We were lucky to catch up with Latonia Hendry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Latonia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Starting out as an entrepreneur, I had a lot of excitement about starting a business from my home. It did not take long for reality to set in that, past the excitement, there is work to be done. My defining moment was realizing 2 aspect:
1) If you do not take your time and business seriously then no one will.
2) Being an entrepruneur is hard work, and the sooner you realize that, the quicker you can run your business and not fall into pitfalls and mental traps.

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

Body Beautiiful, formally Spirit of Xxcellence, is independently owned and operated in Savannah, Ga. Since opening in late 2005, starting with only the traditional black soap, the company has greatly extended its inventory and treats every customer like they are a part of the family. Other companies may offer similar services, but the services at Body Beautiiful come with a personal touch and products that are unbeatable. The Body Beautiiful Collection
The Collection features products that beautifies the skin and keeps it healthy naturally. My name is Latonia Hendry and being highly allergic to many products myself, my goal was to find products that I can use that will not aggravate my allergies or cause breakouts. I am also an asthamatic so I have to be careful with any scents that my trigger an attack. I started using the traditional black soap in early 2005 because I heard it would clear up the many black spots that were on my face and reduce breakouts…..and it did. I decided to turn the product I used into a business and what started out with just the soaps has now expanded to the vast inventory that is now in the Collection. I am constantly adding products and scents to increase my inventory and by customers demand. The signature scent, ‘Body Beautiiful’ has been a #1 seller since it hit the market in early 2011.
I am committed to Customer Service
Giving my customers the best overall experience is my goal. I strive to keep up with the changing market by keeping up with what my customers want and meeting their needs. You can get oils and soaps anywhere, but great customer service is hard to come by and I have been satisfying my customers consistently for 18 years!
I am most proud of the length of time I have been in business and able to sustain a loyal customer base that often reccommend new customers. Word of mouth is the best marketing tool.

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

I deliver my products to 85-90% of my customers, so when Covid 19 hit, it initially hit my business hard. I am a people-person and I love delivering and talking to my customers. It took me from March to June to figure it out. Those were the months we had to shelter in place but that also gave me time to strategize and work on new products. In June, I let my customers know through text messages and emails that I could do contactless deliveries. My customers would order, send payment, along with a designated spot to leave their order. I would then text a picture of the location with the order and send it to them. I still use this method today.
I also developed a natural hair-care line during those months of sheltering in.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Building a repution is not easy. No matter how much good you have done, one bad review, one order that was messed up, one time of doing something negative can impact all the good you have done. I am thankful that I have a 5-Star Google rating, if I get an order wrong, I am quick to make it right or refund my customer. I am a user of my products and I take time with my customers to let them know that they are important to me and they matter. Lastly, my products are top qualty and are not super-expensive. Word of mouth, and customer referrals, have truly been a blessing to me!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yourbodyisbeautiiful.com
• Instagram: Body.Beautiiful
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BodyBeautiiful
• Linkedin: Latonia Hendry
• Twitter: ToniaYHendry
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCKVhG4i5I8iUAIr0oczKVIg
• Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Body+Beautiiful,+1902+Clemson+St,+Savannah,+GA+31404/@32.0637962,-81.0616461,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88fb9d364ace30d1:0x25307280fbf141bd!8m2!3d32.0637962!4d-81.0616461!16s%2Fg%2F11jbf5fj_7