Making Something From Nothing: Laila Belabbas Of Splish Splash Handmade Products On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
You can’t please everyone: There will be times when you will have to make difficult business decisions that may not be popular. Remember that all your decisions will impact the business and you are responsible for the success of your business and the people working in it! Without people, you have no business. Treat your employees well. They are your most important asset!
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laila Belabbas.
Laila was born and raised in Montreal. She has lived in Vancouver, BC Canada since 2008. She identifies herself as a member of the BIPOC community. Laila comes from a family of 5 children being the only girl.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
Both of my parents immigrated to Canada before I was born. My father is from Morocco and my mother came from France. They both met in France and moved to Canada in Montreal. Both speaking French, Montreal was the best choice for them at that time. My father was the sole provider of the family. His first job was working as a warehouse worker making only $2 an hour. At that time they only had one son. When my father found out that his wife was pregnant with me, he decided to go back to school and become a boilermaker, believing that having a trade will ensure a better life for the family. He moved up from company to company and secured a job working for the Montreal transit company. He was making only $40, 000 a year working as a boilermaker. supporting the family while my mother left her career as an RMT and became a stay-at-home mom raising the family, the hardest job in the world! Both of my parents came from poor families. My mother lost her mom at 14 years old, leaving her father with 9 children and scrambling to make a living to support all his kids. Her father’s parents were both living in Morocco. My grandfather was a farmer making very little money and hmyer grandmother was a stay-at-home mom with her 10 children. My father left at a young age of 16 years old for a better life coming to Canada, but first he made a stop to France where he met my mother and they both decided to move to Canada. I saw my father as a hard-working individual who worked long hours during the evenings, nights and weekends, picking up overtime shifts for extra money. I’ve learned at a young age that my parents would not be able to pay for education or help financially. I learned that I have to make sacrifices and work hard in order to have a good life. I have learned my work ethics from my father. He always told me that education is the key to being successful and without education life would be a struggle.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Everyday is a different day. All situations are temporary. Things happen for a reason and there are no coincidences. I believe that you are where you are for a reason. You need to keep faith in the universe. Life is full of surprises and even in the darkest moments things will turn for the better. Life is an iceberg and you never know what’s under it as you can only see the top. All good things are hidden and show up when unexpected.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I was struggling in my personal life emotionally and financially and I had difficulty paying my rent on time and eating regular meals. It seemed I could never catch my breath working from one minimum wage job to another, unable to see a bright future. I woke up one day and decided enough is enough. I needed a change and fast. I was tired of being poor and unhappy. My parents didn’t have the financial means to help me. I purchased a book that changed my life. Awakening the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. I discovered self-mastery and how to live a meaningful life. I learned step-by-step how to change my mindset and improve every aspect of my life. It did not happen overnight; it took years of hard work and seeing my self-worth. Growing up in an immigrant family was not always easy. Expectations were high and sometimes unattainable. Anthony’s words resonated with me. This was the best book I ever purchased. Anthony was my personal coach without knowing it!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
Splish Splash Handmade products came about when I left the corporate world being an Human Resources professional for over 10 years. I decided at 37 years old that I wanted to go back to school to further my knowledge and skills. I went to University to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University. Part of one of the business classes I took, an entrepreneurial class, made this whole idea of Splish Splash come to life. The first week of entrepreneurship class, our business professor asked everyone that we had one week to come up with a business idea and submit for approval. The challenge was it had to be handmade from yourself and could not be purchased or sold from something already made. We had to create a product from scratch and start selling your products for a whole semester. I can assure you that the stress level in that class was really high. I was asking myself, “What in the world? I don’t know how to make anything!” Then it came to me. I always made my own soap and bath products because I had such sensitive skin. I couldn’t find products that would suit my skin but never thought about selling them. I have had a self-care routine since I was 16 years old. I love taking baths with bath salt, essential oil of lavender, with a candle and piano music in the background. I decided this is an opportunity to try something different and, honestly, I just wanted to pass my class. So I pitched my idea to my professor. This opportunity was perfect to use my artistic and creative side that was dormant for so many years due to working in a corporate environment. Going back to school was the best thing for me. It allowed me to rediscover myself and focus on the things I love and enjoy. Being artistic and creative was always who I was! Being pressured to build a new business gave me the boost to try it out. I went all in. I was able to have focus groups, packaging, product testing, logo creation, a business name, market research, R&D, design a website, a business plan, sustainability empathy map canvas, financials and a business canvas model. I promoted my handmade natural products as a self-care eco-friendly home spa experience.
It was a massive success! The feedback I received from people was so positive. They loved the products and I completely sold out. That was an indicator that I was on to something. My professors were very supportive and helped me throughout the whole program. They pushed hard and it wasn’t always easy. But, they wanted me to succeed. I can say that I am proud to have founded a self-care, eco-friendly and handmade product line that makes people feel good about themselves and able to have that relaxing home spa experience from the comfort of their homes.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
Conduct market research and find out what your market segment would be. Conduct a competitors’ analysis and review products that are similar to your idea. There are a lot of products that can always be improved. When you have an idea that pops into your mind, write it down, it’s surprising how easily we can forget a great idea. I encourage you to share your idea with people you trust, that will provide you honest feedback. This will help fine tune your idea because we can’t always see every angle of idea. Also something that is very important is do not get married to an idea. If the feedback is not positive, it’s okay to change gear, be flexible and open. People want you to be successful. Honest opinions can avoid disappointment and wasting time and money on an idea that may not work. Remember that starting a business is not a competition and taking time to try your ideas and conducting research is part of building a sustainable business.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it. Using the lean start-up model
I am a very visual individual and need to see my ideas on paper. I draw and map product ideas to help design and make changes. I then develop the product and give samples to friends and family asking for real feedback. The feedback is valuable and helps me improve the design and the products. Any product I develop, I test on myself as well. After final testing, feedback and design, the final product is ready to launch. I like to support other businesses as well. I try to source from local suppliers that specialize in selling to businesses, with no minimum purchase requirements. That is something very helpful when you are just starting off. Bigger suppliers will have orders starting at a few thousand dollars just for one product. I would encourage you to search for something that will allow you to start small and not break your bank to purchase supplies, packaging and raw materials. Also customer service experience is important. Put effort and thought into your packaging to create a “wow” factor when your customer opens their purchase. I like to make every customer feel special no matter how much the purchase is! I always add a special hand written note.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
- Thinking about being your own boss will mean you can do whatever you want and having no one boss you around and have more freedom and time: There’s nothing further from the truth. Working for yourself will be time consuming and responsibility falls on your shoulders and no one else. Your new bosses will be your internal and external stakeholders. Customers will be the one you need to listen to and allow their feedback to improve products and services. Your suppliers, service providers, consultants etc. will be like a business partner. Treat them right and be respectful. They are providing you with the supplies to create your products in order to sell them. Be mindful that anyone that you need to conduct business with will be important.
- Planning: There are so many details running a business and managing your day-to-day business operations. For example, I have forgotten things or ordered the wrong products. It’s important to draft a list of things to do, and set calendar reminders for meetings and events. It will help keep you organized.
- You can’t please everyone: There will be times when you will have to make difficult business decisions that may not be popular. Remember that all your decisions will impact the business and you are responsible for the success of your business and the people working in it! Without people, you have no business. Treat your employees well. They are your most important asset!
- Why leaving a full-time job with a steady paycheck: You will probably hear that a lot. Working for someone else doesn’t mean you have more time for yourself and necessarily make more money. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that life is precious. It’s better to try something and not have regrets than play it safe. If you don’t try, you won’t know. It could be the best decision you have ever made for yourself. You have one life to live, don’t miss out on being your best self!
- Your Social Media Message: You will be under the spotlight more than you know. Choose your words wisely and spread a kind positive message. If you have nothing good to say, then don’t. Always remain professional, calm and respectful to everyone. We all have bad days where we can be frustrated and things are not moving the way we want. It’s okay to step back. Do not send angry emails or make angry phone calls. You will be thankful you didn’t.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
An important thing is you don’t need thousands of dollars to build a product. I have learned to use the lean business model in school. It means you don’t have to sell all your belongings, mortgage your house, or use all your life savings. Ensure you have an (MVP) minimum viable product. It is a low cost way to build a product that has just enough features to showcase and help you get the products tested into customers’ hands. It’s a great way to receive immediate feedback and iterate to finalize a finished product. It’s the perfect way not to mass produce and invest too much money and a great opportunity to see if your products will be well received or not.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
Starting a business can be fun and exciting, but also challenging. Don’t expect success overnight and do not rush building a business because it takes time. A slow, steady success will give you the ability to adjust changes along the way. I also encourage you to educate yourself on entrepreneurship. The more tools and support you can build for yourself, the better it will be for you to make sound decisions for your business and save costs. Not everyone is able to receive seed money. Invest in yourself, take business courses, read books and research how to start a business. Join a group of entrepreneurs, like minded individuals and business groups. It’s a great way to share and learn experiences from others. You can also hire people on contract or part-time to help with some aspects of the business that you’re not experienced with. A little help never hurts! Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family. They may have skills or talents that could be useful to you.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
This is a very personal choice. Ask yourself, “Do I want to become an entrepreneur? Do I wish to build something for myself and have control over the decision making from beginning to end, or do I need a team of people to help me build a business?” For myself, I decided I would rather bootstrap to have control of the product development and which direction the business is going.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
As a Human Resources Professional, we believe that caring for an employee’s mental and physical wellness is top of mind. I designed a business to bring a self-care, eco-friendly wellness experience that serves as a mental and physical wellness to everyone. I believe that we all need that 30 minutes per day to take time for ourselves and disconnect. A rested self is a much better version of yourself. Life is challenging and stressful. We all need time and what better way to be part of offering wellness products than to help people feel better and relaxed? This also gave me an opportunity to build a business that is inclusive for products and work culture. I hope to inspire and empower other BIPOC individuals and other women to pursue entrepreneurship. Something I would like to be involved in down the road is to help other entrepreneurs succeed and start this exciting journey!
I have friends that are members of the LGBTQ2S+ and I was asked to create pride products because they felt there was a lack of representation in the beauty industry. So, I created a product line for the LGBTQ2S+ because I want people to feel included and celebrated more than just once a year, but all-year long. I also believe in acts of kindness and giving back to the community and supporting people. I do have a soft spot for charity and I volunteer work. I donate products to non-for-profit organizations.
I believe it is important to give back and I am passionate about various causes and enjoy engaging in partnerships and fundraising activities with organizations that reflect my values.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to be able to inspire more people like myself. Coming from a poor immigrant family doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. I strongly believe that education is key to be able to develop and grow. It might be more difficult, requiring hard work and sacrifices, but it’s all worth it at the end. No one can take that away from you. Surround yourself with people that see your potential and believe in you. I had mentors in my life that helped develop myself. Also, having a support system is important because no one can be successful on their own. Never give up no matter how many times you fall. Keep going. Resilience is key!
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? She or he might just see this if we tag them.
Being BIPOC, I grew up with not many role models looking like myself. I chose Oprah as a role model while growing up because she was the person I could identify most with. She inspired me to be who I am today. A few years ago, I was in a leadership training course and part of an exercise we did was how you see yourself as a leader. We had to make a vision board. When I looked around me in that class I was the only BIPOC person. We had a magazine to cut out images and find what would be suitable that could represent me as a leader. I was able to find an image of Oprah. She was a leader that I identified myself with growing up and I wanted to continue working on myself to become a true authentic leader. Plus, she looked a little like me! Hoping to be able to do good for the world.
I admired her ability to lead her interviews with empathy, being true to herself and always helping others. She has a unique way of connecting with people at a deeper level that I can’t explain. I always wanted to be Oprah! She inspires so many people and truly makes the world a better place.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Making Something From Nothing: Laila Belabbas Of Splish Splash Handmade Products On How To Go From… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
