Have you heard of Body Love Basics, the online body positivity brand? If not, you will, as it keeps selling out of products—and a growing list of customers keeps clamoring for more.
Her Brand Didn’t Start with Body Positivity
Ashley Rose Reeves was one of the first “mommy bloggers”, launching her site back in around 2008. She started blogging after she and her husband welcomed their first child as a way to connect with others.
But Ashley’s brand was a far cry from where she is today. Her focus was on dieting—losing the weight that often comes with having a baby. In fact, the blog itself was named “A Daily Dose of Dieting.” She shared recipes, ideas for adding exercise into your day, and tips to look better in a bathing suit.
An early adopter of Instagram, Ashley started to change how she felt about the constant push to dieting. She began to move her brand away from its original focus and more towards body positivity—gratitude for what our bodies can do, embracing them no matter what stage of life you’re in, and taking good care of them.
This change towards online body positivity resonated with her audience, as they evolved in much the same way she had. They continued to follow her, and her base grew. She and her husband welcomed three more children, meaning her family was growing right alongside her business.
Being an Influencer for Other Online Sellers
It can be hard to recall a time when influencers weren’t a thing, but it’s actually part of Ashley’s story. She’d tried creating her own products, but it didn’t fit her lifestyle at the time. That’s when she decided to reach out to other companies and talk to them about letting her showcase their products. It wasn’t easy.
She had to actually convince brands that it was a good idea to have someone work with them. And she had to prove her worth as an influencer—a challenge given that at the time companies had no way of tracking affiliate links or codes. Ashley had to literally build out an infrastructure that would work for her and her clients.
You might be wondering how being an online influencer for other brands led her to keep selling out of products on her own site. Every step in her career path, from her evolving focus from dieting to health and body positivity to learning how to connect with an audience led her to where she is today.
From Selling Digital Products to Selling Physical Products Online
Like so many online entrepreneurs, Ashley Rose Reeves was always considering what her next step would be. She decided to launch digital products—courses that would work alongside of the physical products she was promoting for her clients. Ashley also did a course focused on helping people grow their own Instagram following, as well as one on how to work with brands. She then taught people how to become food bloggers, and she sold recipe-based courses. These courses generated additional income and had the added benefit of having little overhead.
When she developed and offered a body image course, however, things changed. She chose to drop the business coaching side of her business, and her passion for feeling good about your body made her want to give the body positivity course away for free.
Ashley was also having concerns about clothing and her body. She’s six feet tall and plus size, which had always made finding clothes difficult. A recent serious illness and hospitalization left her with few clothing that fit her body well. She’d also learned—as she shares in this podcast—that a woman’s body fluctuates 3-4 times a year. It gave her the idea to create what she calls “size-fluid” pieces that would be both basic and comfortable.
Selling Out of Products Over and Over
During our conversation, Ashley shared that she currently has 18 products—and she’s looking to more than double that number within the next year. Her online community loves the pieces she’s created, and she connects with them frequently to find out what kinds of products they like or the colors they’re drawn to. She even involves them in photoshoots!
Her sales strategy is simple. It starts with communicating with her customers ahead of a Monday product launch. She gives details and specifically focuses on giving her customers anything she thinks would reduce their confusion or eliminate potential pain points. And when she does launch, her product descriptions are fun and lively—it’s a treat to read them!
These simple (yet important) steps deliver results—as in she keeps selling out of products incredibly fast. And her methods don’t just work on clothing, either. She also connects her customers to products that fit her body positivity brand. That includes items like an ice roller that helps with anxiety, or a weighted heating pad that soothes as it warms.
Top 10 Takeaways
Ashley has so many good tips for people who are just getting started with ecommerce as well as those who’ve already launched their online store. Here are just 10 of my own takeaways from our conversation:
- Your perceived weakness is your greatest strength.
- Ask your community what they want.
- Get your community involved in your photoshoots.
- Build habits in your customers.
- Confused? You lose. Sell the vision.
- Wear your products all the time. Show, don’t just say.
- Fight a battle alongside your customers.
- What is your next-best step?
- Figuring out what NOT to do is just as important as figuring out what to do–either way, you’re moving forward.
- Be okay with “cringy.”
Additional Resources
Follow Ashley Rose Reeves:
- On Instagram: @ashleyrosereeves
- On TikTok: @ashleyrosereeves
- Shop: bodylovebasics.com
Connect with Alison:
- On Facebook: @alisonjprince
- On Instagram: @alisonjprince
- Learn about the 0-$100K System and how you can launch and grow your own online business here.
- Join the Print Sprint here.
Other Podcast Episodes:
- Inspired by Ashley's story? Listen to Ruthanne's story next.
