AFTER graduating from The University of the West Indies in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology, 29-year-old Chante-Lee Barrett embraced her dream of owning her own business. She looked in her community of Portmore, St Catherine and noticed there were no luxury spa services available, and a lightbulb went off in her mind. Barrett said this was what prompted her to establish and operate the first, and only, luxury spa in Portmore, to date.

“Most people, including myself, needed to travel to Kingston to get these services done. Portmore is a growing community; there are a lot of young, working-class people in Portmore who want these services, so we decided that we could bring these services to them in an upscale, luxurious environment. That’s how we came to boast that we are actually the only luxury spa in Portmore,” Barrett told Career & Education.

She noted that her business — Bodyscape Jamaica Limited — which officially opened its doors in 2019, is an umbrella company for Bodyscape Rejuvenation Centre.

“We consist of a spa location, as well as Bodyscape Earth, which is our local manufacturing vision of skincare products. We have spas and we have a manufacturing division that focuses on skincare. We have two locations and both locations do services, including facials; body treatments such as massages and body scrubs; nail care, including acrylic and tips, as well as gel polish. We are growing exponentially.”

Funding the business proved to be one of the difficulties she faced when starting. Barrett recalled being told by the bank that to start her business she would need the same amount of money, as that which was already in her bank account, to act as collateral.

A private business partner of Bodyscape told Career & Education, “She was thinking of giving up, but she reached out to some other agencies that were much more expensive than the bank, plus other friends, who lent her some money and she was able to start with much less than she initially budgeted for.”

After overcoming this hurdle and with her business well on the way, Barrett noted that she has experienced challenges that are specific to being a woman.

“The responses to most business processes as a woman is completely different and I have experienced this first-hand. We can go back to the foundation of just building out the spa, with the construction work; you are treated differently as a woman. You’re made to not know what you’re talking about, because in some aspects it’s a woman existing in a man’s world,” she said.

“Even people thinking that as a woman there’s no way you could’ve done it by yourself. There had to be a man behind you supporting you. Especially as a young woman, people’s perception is oftentimes that I’m just fronting the business and I’ve heard it first-hand,” Barrett added.

Adding that, besides the financial benefits, she remains motivated by listening to women in business, Barrett said, “A lot of times when the challenges arise, especially challenges that are specific to my gender, whenever I go back to some of these motivational women and I recognise they have the same challenges and they share how they got over it, that actually keeps me going.”

“Outside of that, the willpower to actually succeed, the ambition that drives me every day, actually pushes me even when the challenges come. I know that who I am says that I have to overcome these challenges.”

Despite all this, Barrett was able to open a second branch in May Pen, Clarendon, in the middle of the pandemic.

“We were seriously impacted, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, and then, of course, we operate in an area that was eventually shut down by the Government after there was a breakout. That resulted in us having to close our doors completely for about two to three months. As you can imagine, as a small business still in what we call the start-up phase, that had been a big blow to us,” she stated, as she explained that after being close to shutting down and still giving her employees a salary, even when the business was closed for almost three months, she saw an opportunity to open a new branch and she grabbed it with both hands.

In addition, Barrett spoke about the need for young entrepreneurs to improve the country’s economy and she advised that “the challenges are going to come, especially relating to funding. But I want to encourage, especially young entrepreneurs, to not be daunted by the challenges that they face. I believe these challenges actually make for a better business person”.

She continued by advising young entrepreneurs to find a mentor who can give them solid business advice, leadership, and direction.

Now a viable business, according to Barrett, Bodyscape Jamaica Limited, located in the Sunshine Outlet Mall, is well on its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Jamaican market.

“As we grew we added a lot more people to the team. We are now starting to contribute positively to the country and the economy as a whole. It’s about the individual lives we contribute to on a daily basis, and I think that’s one of the most rewarding aspects,” the businesswoman said.