Rising Stars: Meet Rene Rainey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rene Rainey.

Hi Rene, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I’m a television producer turned personal care brand founder (bath products). I started my business, Bath Slut, because I’m obsessed with bubble baths (my first product) and television opportunities weren’t being presented to me as much :(. At the age of 51 (when I first started this journey), I wasn’t ready to just toss in the towel and sit around eating bonbons and I couldn’t…I have 2 kids and bills to pay so I made the decision to start a business! Great idea! Start a company in the middle of a pandemic! It was the best and toughest decision I’ve ever made but one that I’m just as deeply passionate about, now, as I was on the first day. My focus was to create amazing, non-toxic (aka ‘clean’), plant-based bath products. I started with bubble bath and, most recently, launched bath salts. They’re great products and the feedback has been very positive. Our mission is sincere and clear – we are putting ‘sexy’ into self-care, and want everyone to love the skin they’re in.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?

Starting a business is not easy in any sense. If it were easy, then everyone would do it. There is so much I’ve learned along the way and am still learning. This is one of the things that excites me, but the struggles are real. I find myself saying, “there’s always something” a lot! Because there is always something that happens; ‘wtf’ moments that can knock you off kilter.

Unlike a TV show where you know the ‘big picture’ and strategize your every move by setting up efficient and effective workflow processes, with a startup, it’s nearly impossible because you’re doing everything yourself with limited help. There is a big learning curve when entering an industry that you haven’t built a career out of; it’s not something you will get right the first, second or even third time especially when it comes to operations and supply chain. We’ve had a lot of struggles. Products breaking because our packaging wasn’t the best, crooked print on our boxes, labels printed wrong, bottles out of stock, bubble bath batches that went bad. But sales strategy has been the biggest struggle. We’ve done immense outreach to editors, influencers, retail shops, etc. We even started another Instagram account because “slut” was blocking us from doing paid ads. It literally is “always something”! And with all the money coming out of your own pocket, making mistakes are extra stressful but it’s the best way to learn!

All I can say is, thank God I make bubble bath because I find myself decompressing in the bath a lot!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

The beauty and personal care industry has grown into an 85-billion-dollar market with personal care having the largest share at $40 plus billion. This market is expected to continue to grow by 4% every year at least through 2026. What this tells me is that self-care is more important than ever. There is a lot of stress in the world coming off a pandemic and people are truly taking time to pamper themselves! But the one thing I haven’t seen any brands push is “sexy self-care”, so we are! Feeling sexy is a huge part of self-care and we want everyone to feel confident in their mind and body; to bring out their inner sex God/ess and love the skin they’re in. There’s no better way to do this then when you’re naked and in the tub! This is what we are pushing. I call it the “Tub Life” and it is a sexy vibe for sure.

Our plan for 2023 is to continue to grow and ramp up sales. Right now, we have 2 amazing products, but in order to create the full, sexy, head-to-toe, Zen experience we need to add a few more products to the line. That takes money so in 2023 we are heading into what I call, phase 2; we are opening ourselves up to investors. I’m hopeful we will find 1 or 2 investors who get the brand and what we have in store for the future, and it’s a lot bigger than just Bath Slut. It’s a very exciting time.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?

I am a big risk taker and always have been. But I don’t look at risks as ‘risks’ if that makes sense? I look at them as change and, to me, change is good. I feel at home with change. I guess it’s because I get bored easily and I like a challenge. I like putting myself in positions where I am learning something new and growing. I always say, “if you’re not growing, things are stagnant and boring, and I don’t like stagnant and boring.”

Most of my ‘risks’ have been career-based. To some, a risk but, to me it just felt like a natural progression of my own personal and/or professional growth. I’ve never feared leaving a job or situation without having something else lined up. If something didn’t feel right, I would change the situation. To some people that might seem risky but, to me, if I wasn’t happy and content, I wouldn’t be much good to anyone so changing a scenario or taking a risk and moving on was probably best for everyone. I’ve done that a lot in my career. I’ve changed industries and jobs a few times because I wasn’t growing. I went from beauty marketing at Estee Lauder to being a Beauty Editor for a magazine, to line producing commercials and feature films to television and now back to beauty. I’ve moved across the country (and out of the country) not knowing anyone in effort to expand my horizons. The list goes on and on.

But the one thing that always remained consistent was and still is my ability to know that ‘everything will be alright’. It’s something my father would always say and, he was right! I’m not going to lie; I will have some fleeting moments of doubt but that’s rare. I think manifestation is a very strong thing and it works! So, I say take risks; be bold and pay attention to your instincts and go for what you want. Risks can serve you well if you’re willing to get knocked down a little. All the risks I’ve ever taken have led to bigger and better things.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bathslut.com
• Instagram: bathslutofficial
• Facebook: bathslut
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bathslut/
• Twitter: bathslut
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bathslut8091