From Hobby to Business: The Journey of Lavida Samuels and Elle Vie Body Butter
Photo credit Sederrick Raphiel
Lavida Samuels never expected a hobby to become a business when she began experimenting with creating her own body butter.
Whenever she would visited Washington D.C., Lavida would stock up on her favorite brand of body butter. On one visit, the store was closed and she couldn’t purchase her usual products. She tried to find other products, but none of them were up to par with her standards.
Unsatisfied, Lavida decided to use her degree in electrical engineering to create her own. She began to gift some to friends and family members, and it was a hit. Her son’s teacher even asked where she could buy more, and eventually, Lavida’s inner entrepreneur decided to take over and start a business selling the butter. Ten years later, her company Elle Vie is thriving.
Lavida’s experience as a beauty industry entrepreneur has been a positive one, but it doesn’t come without challenges.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said, “Just navigating all the things you don’t know. Learning how to acquire customers, keep customers, stay in front of customers.”
Unbeknownst to Lavida, a few influencers on YouTube had gotten their hands on Elle Vie’s body butter and reviewed the product near the beginning of the company’s existence. Suddenly, orders began flooding in left and right, and Lavida recalled how quickly the business was running out of supplies and struggled to fulfill orders.
“I think we’re definitely in a better place now, but it could make or break your business.”
Luckily, Lavida loves learning and persevering through challenges, and the unexpected increase in business led to a positive outcome. She believes that every challenge the company has encountered has been solvable so far. One unique challenge they had to find a solution for is that the body butter melts in the summertime due to the hot weather.
“I know a lot of brands stop selling butters in the summer for that reason, but our butters are our number-one seller, so we just have to come up with different solutions to try to mitigate that,” she said.
Lavida’s favorite part of the job is meeting the customers and getting to know them, as well as working with her wonderful team. She has no doubts that if she was away, the business would continue as usual and tasks would be completed. She is grateful to have a team that she can rely on. The future of Elle Vie seems to be stellar as Lavida is hoping to begin preparations for wholesale retail.
Lavida wants everyone to know that Elle Vie promotes self-care above all else. “Whether you choose to use Elle Vie products or not, taking care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically is very important, especially as Black women.”
Tiva Frushour is a senior student at the University of Evansville in the Communications program. She enjoys writing and providing a voice for communities and small businesses.