Inspiration comes easily to those who know where to look. In a world where decadence and ease of living are free for anyone, sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to redefine the way we live our day-to-day lives. It’s easy to see the nature that surrounds us and be blown away by the inherent beauty of it. Opening oneself to the wonders hidden in our natural world can be an avenue for personal growth. It’s no difficult feat: people have been looking towards nature since the start. We relate to the passing of seasons, to the transient way leaves and plants give way to new growth. Change, it seems, comes so natural to us that we forget it in the humdrum of city living.
Evolution is an integral part of life and its many facets, including the business world. Entrepreneurs have to keep evolving and adapting to changes in the business world. Knowing when to evolve is important as it can make a notable difference in an entrepreneurial journey or growth trajectory. Amanda Lavery, the founder of CocaBee Inc., is the perfect representation of evolution in business and how a brand can shift its focus and still retain the authenticity behind it.
Coming from a military background, Amanda Lavery charted her life course intentionally and focused on her goals. At sixteen, she was discovered for a modeling convention in Toronto, where she received an editorial award and callbacks for agents to work with. She kick-started her modeling career with an agency called Montage in Montreal. She was booked for work in Paris and Greece and also worked for magazine and print runway shows. For another 12 years, she worked in the modeling industry before she took the plunge into entrepreneurship. She took an entrepreneurship course, got certified and proceeded to launch her first business, a lip balm brand, which she started in her kitchen.
Amanda Lavery’s foray into business was backed by a deep interest in holistic health and wellness. She began learning more about yoga, meditation, and safe and unsafe ingredients for the human body. With that foundation in place, CoCaBee Inc. was born, and Amanda Lavery’s new journey in the business world as a boss began.
CoCaBee Inc. began with lip balms and gradually evolved into a brand with a full range of body care products. All products from the brand are tested and certified as CertClean beauty products with cruelty-free certification. “I am inspired as an entrepreneur because I love that it teaches you to think continuously outside the box and always evolve,” Amanda said.
As a brand, CocaBee Inc. reflects the thoughts and ideas of its founder, who is concerned with keeping the world clean and creating clean products. Amanda is a huge animal lover who does not support using animals to test beauty and body care products, and she has implemented this in her company. “I want CoCaBee to be a voice to show other companies you can still manufacture safe and cruelty-free, long-lasting products. We see so much waste and plastic affecting our planet. We wanted to create a safe and biodegradable product that won’t harm our consumers and environment,” Amanda shared.
CoCaBee was recognized and asked to be a part of the Oscars, where celebrities carried and used CoCaBee lip balms. The brand has been listed as a top lip care product in Canada and has caught the attention of the top fashion brand, Chanel.
Over the next few years, as CoCaBee’s growth trajectory continues to rise, Amanda sees the brand impacting lives by collaborating with critical stakeholders in the beauty and entertainment industries. “I see myself continuing to work and evolve with modeling and becoming an influencer over social media platforms, selling CoCaBee products across international e-commerce online stores, and building our safe and environmentally-friendly products,” she concluded.
