Gentle on Your Skin and The Earth- The Story of Reyes Organic Beauty

Life has a way of putting you in some of the most unfortunate situations to get you on the path meant for you.

When this happens, you can choose to focus on the negatives or try to find the silver lining.

This is the story of Jessica Reyes.

Jessica is a soaper from Orange Walk District and the Owner of Reyes Organic Beauty.

At the beginning of her story, she was a Resort Manager in Caye Caulker.

While working at this resort, she saw all the waste and chemical-heavy products dumped into the ocean.

It broke her heart to know that she was contributing to all these chemical products emptying onto the homes of the marine life in the area.

Jessica became curious. She wanted to find a way to keep the business alive without hurting the animals in the sea around her.

It was the first time the idea of creating natural, chemical-free, and organic products crossed her mind.

She began experimenting and researching natural ways to create these much-needed products. It was only a hobby at this point.

But in 2019, everything took a turn for the worse. Jessica's dad had to travel to the US to receive medical attention. In fear for her dad's life and refusing to leave his side, she accompanied him during his medical visit.

Here, desperate to find the good in the daunting situation, she took advantage of the opportunity to take a soaping class.

It was in this class that Jessica learned about the basics of creating soaps.

She knew she wanted to continue focusing on creating natural and organic products. The teacher of the course helped by pointing her in the direction of resources that could help her learn more.

It Turns out the Learning Never Ends

Today, Jessica reflects on her journey and realizes that since she began making soaps five years ago, she has grown and learned a lot.

Yet, she believes there is still so much to learn.

Because of this, you often find her talking to the elderly in the community. She picks their brains in an effort to become more knowledgeable about the natural healing properties of plants and herbs around her.

You can always find her researching and trying to find new information about the benefits of natural herbs. She is constantly on a journey to learn more to help others with her soaps.

For this reason, she can create products of excellent quality without sacrificing the natural, chemical-free element she wants to bring to her customers.

She knows a lot about the soap-making processes but continues learning to bring the right products and information to her customers.

Sourcing Challenges and Opportunities

If you haven't noticed, Jessica possesses one of the most important skills necessary for growing a business. She is constantly finding ways to turn challenges into opportunities.

For her, the challenge of sourcing all-natural and organic products has led her to open her heart up to other female entrepreneurs and single mothers from the village of Santa Martha.

She found a way to use the success of her business to provide a source of income for women who desperately need it while motivating them to continue working for their dreams.

Today, she still faces the challenges of sourcing the right products to ensure her soaps are organic, plastic-free, and environmentally friendly.

But, you can be sure she will find ways to turn these challenges to benefit the community and those around her.

From Zote to Respected

When Jessica just started her soap business, people around would call her soap 'Zote'. And if you know this soap, you know that this was not a compliment for the type of product she was trying to create.

It was the opposite of the brand image she was going for.

But Jessica wasn't discouraged. She believed in her products and knew that if people would give them a try; it could change their lives.

She took her time, had patience, and as her product began to gain traction, she began to gain courage.

Jessica opened up and participated in multiple competitions at Beltraide pushing herself because of how much she believed in her products.

Jessica won multiple grants to help her expand her business and build awareness for her products.

It has not been an easy road. There is still so much to learn. There are still many challenges to come, but Jessica is determined.

Her products

Jessica's soaps are all organic, plastic free, chemical free, and environmentally friendly. She aims to take care of the earth as she helps you take care of your body.

She creates her products from bases of natural oils, such as olive, coconut, avocado oils and butters. She is conscious about using products that will not strip your body but instead add natural nourishment.

Through her research, she has learned about the healing properties of many natural products such as turmeric, Ginger, Rosemary, neem and other herbs.

Sometimes she spends months infusing these herbs to bring their healing properties to you.

If you are interested and want to know more about her products, feel free to reach out on Instagram or Facebook.

She is honest and open to recommending the soap that will help relieve you of the skin challenges you have. And if she doesn't have a product for you, she will let you know too.

Advice to entrepreneurs in Jessica's words

Are you an Entrepreneur or a Half Entrepreneur?

Whenever you go into business for yourself, you need to decide at the very beginning, are you going to be an entrepreneur or a half-entrepreneur? Even if you start your business as a side hustle, if you intend to someday make it your main source of income, you need to make decisions that help to get you there.

You need to be disciplined and know where you want to go. You must stick to your goals even when it gets tough. Being a business owner is not an easy journey.

You will lose a lot of the time, but if you stick with it long enough and learn from the losses, you will start to win. That's when the game changes.

Don't allow discouragement to enter your mind and heart

When you decide to become a business owner, you will face numerous trials. If you don't train your mind to find the positives and win in each situation, it will be easy for you to get discouraged.

You need to be your own motivation. When nobody is cheering for you, you need to learn how to cheer for yourself. It's the only way you won't give up.

Connect with your Customers

Making connections and taking time to listen to my customers has been the best way to establish customer loyalty, solidify my customer base, and get my customers to promote my products.

I know that responding to messages can be time-consuming, but remember how important it is for you to be available to respond to questions that your customers may have.

The Challenge

This week I challenge you to take advice from Jessica. Try to find the positive in a challenge that you are facing, then make some time to connect with your customers.