We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shalonda Weaver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shalonda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

Looking back over the years I realize I had a lot of heroes. Most of them were famous people that did some extraordinary things. However, as I got older, I realized how the ordinary people around me were also extraordinary. Like my dad. I have always been a self-professed daddy’s girl. However, that’s not what makes him my hero. Growing up I could tell him anything and he wouldn’t even blink. He was always so supportive and encouraging. That’s saying a lot because he was a marine and a dad of all girls. As long as I can remember, people would tell me he was such a good friend, how he was so kind, how he was so generous, and how he was so loyal. I would just smile and say, “That’s my daddy.” When he passed away in 2017 my older sister and I found out that he had various health conditions for over 20 years that he never mentioned to anyone. Yet a day did not go by that he did not smile, that he did not stop to see how someone else was doing. He never complained. Besides just being a good person, he has shown me that life can throw a lot at you, but it’s up to you whether or not it’ll get you down. He has shown me through example how to be strong, courageous and resilient.

Shalonda, 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?

Marty’s Bath & Body is a company that hand makes plant-based body care products. I have grown up only using all natural products because that’s what my mom, grandmother and aunts all used and made themselves. As I got older my mom would buy some store products out of convenience. However, this just didn’t sit well with me. So as an adult I had to go back to my roots.

I started to see how others were confused about the ingredients on the labels or simply wanted to avoid particular ingredients. So we provide products with labels they can actually read. With no harsh chemicals or synthetic ingredients. Our goal is to offer products with simple ingredients that nurture the skin.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I didn’t seek out any outside funding. My business is 100% bootstrapped. I saved the capital over two years. I knew I didn’t need to start with a bang. What was more important was that I just get started.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have been faithfully following a podcast called The Product Boss. It’s two women who have been there and done that with their own product businesses and are now devoted to helping others. Since they have their own product businesses, whereas most people out there who claim they can help you have only had a service-based business, they can actually relate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://martysbathandbody.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martysbathandbody/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martysbathandbody/