the ingredients; I have shared information regarding the process in making my products and I also have shown behind the scenes look at my studio environment. I make myself available to clients and curious people who want to know more about me, what I am doing and how I do it. There are no secrets or hidden agenda here. I make simple, organic, all-natural products, and I am an open book to how I do that.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

My client’s satisfaction is my priority. I want each experience to be personalized to their needs. I always try to reach out to each client soon after they receive their shipment to ensure it arrived safely and they are pleased with their order. I ask them to try it for a few days and let me know what they think. Most are more than happy to return with their first impressions. I make it a point to do a secondary follow up when I feel they are about halfway through the use of the product to see if their impression has changed and if there is any additional information they can provide on how the product has worked for them. I encourage everyone to leave a public review. I think this is a valuable tool for returning clients to feel confident in selecting a new product to try as well as encouraging newcomers to try a new brand. I also provide samples of products that clients may not be aware I carry or were hesitant to try. And finally, each order includes a personal handwritten note from me and offers a special discount towards return orders.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bshuesoap.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bshuesoap/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574163270187