The Year 2020 In Review [ Sanbe Beauty ]

If someone would have told me two years ago when I started Sanbe Beauty with my business partner Sandra B. that our two-woman show would grow this quickly into a company that serves military families while stationed overseas, works hand in hand with a professional esthetician, and is expanding to Japanese and US stores. In contrast, shipping packages to hundreds of thousands of people all around the world each year, I would have laughed – no kidding.

What started with a lifestyle intervention empowered me to create clean products and offering them to as many people as possible. I envisioned educating women (and men!) about clean living and empowering them to lessen their bodies’ toxic loads in various ways.

So here’s a quick look at our second year in business, 2020 the hardest year yet!

What we didn’t see coming

We entered 2020 with BIG goals for Sanbe Beauty, one of them was to bring our products to stores near you in the states. So, the first couple of months we focused on wholesale clients and ways to expand Sanbe Beauty.

On the other hand, we also planned to give our local military community in Japan more accessibility for shopping our products. We submitted our application to the Marine gift shop in Jan. or Feb., and it was approved by March, right before everything closed down.

This year has thrown so much anxiety and unthinkable challenges at Sandra and me, we wouldn’t have dreamed of ever having to micromanage daily household tasks/homeschooling/business. What a year! With the closure of all stores in the states, we feared not making it to 2021 - not because we had to postpone our wholesale approach but because most of our suppliers were out of everything, and the local post office closed down all international shipments.

Luckily, we had a few months of stock, I prayed this would keep us over water for at least 6-8 months, and so it did! We are very grateful to have a supportive community here in Okinawa, Japan, the States, and several other countries. We couldn’t have done it without YOU!

WHAT’s to come & what’s to stay

What makes a business successful is not just a great product or a quick turnaround time; it’s interaction, trust, accountability, and honesty. These are the things our customers can count on and should expect from any business.

• During the time of lockdown, I dedicated my time to educate myself. My certification in becoming an organic international skincare formulator (by EU standards) is almost complete, this will allow Sanbe Beauty to be taken more seriously in the first place, more products, and more knowledge.

• We will be launching a number of new products in the new year, ranging from toners, face washes, creams, soaps, and so much more.

• Our newly designed deodorant will be launched on Jan. 11th at 11 am GMT +9 with a pre-launch on Dec. 31st at 12 pm.

• We will be hiring (virtual assistant).

• AND the most exciting news is that Sanbebeauty will be available in New York on 420 W Broadway New York, New York inside @flyingsolonyc starting in March 2021.⠀