Samia Gore

Meet Samia Gore, the founder and CEO of Body Complete Rx, one of the first Black female-owned nutritional supplement companies to break significant ground in the highly competitive, male-dominated industry.

The healthy lifestyle advocate, author and entrepreneur embarked on a weight loss journey after the birth of her fourth child. The busy wife and mother sought organic alternatives that could provide her with increased energy and curb unwanted hunger. She searched high and dry for plant-based supplements she could use as a system to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle and support her self-care journey. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for in the market, a new venture arose– the creation of Body Complete Rx.

With her company launch in 2017, Gore was able to transform her social media platform to a full-blown body and weight management brand providing tools and tips for women. Her company has consistently grown with her loyal fanbase, most recently pivoting from a weight management-centered business to a newfound focus on overall health and wellness.

Body Complete Rx has transformed into a lifestyle brand with a holistic approach to healthy living that offers a complete range of plant-based supplements, products and apparel designed to help customers discover what it feels like to achieve their best self. In just three years, the self-funded business created by women for women has garnered millions of dollars in sales, and seen the support of celebrities like LeToya Luckett and Kenya Moore.

Where did the idea for Body Complete Rx come from?

Body Complete Rx was created as a result of my own wellness journey. As a busy author, wife and mother of four, I sought organic alternatives that could provide me with increased energy and curb unwanted hunger. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and a new venture arose– the creation of Body Complete Rx in 2017.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

A typical day for me starts with focusing the first couple of hours on self-care. When I wake up, I don’t check my email. Instead, I make it a priority to work out every single morning with a trainer. Once I’m done with my workout and ready to begin my work day, I create a list of daily goals and tasks I want to accomplish for the day, check my email, and check in with my team to see what meetings are set for the day. Every day as an entrepreneur is completely different, so some days I’m taking back-to-back meetings, while other days I’m developing products with our chemist. At the end of the work day, I make sure to put all work-related things away and spend quality, uninterrupted time with my children and family.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring my ideas to life by always starting off with a concept or thought. Most, if not all, of the products I have created are an extension of myself and are things that I genuinely needed and could not find. The process of bringing an idea to life begins with identifying customers’ needs and which ones in particular a nutritional supplement could solve. Then I reach out to laboratories and meet with chemists to see if there’s a way to develop a formula for the solution. Once the laboratory creates the product, I test it rigorously, before putting it out on the market.

What’s one trend that excites you?

One trend that is currently exciting me is the universal focus on self-care. It’s incredibly satisfying to see people putting in the work to change their lives and take care of themselves. More than ever, there’s this newfound focus on mental health, physical health, and overall well-being. I actually hope it isn’t a trend as this is something that should be here to stay!

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Meditation and grounding myself every evening. They make me more productive as an entrepreneur because they allow me to sift through the issues I’m dealing with that day, and then put them to bed. Doing this frees up my mind to then deal with the new issues and challenges that will arise the next day by having the mental space to tackle them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

If I could give advice to my younger self, it would be to make sure to check in with myself more often. With busy schedules, never-ending to-do-lists and personal obligations, it’s easy to go through your days on autopilot, only to sit in bed at night and not remember how/when you did everything because everything was go, go, go. I wish I had made it more of a point to check in with myself regularly earlier on. It’s amazing what just checking in with yourself for 5 minutes each day can do for your overall mental health.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

They say adults only need 7-8 hours of sleep, but I disagree! I need at least 10 hours of sleep each night.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Something I always tend to do and recommend other entrepreneurs do as well is to go with their gut. I often find myself going back and forth between different decisions, but I ultimately always go back to what my gut is telling me. Trust yourself. No one knows your business better than you. The more you listen to your gut, the more powerful and accurate it will become.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

A strategy that has helped grow Body Complete Rx is founding the brand on a niche market. I am a woman of color in the nutritional supplement industry which is predominantly male dominated, and my brand speaks to women like me, women of color. This isn’t something that you’ve traditionally seen in the nutritional supplement industry, especially plant-based and vegan options, and honing in on this niche has helped us grow the business.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

While I have been faced with many challenges as an entrepreneur, I wouldn’t categorize them as failures as I have learned something from each and every one of them, and they have empowered me to grow into a better entrepreneur.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I want to create an app called “Errands” where you can pay/hire people to run errands for you, similar to TaskRabbit, but for personal errands. Let’s say you need to drop something off at the post office or pick up your dry cleaning and don’t have the time to do so, you could use the app to hire someone to do it for you.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best $100 I recently spent was on a pair of Alo Yoga high waist leggings. They are the best yoga pants I have ever worn in my life! So comfortable!

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I have this app called “I Am” on my phone that sends you daily affirmations throughout the day. I find that by subconsciously fighting off negative thoughts and being positively reinforced with daily affirmations, I am able to be more productive – and happier.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The Wellness Project: How I Learned to Do Right by My Body, Without Giving Up My Life” by Phoebe Lapine. The writer takes you through her journey to find what truly made her well (eliminating sugar, switching to natural products, etc.) and it’s great for anyone looking for simple ways to improve their health.

What is your favorite quote?

“Que sera, sera” by Doris Day. In other words, “Whatever will be, will be.”

Key Learnings:

• Trust yourself. The more you listen to your gut, the more powerful and accurate it will become.
• Make it a point to check in with yourself regularly. It’s amazing what just checking in yourself for 5 minutes each day can do for your overall mental health.
• Don’t categorize mistakes as “failures” for there’s something to be learned from each and every one of them. Instead, learn to view them as challenges you overcame.