Delaware Woman Solves Embarrassing Problem

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

Welcome to a special episode of Side Hustle School. Why is this episode special? Well, when I saw the notes for the story that you're gonna hear today, I thought a couple of things, four things specifically. Number one, you really can make money all kinds of ways, as we have seen for 651 episodes and counting. Each day brings a different story, including several things each week I'm pretty sure that you have never thought of before.

At least that's how it's been for me doing my research on my end. Now, second observation, the problem described in this story sounds like a real problem in need of a solution. And a lot of Cytosils come in providing solutions to real problems. Number three, there's definitely some interesting lessons here. So it certainly meets all of our criteria for the kind of stories we wanna feature on the show.

Real people out there starting income generating projects, using the skills they already have, just figuring things out as they go and without spending a lot of money. That's what it's all about for us. And fourth, my last observation is there's no way in the world that I can be the one to tell this story. Okay, because this story is all about a self-described, let me make sure I get this right here, a self-described well-endowed Delaware woman who solves an embarrassing problem. Just to be clear, I'm not going around applying that label myself.

Again, self-described and it's also relevant to our story because when the summer heat brings sweaty streaks, this aircraft company employee finds a way to wipe away the moisture. So speaking of problems and solutions, what was I gonna do? I wanted to bring you this story, but I can't be the one to read it. This episode is gonna be presented by Whitney Karinek, our long-time content manager. Yeah, Whitney, after our sponsor message, she's gonna tell you all about this product in her own special way.

Then I'll be back with you at the end to wrap it all up. [Music]

Being a woman can be tough and that's never more true than when summer rolls around. Sure, it's full of awesome things to look forward to. For example, shedding all those layers and slipping into cute bikinis, drinking rose by the pool, but there's one dreaded aspect of summer that many females above the age of 13 are intimately acquainted with, boob sweat. Yeah, you heard me, boob sweat.

It's the bane of female existence in the summer and a veritable flash flood can strike within minutes when the digits on your thermometer start to soar. It often leaves the unfortunate victim looking like they're wearing one of those smiley face shirts that were so popular in the 80s. Side note, although fanny packs are definitely making a comeback, we don't see this particular trend resurfacing anytime soon. If this phenomenon is new to you, you're not alone. Although it's a predicament for a significant percentage of the human population, it's relatively undiscussed due to the sensitivity of the topic.

To combat it, most women opt for the socially acceptable boob wipe method or hanging out in the frozen food section just a little bit longer than necessary. That's because until recently, there wasn't really another solution for it. And that's where Pennsylvania native Joni De Campley comes in. Joni found herself in a position that most of us have found ourselves in at one point or another, laid off. After working as a project scheduler for an aircraft company following a move to Delaware, she found herself reluctantly turning to the classified section of her local newspaper in search of a new job.

Despite her tenacity and willingness to get back into the workforce, available full-time work in her field was limited. So she started working part-time jobs in retail until another opportunity surfaced. And that's when she found herself working at a boutique one especially brutal summer day. As she was helping a customer, she became painfully aware of the fact that there were two spreading patches of sweat on the front of her shirt. Although she was a master of the boob wipe method, opportunities to sneak off to the bathroom were few and far in between when she was on the floor.

And it just wasn't something you could do in front of others. She felt mortified. Despite the growing dampness of her shirt, her underarm deodorant was working like a charm. Why wasn't there a natural deodorant made specifically to combat boob sweat? Frustrated, she turned to her coworker and swore that she would develop it herself if only for her.

But after talking about her idea with friends and family, she found that she wasn't the only one looking for a solution. It was a sweaty epidemic. Thinking she might be onto something, she asked how many of them would purchase an all-natural breast deodorant if one was available. To her surprise, the majority of them actually said yes. Now, Joni knew what she wanted to do, but she didn't have a clue what she would need in order to create her product.

Since this was something that didn't yet exist, she decided to model it after basic natural deodorant instead. After some research, she discovered that baking soda, a common ingredient in natural deodorant, caused rashes and skin irritation in those with sensitive skin. So she looked for alternatives that could be used to keep the ladies fresh. Because if there's one thing worse than sweaty boobs, it's sweaty boobs that are also itchy and painful. The formula that she settled on ended up having arrowroot powder instead of baking soda for absorption purposes, coconut and tea tree oils to combat bacteria, vitamin E for moisturizing and softening skin, and a whole mess of other ingredients to keep the girls sweat-free and smelling marvelous.

To test the market, she started with a $75 investment and used it to source enough ingredients and packaging for 40 units. And she created them in a handful of cents with names like Lickable Lemons, Hills of Honey, and Marvelous Melons. Since she wasn't tech savvy, Joni found a college student who agreed to create her labels and logo for $40. Within two weeks, her new store was open for business. She called it Boobalicious.

Although she launched an Etsy site to peddle her boob sweat deterrent, Joni's first sale actually came from someone she ran into while pitching her product in a store. She had just walked into the shop to see if they would be interested in selling her product when a customer asked her what she had in her basket. When Joni told him what it was, he actually bought two for his wife and became a customer that day. Not only was it a great way for her to make her first sale, it also showed that shop owner how worthwhile it would be for them to stock it on their shelves. Joni couldn't have asked for better validation for her product.

And not only did the store agree to sell her Boobalicious products in their shop, they completely sold out within the first month. Six years later, that first customer still follows Joni on Facebook, and Joni has sold thousands of her sticks to Desperate Women the World over. The success of this product got her thinking, what other embarrassing issues she could resolve? And she's since come out with two new products, Cheb Rub Stick, for those of us who do not have the oh-so-coveted thigh gap and still wanna wear those cute shorts, and Angry Balls, because she figured men could use a little love too. With the assistance of an investor who took interest in her brand, she sees her lineup going even further over the next year.

And although you would think this would be more of a seasonal venture for Joni, she says that she maintains customers in warmer parts of the world year-round. And thanks to the Desperate Masses looking for solutions to their damp shirt woes, Joni says that her business brings in 700 a month in sweet-smelling profits on average. [Music]

Awesome, big thanks to Whitney Karinek for stepping up there. Thank you so much, Whitney, I appreciate that. As I said, I thought this was an interesting story, but I didn't wanna be the one to talk about it because I would probably screw something up and say something stupid.

So thank you, Whitney, I appreciate you for stepping up there. I learn from Whitney all the time and very much appreciate her. Now I appreciate Joni as well. Thank you for allowing us to share your story with our community. And here's a fun fact we didn't mention in the episode.

Joni donates a portion of her profits to an addiction and rehabilitation center to help families give their loved ones the help they need. I'm glad she's doing that. And I'm glad that you, our listener, are out there. As we wrap up the end of the week, thank you for listening. As always, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better.

Today's show notes, including links to Joni's Etsy shop, are at sidehustleschool.com/651. That is for episode 651. I'll be back with you tomorrow for our recap and then a whole new set of stories coming next week. Be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss a thing. My name is Chris Guillebeau, this is "Side Hustle School." [Music]