This series looks at the lives of Antiguans who have left the nest to pursue education and careers outside of Antigua. It features persons in a range of areas such as the arts, business, technology and other areas our creative people have found themselves enthralled in. There is no definite number of interviews that will be attached to this series as I will continue to look far and wide for more of our stories to tell, so we can keep abreast of all the positive and great work our Antiguans and Barbudans are doing in the world.
Where? USA
What? Bashful Body Care
Moving to the USA to further an education is the path Danielle Jarvis, a Trinidad & Tobago born, Antiguan raised woman, took in starting a life away from the blue and white shores of Antigua. Her passion for math led her to study Finance at a Texan university with many other Antiguans including her sister. Although miles away, she took with her a drive to succeed, a passion to create and words of wisdom from her mother and grandmother, “Don’t spend or dedicate all your time working for someone…develop a concept for something you can call your own.” With these words, and the memories of the women in her life creating businesses and hobbies that offer alternative streams of income, Bashful Body Child was born, the brainchild of this introvert who has the desire to share her creativity with the world.
Courtesy of Aaron Plaskett Photography
Bashful Body Care is a small business located in NY, USA, that has allowed Danielle the opportunity to combine her passion and abilities to find her purpose and serve others. This business idea was birthed out of a necessity of curing her dry skin that she experienced during the winter months after moving to Maryland. Store-bought lotions would only temporarily work, providing comfort and relief for only 30 mins. The current body butter formula she sells in her online store was developed over a 6-7 year process ensuring it is filled with love and natural ingredients. It has gone through multiple testing phases where Danielle provided samples to her sister, co-workers and friends to ensure her product was market ready. This time was spent learning about how various ingredients such as cocoa butter, shea butter, raw natural and essential oils work together to provide glowing and nourishing skin products. Once she realized she had created a product that was able to withstand the harsh effects of winter on her beautiful black skin, she used her knowledge to expand her line of ‘of the earth’ products including soaps and her newest lip balm product. Her aim with all her products is to keep her ingredients as natural and safe as possible; her test is that her products can be consumed - making them non-toxic and some even vegan based.
(Courtesy Bashful Body Care _Bay Rum Soap)
Like many small businesses, Bashful Body Care is a cottage start up, and has grown to have an online store presence. This set up has made Danielle realize her future hopes for her business. She hopes to scale her business to have a warehouse production, distribution and fulfillment center so she can gain a better work and home balance. When asked what starting a business means for a small island woman such as herself, she stresses that finding her purpose in life has been the manifestation of God placing something in her heart to share with the world. Along with scaling her business in the USA, she hopes to sell her products in Antigua so she can cater to her people, as her doing this will allow other Antiguans to realize that “we all have creativity, anyone from anywhere, from any walk of life, as long as you have a concept or business idea, can start your business as well. Sometimes it is important to take the first step without knowing where or how far it will go. Small islands can do big things globally.”
(Courtesy Bashful Body Care _Coconut Charcoal Swirl)
We asked if there was one piece of advice she would give:
“Trust yourself and know that it is a process.”
To other Antiguans and Barbudans considering starting a business, “believe and understand we are brought here to do something, and what being in business has illustrated is that reflection is key, as it shows both personal growth, but also the strides your business will make, especially coming from Danille, who considers herself shy, but has been able to step out her comfort zone and create a business that allows for your skin to glow and bloom with her products.
To learn more about Danielle and Bashful Body Care, they can be found at their website Bashful Body Care and on social media as @bashfulbodycare. She will also be attending a virtual pop-up on June 5th at the Virtual YOLO Summit.
