Meet Gabi Day

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabi Day a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gabi, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

Persisting despite negativity from others – especially those in your own industry and region – can be a challenge. Ultimately, I’ve been able to persist by keeping my eyes on my own paper and staying grounded in who I know that I am.

We’ve all heard the adage, “other peoples’ opinions of you are none of your business,” but especially for women who have historically been socialized to be likable people pleasers, it can feel socially and emotionally unsafe to live by that advice. No one likes feeling ostracized.

Things shifted for me when I had my first TikTok go viral. It wasn’t even directly related to my business, but suddenly I had millions of strangers eyes on me and tens of thousands of comments. The number of people who either didn’t watch the entire video, grossly misrepresented what I said, and attacked me in the comments was jarring. I tried my hand at tactfully replying to a few commenters, but I very quickly learned that most people are committed to their own perception over truth. Then there was the fact that the positive comments overwhelmingly outnumbered the negative. Why was I giving so much weight to a minority of people who didn’t know me and were clearly committed to misunderstanding me?

I quickly realized that true freedom comes from showing up with integrity and not caring what other people think. No matter how objective, fact-driven, or fair I could be, everyone has their own perceptive filters that I cannot and should not try to change. The desire to be understood, while well-intentioned, is ultimately an unproductive and frustrating ego-driven endeavor.

Practicing integrity and self-compassion while refusing ownership of others’ reactions has been the key to letting go of others’ opinions. As long as I am aligned in my actions and motivations, the rest is irrelevant.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Bright Body is a line of nontoxic and refillable skin, hair, and baby care products for health-conscious, earth-minded people. We formulate with the safest synthetics alongside plant-based ingredients for performance without compromise. We package in glass and aluminum and offer refills with a take back system in pursuit of a more sustainable business model in personal care. We are proud to donate 1% of our sales to the Center for Reproductive Rights year round.

On October 1, 2024 we celebrated 7 years in business and we’re looking forward to a big new project in 2025: launching our first SPF product. We’re going to develop nontoxic, mineral-only SPF 30 lotion packaged in aluminum and available in plastic-free refills.

I’ve had my biggest years of growth with Bright Body since becoming a mom to twins in 2022. I’ve had so much success that I’ve felt called to support others through the process of building, optimizing, and scaling their own independent product based businesses. I’m in the process of developing a consulting business for other women product entrepreneurs looking for sustainable success without hustle or burnout – Hypema’am eCommerce Consulting – which will launch at the end of November 2024.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The first quality that played a vital role in my journey as a business owner is a commitment to a growth mindset. While I had a background in business – a Master of Health Administration (like an MBA but for healthcare) – I knew next to nothing about product based businesses or ecommerce. But I figured that if I could teach myself nontoxic formulation, everything else was figure-out-able. I had a deep rooted belief that no matter what I needed to know to take things to the next level, I could either teach myself, learn from someone else, or hire someone to do it for me. I think that a growth mindset is a non-negotiable for entrepreneurs, especially if you are “bootstrapping” your brand.

The second quality is being dedicated to imperfect implementation. When it comes to entrepreneurship – and really, most things in life – perfectionism is self-sabotage in fancy clothing. It might feel noble to want things to be “just so” before taking action, but in practice all that does is keep you stuck in inaction, The “perfect” strategy is the one that you consistently implement and moves you in the right direction, even if you have to course correct along the way. Focusing on implementation rather than freezing in strategy is absolutely vital to getting momentum in your business.

The third is my skill with numbers – general analytics and finance. I enjoy the former and dislike the latter, but regardless, I know how to use my numbers to make good business decisions. When you’re stuck in the day-to-day of your business, it’s easy to avoid decoding your numbers and looking at the big picture. But knowing your numbers is key to avoiding massive mistakes and optimizing processes with less time, effort, and resources.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

In the last 12 months, I’ve gotten crystal clear on my role as CEO of my product business and what that means in terms of where I need to focus my time, energy, and effort, and where I need to optimize, automate, and delegate. Business growth is a team sport – that doesn’t mean you need a massive staff to do what you want, but it does need that you will need at least administrative and operational support to grow your business without burning the candle at both ends.

In the last year, I’ve focused on the highest-impact revenue-generating strategy and marketing activities, while my amazing team handles customer service, production, and fulfillment. Each of us are incredibly productive and effective. We all have clear, well-defined roles, regular check-ins, and the same guiding vision and values. No grinding, no micromanagement, no confusion, no stepping on toes. All this came from stepping into my role as CEO and modeling servant leadership for my team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mybrightbody.com
• Instagram: @mybrightbody
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/mybrightbody
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/gpintocoelho
• Other: TikTok @itsgabiday

Image Credits

Amanda Arnold Photography