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Crafty Divas and Entrepreneurial Empresses
August 2004's Diva
Bettijo B. Hirschi
of Bath By Bettijo
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The Bio
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Bath By Bettijo, LLC, was created by Bettijo B. Hirschi, who became
interested in health and beauty as a respite from her demanding career
life.
Bettijo began her career as a program analyst in Washington, D.C. She
quickly noticed her schedule filling and her personal time, alone and with
her husband, dwindling. In the small kitchen of a high-rise apartment,
Bettijo handmade her first bar of soap. She was thrilled with her creation
and immersed herself in all the books and research she could find about
natural body care treatments. On weekends she would experiment with new
bath and body recipes on herself, on her husband, on a friend.
The joy and confidence Bettijo gained, as she learned to take better care
of her body, mind, and spirit, sprouted into an idea for a company that
helps individuals incorporate regular relaxation and pampering into their
lives, enhancing personal enjoyment and fulfillment.
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The Gallery
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The Goods
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At Bath By Bettijo we think relaxation should be a regular part of
everyday life, and one simple way we've found to incorporate regular
relaxation into our busy routine is to make the time we ordinarily spend
on our Body Care routine a little more, extra-ordinary. Our line of
natural, bath goodies will help you incorporate aromatherapy and other spa
therapies into your every day home beauty ritual, magnifying your typical
Body Care routine We call this our “Go Beyond Ordinary” philosophy!
Each Bath By Bettijo product is handmade just for you and is formulated
with pure essential oils, distinctive blends of fragrances, and
spa-quality natural ingredients such as shea butter, mango butter, cocoa
butter, jojoba, olive oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, soybean oil,
and dead sea salt. We also use a variety of herbs and botanicals. We
respect all living creatures and therefore do not test any of our products
on animals.
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The Interview
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The Basic Lowdown:
Girlposse.com: Who are you?
Bettijo:
I’m a twenty-something woman who loves massages, shoes, and fabulous
purses. Shopping is my favorite hobby… and that drives my husband crazy!
Girlposse.com: Where are you located?
Bettijo:
I live right outside Washington D.C. in a gorgeous city called
Alexandria, VA.
Girlposse.com: What is your creation / business?
Bettijo:
Bath By Bettijo! Natural bath and body products made with spa-quality
ingredients to help make your regular body care routine Go Beyond
Ordinary!
Girlposse.com: Where can people buy your stuff?
Bettijo:
Visit our website anytime at http://www.bathbybettijo.com We also have
a really fun newsletter-type website at www.gobeyondordinary.com where I
share my favorite tips/trick for making relaxation and pampering a part of
your every day life!
Girlposse.com: Tell us something about yourself - your personality:
Bettijo:
I like to think of myself as determined and confident… a bit of a
procrastinator and perfectionist… but definitely fun-loving! One of my
big challenges is saying “No” to an outing with the girls when I have work
to do... I usually end up sacrificing on sleep later to get the job done.
The Nitty Gritty:
Girlposse.com: How long have you been doing this?
Bettijo:
Well Bath By Bettijo officially started in November 2003… but I was
brewing up soap and other bath and body creations years before that.
Girlposse.com: Beginning a business is a big step. How did this become a "business" vs. just a "hobby""?
Bettijo:
That is a big step… and one that took me about a year and half to
make. I sort of knew I wanted to make this a business for about a year
before I actually started putting plans in motion. I kind of wanted to
have a game plan in mind before I took the first big leaps.
Girlposse.com: Did you have previous business experience - or was the business end new to you?
Bettijo:
I’ve never had “official” business training… but I grew up with a
father who had a real mind for business and he instilled a little of that
entrepreneurial spirit in me. I’ve also had experience in retail sales
which has helped a lot.
Girlposse.com: Are there any resources you would recommend to future Entrepreneurial Empresses? (books, websites, etc.)
Bettijo:
I can’t think of any one specific resource except google. Whenever I
need to know about anything or find anything that is always my first stop.
Girlposse.com: What was (is) your biggest obstacle in selling what you create?
Bettijo:
In the beginning it was having enough faith in myself to put my
products out there. Lately though I’ve had a much more pleasant problem
and that is being able to make enough!
Girlposse.com: Are there any special challenges in developing soaps and other body products?
Bettijo:
I think there are special challenges associated with any business area
you go into. One of the big obstacles I’ve battled is how to make a bath
and body products that has something unique and different to offer.
Girlposse.com: How do you come up with your delicious scents?
Bettijo:
Scent blending is one of my favorite parts. When I’m coming up with a
new scent I sit down in my house with my favorite essential oils gathered
around and sort of drop, by drop, mix different ones together until I find
something I adore. It can be a long and sometimes challenging process…
especially once you get something great and can’t seem to duplicate it! I
guess that challenge is what makes it fun.
Girlposse.com: Are there any plans to expand your product line?
Bettijo:
Right now we’ve been in sort of a streamline mode as the demand for our
products grows. We’ve trimmed our line to the most unique and best
products we can offer and over time we’ll probably add to that gradually.
But my idea is to only add products that are unique and different. In
fact, the one new product that we are launching this October is called
“Fenomenole,” like phenomenal female sort of mixed together! Anyway,
this is a truly unique product that I designed to help make monthly breast
cancer self exams (BSE) more comfortable. I couldn’t stand the
uncomfortable skin-on-skin drag that I felt whenever I did my BSE. I
created this Pink Grapefruit scented oil first for myself to use, and then
after a little prodding from friends I decided to share it with other
women who I’m sure have had the same frustrating BSE experiences. The
truth is that monthly breast self exams are an essential part of early
breast cancer detection and prevention, and Fenomenole makes it much more
comfortable and easy to do. Plus, the bright pink bottle acts as a little
reminder. The oils official launch is in October- Breast Cancer Awareness
month, and we plan to donate 25% of the proceeds from Fenomenole to the
American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.
Girlposse.com: What keeps you going on a bad day?
Bettijo:
Honestly, prayer. I have worked hard to cultivate a spiritual
relationship with my Father in Heaven and he is where I get all my
strength. I also try to remember to thank him often because I think he
blesses me so much. One of my biggest blessings is my incredibly
understanding and supportive husband.
Girlposse.com: Where are some of your favorite places to shop?
Bettijo:
I’m a super big fan of Banana Republic… I’ve found a lot of really
great stores over the years, but no one ever seems to carry things that
are long enough or cut right for my body. Somehow Banana’s clothes just
seem to fit me right and they are super cute. I’m also a bit of a bargain
hunter so I frequently visit H&M and IKEA.
Girlposse.com: What was the best piece of advice you've been given?
Bettijo:
Have faith and work hard and great things can happen.
Girlposse.com: What advice would you give to a future Crafty Diva?
Bettijo:
One very important thing I’m still mastering is to work hard to change
the things you can and forget about the things you can’t.
Girlposse.com: Are they any other Crafty Divas or Entrepreneurial Empresses we should know
about?
Bettijo: Do you know Care over at The Painting Brush.com??? Her designs are SUPER!
~August 2004
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Be sure to check out our NEW
2004 Crafty Divas and Entrepreneurial Empresses Holiday Specials
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Your Chance to Win!
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 This month Bettijo is giving you a chance to win!
The Bath By Bettijo Silky Shaving Set includes everything you need for
a perfect, silky shave every time. Includes 2 fl.oz. bottle of our Silky
Shaving Oil, 4 fl.oz. bottle of our Silky Aftershave lotion, our signature
Wood Contour Razor, and Wood Cleaning Brush. (retail value $36)
Contest has ended! Congrats goes to Jenny V. from Deleware!!
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Are you a Crafty Diva and Entrepreneurial Empress? Or do you know one that should be featured in a future Girlposse.com issue? If so, visit our Crafty Diva Info Page for the details.
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