We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Iyshia Sims a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Iyshia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Thanks so much for having me. The name of my company, ‘Amir’acle Body Butters & More is named after my son, Amir. I began my passion of making all natural products when I was pregnant with Amir. Like most soon-to-be moms, having this little human growing inside of me made me want to be a better mom. Not only did I become conscious of the things I put in my body but on my body as well. As a first time mom, I experienced many life changing surprises that would forever stick with me and push me to help other first time moms. Amir was and is A miracle. No really-it was a difficult pregnancy for my husband and I, and after I gave birth to Amir, we jokingly called him Amiracle because we were shocked we made it through so much! When I created the name of my business, the name seemed perfect because Amir was my push to become a better person and we had become very acclimated with the name.
Iyshia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on how you got started?
It all started at a house party! Not any ol’ house party, an all natural product house party. The host of the party asked two girls to put a clove of garlic between their toes! Now, I didn’t do it, but two other girls did and by the end of the party they said they could taste the garlic in their mouths!
After the party, my friend asked me if I planned to breastfeed Amir. I told her I was going to try and she asked me if I was still using harmful deodorants under my arms. She explained that my breasts are the closest things to my armpits and whatever I was rubbing under my arms would get into my body, be absorbed into my milk, and excreted into my son!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In April of 2021 my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. His battle with cancer was a short-lived one, as he passed in September the same year. During those 5 months, I became my dad’s POA and primary care-giver and had to travel back and forth from my hometown to our new home in Kansas City. I had to close my business multiple times and oftentimes I questioned if I should reopen it. You see, losing a parent is a different type of grief, a grief that you wished time would heal a lot faster than it does. Seeing your parent pass from a deadly disease like cancer can be even harder because you literally see life leave their body. I questioned if my loyal customers would understand, I questioned if I would have the mental capacity to keep going, I questioned a lot during that time. But one thing that brought me peace was making products. A few days before my dad took his last breath, I sat next to him as his head laid in my lap and I rubbed his arm with one of my favorite body butters scents. He had never gotten a chance to try them. That night, I felt peace, not just from the sweet smell of lavender and lemon that flooded our noses, but peace that I had made the right choice and that my dad would be proud of me.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
A month or two after the passing of my dad, I reopened my business and boy was it a struggle. My loyal customers had moved on and I literally felt as if I was starting from scratch. I worked many events and did lots of marketing and was able to build my business back up but I still felt so far behind where I started. That August, a month before a year of my dad’s passing, I decided I wanted to take a leap of faith and try to do something BIG. I decided I would shoot my first commercial showcasing my products and have it shown during the movie previews of the opening of Wakanda Forever! I got my first line of credit, hired someone to produce the commercial, did video and product shots, got apparel and flyers created and in November of 2022 my commercial was previewed in 3 B&B’s theaters in Missouri. Not only did I take a risk that produced revenue but that risk helped me establish business credit and gave me the boost of confidence I desperately needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https:.//www.amiraclebodybutters.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/amiraclebodybutters
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089200295094
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@amiraclebodybutters
Image Credits
Lyndsey Baldwin