Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianne Ndiaye.
Hi Marianne, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have a severe case of eczema. When I first got to the US, I was having bad flair up due to the water and not having access to shea butter. Back home in Senegal (West Africa) Shea butter was the only remedy to my eczema. I had to ask my mom to send me some. It saved me from the flair up and helped my skin regain its beauty. I was getting so many compliments on my complexion and people wanted me to sell them some of my concoctions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Road to success was not easy at all. The major struggles that I was facing are the lack of enough customers to make ends meet. Not being able to have access to capital for product development. I was bootstrapping, I started with 1 item only that’s the Mingle body butter and only 1 size and it was $5. Some days I will only make $20 for 8 hours of work. But I did not give up because this was it, I did not have a plan B. Once my daughter was born in 2006 I stopped for a year and got a regular 9 to 5 jobs in order to feed my family. In 2007, I started back but this time I had a side business making and selling jewelry also. My jewelry business was so lucrative it allowed me to fund my skincare business. I started again doing just my skincare line but this time with better formulation and more options to choose from. From body butters to body scrubs, hair food, Soaps every time there was a high demand for a new product I would do some research try different formulations and boom I will come up with a new item. I started doing fairs, festivals, farmers markets and private events.
And in 2018, I decided to finally open a store, and I wanted to be in a black neighborhood. Leimert park or Inglewood were my top choices, and sure enough I found the perfect spot in downtown Inglewood on market street.
And there is a French sayings ” L’appetit viens en mangeant” after 18 months, my next door neighbor moved out of her salon and I grabbed it without hesitation and now I have two stores. Body Butter Lady and Serenity Lady.
Body Butter lady takes care of the outside, Serenity lady takes care of the inside.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Body Butter Lady and Serenity Lady?
At Body butter lady, we make Organic Vegan Bath and Beauty products with shea butter base. We manufacture all our products in store using carefully curated premium ingredients. We are known for our body butter Mingle (it makes you ready to mingle). What I am most proud of is going to different odd places and being recognized and referred to the “body butter lady!!!!” or people getting excited to finally meet me and rave about our products. We are a black-owned family run business and we take pride in making the best products you ever used and we do not use any premade mixtures, we do not cut corners for bigger profits. At body butter lady, we have Body butters, body Scrubs, Hair food, Deodorants, Tooth Powder, Bath& Body oils, Soaps, candles, face Mask, Lip oil, Lip scrub, bath Bombs, Shower steamers, beard Oil, Shampoo/Body wash, shampoo and conditioner bars. And we will keep on adding more products.
At Serenity Lady Wellness center, we sell herbal remedies, teas, spices, African Folk medicines, Immunity boosters, essential oils, Tinctures, Smudges, Carrier oils and many more items. We have sea moss (gel, powder, tincture and tea). We have elderberries, mugwort, yoni steams and over 100 different herbs and spices.
We also offer different services Hand rejuvenation, Foot Stimulation, Scalp manipulation, face revitalization, Yoni Steam. Soon to come (Sound Bath, Scream therapy, Laugh therapy, meditation, yoga and more)
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Anybody can be your mentor. I am a member of different Facebook groups and member of different guilds pertaining to my area of expertise. You can learn a lot from them and also help others. I am also on clubhouse a lot in different rooms. The best approach is to go at it as if you don’t know nothing, never underestimate an advice or suggestion. And also, you need a tribe behind you. Special mention to My Mom, Imodoye Shabazz, Oumar Ndiaye, Hamza El Oumrany, Emma Shabazz and all the collaborators past and present without whom I would not be able to get to where I am now.
Pricing:
- Body Butters & Body Scrubs $11 to $55
- Soaps $5 to $7
- Yoni Steam $50
- Foot detox & stimulation $65
- Teas and Herbs $10 to $25
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bodybutterlady.com / www.serenitylady.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bodybutterlady / www.instagram.com/serenityladyla
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bodybutterlady / www.facebook.com/serenityladyla
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bodybutterlady
