We had the good fortune of connecting with Pam Kattouf and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Pam, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2016, my business partner and I were the parents of teenaged sons with profound autism. We were concerned for their future upon graduation from school. Statistically 85% of adults with autism are unemployed or under employed. The 15% who are employed tend to have more skills that our sons who have very limited language.. We knew we wanted to create a business for our sons and others in the community.
We turned a fun activity into a business. Our sons enjoyed lavender bath salts. Instead of buying the salts, we made our own together as part of a get together. We made a lot of bath salts which lead to gifting family and friends. The feedback was positive, so we built a business around this one product. We expanded into other bath products and candles.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional background is in teaching. I hold a masters in Early childhood and elementary education. I am a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Beloved Bath is a culmination of all of my passions. I am a baker, I have also taken many painting and craft classes. All together my experiences have prepared me for this business.
My experiences baking and creating have helped me with product development, design, and marketing. Teaching and working in the autism field has enhanced my ability to set up employees for success. Our team looks at our employees learning styles and strengths. We fit the job to the employee. That makes us different from many employers. Our mission is about our people so we put the mission front and center.
The ease for our is our mission and our clarity of purpose. Our current challenge is scaling the business. Our goal is to grow sales and our work force. We are implementing systems (inventory, website) to support our growth. We put all of the money back into the business to grow it. We could definitely use some expertise in areas that we can not afford to hire someone (email marketing).
I want people to know that we have amazing products that are made and packed by incredible people who are so proud of their work. We realize that people will give us a first look because they are interested in supporting our mission. Our customers are loyal. They return to us because our products are great, and the mission is an added bonus.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Maplewood NJ- Home to Beloved Bath. This community is diverse, vibrant, and inclusive. It’s like Mayberry with a modern twist.
A weekend visitor would enjoy a hike to the waterfalls in South Mountain Reservation. The trails and views are gorgeous. We would then go to brunch a Lorena’s, an award winning restaurant and if we were lucky, listen to live Jazz music. There are many amazing shops along Maplewood avenue. They are filled with unique clothing, artwork, and accessories. We would definitely stop at WORDS bookstore. Words is an inclusive employment independent bookstore. We share a similar mission. Often WORDS author events that attract top writers. We could catch the train into NYC for dinner, its a half hour ride.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The credit goes to our employees. In general people with disabilities are either overlooked or people have low expectations for what they can do. Our employees do an amazing job- they are the people who deserve the most recognition.
We received so much help and mentorship.
When we met people, they were so inspired by our mission of “meaningful employment for people with autism” that they wanted to help us.
We met a printer- Phil from Monte Printing and Graphics, who gave us a lot of advice about business (in addition to designing and printing our first labels at a very steep discount)
The owners of Dolly Moo, a lifestyle company, helped us find jars for our salts and recommended making soaps.
Website: https://belovedbath.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belovedbath?igsh=MXY4dWRuNDUxc2pkeQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/belovedbathcompany?mibextid=LQQJ4d