We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Josh Ray. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Josh below.
Josh, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
It is no secret that I am pretty out there! I love fun hair colors, tattoos, and crazy clothes! I am energetic and outgoing in everything that I do and that is something that isn’t always that common around here. Through the years I have had to overcome a lot of personal challenges in life and have had to teach myself that it is okay to be different and being different is what makes me unique and great! By giving myself the permission to be cool and different it allowed me to thrive more in my business ventures and honestly helped me become as successful as I have been.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Here at The Bath Lab we make a variety of handmade bath and body products. You’ll find everything from luxurious shea butter packed bath bombs to hand-poured soy candles and even body scrubs! Something that sets us apart from other similar businesses is that we source over 95% of our materials and ingredients through other small businesses across the US! This means that when you purchase from us you aren’t supporting just my dream but also the dreams and lives of several other individuals.
New for 2024 we are focusing on bringing new products and getting into more stores across the US!
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?
There are so many skills and areas of knowledge that I’ve had to learn through the years that I did not initially think would be something I would have to think about! A few big ones are social media and marketing, branding and customer interaction. Social media and marketing plays a vital role in running the business day to day and letting our audience know what is going on in the lab! In the earlier years I would post whatever I wanted on social media and whenever I wanted. That worked for a little while but as we grew I needed to hone in on my social media plan and what I wanted to do. This is when branding and customer interaction came to play. I needed to figure out what my branding was and how I wanted that to appear to my customers and how I wanted them to interact with it.
My biggest piece of advice for a new business owner is to figure out your brand. First, who are YOU? What do YOU want with the business? Where do you see it in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years? Second, who is the BRAND? What feelings and emotions do you want people to feel when they see your brand? I would encourage new business owners to sit down and do a deep dive into their brand and come up with the look and feel of it. Hire a designer that specializes in branding and have them help tell your story!
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Honestly the most impactful thing my parents did for me was kicking me out of the house when I turned 18. The night they kicked me out I had a trash bag and duffle bag of my belongings. I looked them in the eyes and said I would make them regret this and that I would bust my butt to make a name for myself and to this day that has been my driving force. that night I had to learn to be an adult on my own. I completely started my life over in a new state. Yes it was rough and emotional and exhausting but it helped turn me into the man I am today and has helped to give me the drive, hunger and zest for life and success.
Contact Info:
- Website: thebathlab.new
- Instagram: instagram.com/thebathlab
- Facebook: facebook.com/thebathlab
- Other: Looking to carry our products wholesale in your shop? Check out our wholesale catalog online! https://faire.com/direct/thebathlab
Image Credits
Sarah Busby / HGTV
