Meet Shani. From her home in Concord, she is redefining self-care one handcrafted product at a time. As the founder of Simply Care Box, Shani is on a mission to help busy people carve out small, meaningful moments of peace in the midst of everyday life.
Her business idea was born in 2021 during a demanding job with a fast-paced fitness brand. She was working 13 to 14 hours a day, managing inventory, building shelves and handling daily operations. When the brand launched, they sold out in just six hours. A few months later, the owner walked away from the company. That’s when Shani had a realization.
“I was basically running a business for someone else. I figured if I could do that, I could do it for myself.”
At the time, she was pregnant with her third child and craving moments of rest. With no time to visit a spa, she began experimenting with ways to create relaxing routines at home. That led her to develop her own skincare products, and the idea for Simply Care Box began to take shape.
“I wanted to create simple, intentional moments for peace,” Shani shared. “That’s why SIMPLY stands for Simple Intentional Moments for Peace, Love and You.”
In February of 2022, she launched Simply Care Box to bring curated self-care to people’s doorsteps. Boxes included small-batch, handmade skincare products and candles, designed to offer moments of calm and joy.
Many of her customers are mothers, but her products appeal to a wider audience. Her masculine-scented candles and thicker “No Crack” formula body butter have become fast favorites among men, and requests for new items like beard oil and facial oils keep rolling in.
“I started with scrubs, body oils and candles,” said Shani. “But when people started asking for more, I listened.”
While finishing her degree in Healthcare Management Technology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, she began exploring skincare formulation. Shani then enrolled in online courses and learned to formulate products safely.
Today, Simply Care Box sells primarily through her e-commerce platform, but Shani’s reach is growing. She currently has products in Market 94 in downtown Concord and is preparing to stock candles in Cannon Pharmacy as well as skincare products in a medspa in Cornelius.
To support her growth, Shani enrolled in Retail Lab at the Cabarrus Center this past spring. Retail Lab is a six-week business boot camp offered by the Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center in collaboration with the Flywheel Foundation. It provides training in branding, finance and sales, along with the opportunity to pitch for a small business grant.
Shani admits she was nervous about the pitch, but she committed to preparing every day.
“I practiced everywhere; the shower, the kitchen, the car,” Shani laughed. “I even hooked my laptop up to the TV and pitched to my kids.”
A practice session with Meg, Director of the Small Business Center, gave her the confidence she needed. When the moment came, she stepped into the room, took a deep breath and delivered the pitch she had worked so hard to perfect.
Shani was awarded a grant that will help her to meet her increased demand by purchasing a commercial mixer and two liquid filling machines.
At first, Shani wasn’t sure she belonged in the Retail Lab cohort. Many of her fellow participants already had storefronts. She questioned whether her e-commerce business measured up. But with encouragement from Grant, Retail Lab program manager, and Meg, she stepped forward.
“After completing Retail Lab, I feel confident talking about my business,” said Shani. “I know how to speak to customers and share what I do.”
She is currently preparing for a relaunch of her brand on July 1, with new products, improved packaging and a growing customer base. She also plans to invest in a banner for vendor events to make her setup more visible and professional.
To follow her journey or place an order, visit her website Simply Care Box or connect with Shani at @simplycareboxllc on Instagram and Facebook
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