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

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

I know I’m not the first to have a mobile workshop, and I definitely won’t be the last, but having my short school bus to make custom body care and pet care products on the spot at markets has been a game changer. When I first came up with the concept of the company, that was the main idea. Not just any trailer would do, it had to be a school bus. The idea was so wild, even to me, that when I told my mom the entire plan, her words were “I like the idea of the business, but a bus?!” But I was so dedicated to the idea, I couldn’t let it go. I had the logo for the company illustrated as this little blue school bus. I drew up blueprints of the interior and made Pinterest boards. I was even buying things for this bus before we even knew when this dream might happen. I don’t know whether to call it manifesting or working towards a goal, but I knew this dream would be mine some day, and it would be real, tangible, and do things for my business beyond anything I could imagine.

In June 2021, I quit my job, pulled 90% of my money out of my bank accounts, and bought a 22ft school bus in cash. What a feeling that was, to drop all that cash on a desk, walk out of the dealership, and drive off in a bus I didn’t know a thing about, let alone know how to drive it!

After that came the renovation. I am beyond lucky to have a dad that has done everything you could possibly need to know to convert a bus. He knew it would take a while, but I was naively optimistic about the conversion process. It took two solid days just to get the seats out. The floor was trashed and needed to be leveled to put flooring in. Ikea cabinets are easy to assemble, but difficult to modify around wheel wells and gas tanks. I needed running water to be able to wash my equipment on the go, plus electricity, a generator, and a battery pack to power lights and fans. The whole thing needed to be, well, not yellow, and the blue paint was on indefinite back order. There were so many unknowns renovating this bus and my time line got pushed back further and further. In January 2022, my dad retired and started working on the bus almost 24/7. I tell people that there isn’t a square inch on that entire bus that he didn’t make better in some way. I booked a market for the end of April 2022, and set the deadline that it had to be done by then. My dad hung up the last shelf at 9pm on the night before the market. I barely slept that night from pure excitement.

And that first market in the bus was beyond my wildest dreams, and continues to be my happy place today. I have pre-made products in our most popular fragrances outside the bus, where people can try samples and bring their selections to the food truck style window in the side of the bus. I have my newly launched customizable pet care products on a table near the front of the bus, plus people are welcome to come inside the bus to shop pre-made candles with various crystal options, or sample scents from over 70 mix and match options in our mobile collection and a wall of various colors to be added to scrubs and lotions too. We have 10 different product bases able to be fully customized with fragrances and essential oils right on the bus, made within just a few minutes of placing the order.

This bus has changed my business not just now, but from the initial spark of the idea. I love having so much more freedom to make my customers’ favorite scents, and seeing their imagination running wild as they pick from the 70+ scents on the fragrance wall. I don’t have to limit myself on the amount of inventory to take to a market, as I just add a new base inside the bus and let the customers order it exactly how they want it. It’s such a game changer for advertising the business, but also markets appreciate that we can park on the edge of a market and get new customers driving down the street to stop and shop. It’s truly my happy place, and I love that customers can feel it’s their happy place too, just by stepping inside my little blue bus.

Laura, 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 kind of an open book and I love telling everyone who will listen about my story because I know so many people struggle with the same things I do. A few years back, I struggle with depression so bad, that I struggled getting out of bed most days. Brushing my teeth, washing my face, taking a shower were all things that I knew I needed to do, but sounded so useless since taking care of myself was the last of my priorities. Recently, a friend reminded me that I always made all kinds of Pinterest body care recipes for friends and family, going back almost 10 years now, but I never made them for myself. Then one day, I made a body scrub that was so delicious smelling, I had to try it myself. That one simple product made me take one simple step towards self care. I’m not saying it was a cure all by any means, but the citrus smell of that scrub made me want to take a shower and use it more often. Having lotions in a scent that I loved made me want to use them. Taking a bath in great smelling soaks made me feel like I could love myself again. And making these products for friends and family, and then more orders from those friends and family, got me out of bed and doing something I loved.

Now I offer a huge variety of products, including body scrubs, lotions, whipped soaps, soaps that look like real desserts and treats, lip scrubs, bath soaks, beard oils, perfumes, essential oil rollerballs, soy candles, and car fragrances, all made by hand. All these products are able to be customized to the fragrance choice of each customer, and most are able to be made to order on the spot at our local markets since we have a mobile workshop in a 22ft school bus.

Looking to the future, I’m hoping to expand more into wholesale, especially to local businesses, plus host workshops and book private events in the bus, such as bachelorette parties, kid’s birthday parties, and sip n shops. I also plan on taking some courses to become a self love coach, since self love, self care, and depression/anxiety management are so close to my heart and my journey.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think reputation in my industry is incredibly important because so many of us have skin issues, whether it be allergies, eczema, aging skin, or just irritated skin. The most important thing towards a good reputation is knowing about your products. Even if you can’t pronounce something on the label or an essential oil correctly, knowing what it is, what function it serves, and how it will best serve your customer builds a lot of trust. My memory is terrible from having depression and migraines so often, so I have books, packets, and papers everywhere on my bus so I can immediately look up any information that a customer needs or answer any questions. It really helps that all the information is something that I’ve compiled, so I’ve done plenty of research on everything I use to make my products. I can ask a few questions to a customer and guide them to the product that will work best for them, and then they come back and tell me it worked, they want more, and they’ve brought their friends with them this time!

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I tell every customer that buys something custom made on the bus or when they buy something pre-made outside to contact me on Instagram when they’re ready to buy again. Usually, they either grab my business card out of their bag and look for my Instagram handle, or follow my page immediately on the QR code I have set on the table. Because of this, I typically get 10-20 new followers at a market, and a few direct messages telling me how much they like their products or asking where we’ll be next. I always reshare stories of customers tagging us in their market hauls or photos and videos of the bus. It’s free content that I didn’t have to make and the customer feels special that we reshared!

Contact Info:

• Website: shortandsweetbodycare.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/shortandsweetbodycare
• Facebook: facebook.com/shortandsweetbodycare

Image Credits
Soul Purpose Photography, Nakata Photography