Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
Jennifer Samuda explains how the face-massaging instrument works. The machine is one of several at Jencare Skin Farm. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
A CHEMISTRY major, Jennifer Samuda of Jencare Skin Farm, the island's premier day spa, began her career in banking and reached the level of auditor before pursuing her true calling. She spent over 20 years in banking before starting to manufacture cosmetics in a small room at home.
One of Mrs. Samuda's friends, who was a chemist, encouraged her to return to the sciences and she went back to study cosmetic chemistry at the International Skin Care Lab in California in the United States.
She did this part-time over a three-year period while still working at the bank. Upon completion, Mrs. Samuda worked weekends in Miami, Florida, and on vacations she travelled to Europe gaining further know-how. Then in 1982, she began her spa treatments at home with friends and co-workers among her first clients. Today Jencare is a resounding success.
In 1993 she opened her first shop in Red Hills Mall. Shops were also opened in Trinidad in 1996; Miami, in 1999; and New York, in 2000.
Today, Jencare's flagship day spa stands proudly at 82 Hope Road, St. Andrew. It boasts state-of-the-art equipment for a range of services for men and women who are assured of privacy and comfort while they are pampered. The facility is Mrs. Samuda's dream come true and with her husband Lloyd working by her side at the factory and administrative end of the business, she hopes to continue giving of her best.
BE: How many clients did you start with when you operated out of home in the early days?
JS: I was already working with overseas clients so it was not a question of trial and error. I began with friends and results were so good, each one told one, so it has kept expanding.
BE: So with the exception of Trinidad, were overseas locations set up in response to emigration of local clients?
JS: After working in Miami, the clients made a demand on me so I decided to open my own place there. The same thing happened in New York; client base spread and demand grew.
BE: What is the ethnic background of your overseas client base?
JS: We have a diverse mix; people from all races come to us, not just Jamaicans and West Indians.
BE: What about exports?
JS: We export all over the world through a distributor who controls our sales overseas. They distribute to a wide cross-section and we do Internet sales. We sell to pharmacies locally.
We manufacture our own soaps and we do designer soaps for local and international markets. We began with soap, astringent and cream then expanded to making lipstick, foundation and powder from formula to finish. We are now into bath gels and body butter, scrubs, eye shadows, mascara, concealer, blusher and our own line of make-up brushes. We remain on the cutting edge of containers for our products.
We now have a product that has taken Jamaica, America and Europe by storm. My latest line Jentox oxygen collagen, body butter and skin polish and vitamin C collagen wrinkle eraser, a non-toxic anti-ageing serum with essential antioxidants and trace elements, powerful wrinkle eraser which supports elasticity with instant results.
They are made from marine collagen and plant extracts. It took about nine months to complete but I am getting excellent results.
BE: The sky is the limit for you as far as manufacturing fresh products and the crowning glory is your own headquarters here in this facility.
JS: Yes, it was difficult, but 82 Hope Road is a dream come true. I worked diligently and hard; we struggled but I give God thanks.
BE: How many persons do you employ and how do you find them? What is the biggest problem with workers?
JS: We employ 85 full-time in all locations and some part-time. We keep training to maintain a high standard. Customers are key to our business so that we can be on the cutting edge and keep abreast of all that's happening. The factory staff work part-time and my husband takes care of manufacturing after I write the formulas. I take care of the clinical and he handles administration and manufacturing.
On the down side, lack of discipline is a problem, for example, coming to work on time is a problem. If there is a drizzle, some use that as an excuse to stay away. Overseas, we don't have those problems.
BE: What about the children, are they being groomed to take over the legacy you are building?
JS: My son is a lawyer in Florida; my daughter has a first degree in biochemistry, a master's degree in chemistry and is heading on to medical school. I am hoping when she's finished and well rounded, she will join me. I have two nieces who are very interested and hopefully they will come on board too.
BE: What is a typical day for you and is retirement in the cards?
JS: I am up by 4:00 a.m., depending on my projections. I do all my computer work, answer correspondence, and get to the office by 8:00 a.m. We close at 8:00 p.m. Clients come from overseas and all over the island. I don't see retirement yet but when I'm ready, I hope one of the children will be ready to take over.
BE: What has been the biggest challenge for you?
JS: Quality assurance. Ensuring quality in products, workmanship and customer satisfaction. I believe in customer satisfaction whether we make a profit or not. That is a challenge.
BE: But your product quality has been maintained. After all these years, do you still worry about that?
JS: Our products are our hallmark; everywhere in the world I've gone, people comment on the quality and satisfaction. Everything has a failure rate but I try my best to make sure everything I produce is the best. And, I don't sell a hoax, I make sure that accuracy and standards are maintained. I try to control prices too because we import a lot from Europe and the euro is strong. Transportation from Europe is expensive so sometimes we have to adjust prices and even bear a loss to make sure people can still enjoy the products. Customers understand that we make quality products comparable to and above the standards of any in the world.
BE: How do you decide what products to make next?
JS: Because I am a chemist, the labs and manufacturers from which I buy send me new raw material that they have. Also, working with clients makes you see and know what the needs are and so that's how I could put out Jentox. Many people are turning to botox shots now and these only relax the muscles. My oxygen cream came about because I know that, over time, cells die from overexposure to sunlight, smoking, menopause and other reasons, so I made the oxygen cream to put life back in the skin cells.
Surprisingly, after I made those products, I saw where other manufacturers were going into similar things and that's how it works; but I did not wait for others to do it. The new products have been on the market for about a year and all customers who have used it have given us the thumbs up.
BE: Let's look at factors of production such as the high cost of electricity, import duties, etc. How have you coped in your 22 years in business?
JS: I have been blessed in the sense that the challenges that people have with finding financing and a banker who trusts them, have never bothered me. I have worked for many overseas clients who have always been willing to come forward with any type of support I need and my Jamaican and international bankers have never given me any problems with financing. As long as my records are intact, there are no problems.
However, the daily challenges in terms of cost of utilities, insurance security, janitorial and landscaping, staff benefits and salaries are not cheap. If there is no forward planning, you will be in trouble but I live a simple life. I don't need much for survival and my husband is the same. My children are self-sufficient so they are not a drain on me. So over the years, all I have worked has gone back into the business; I don't take a big salary.
BE: Do you export enough to balance what you import?
JS: Yes, I could do a lot more but manufacturing attracts quite a lot of pilfering and we have to be careful not to overextend then the losses become more than you make, so I keep it manageable. If we are not in the island, no manufacturing takes place, we open the clinic only.
BE: Do you find that Jamaican business people give up too easily in the face of all the challenges?
JS: It's not easy to manufacture here. The biggest problem is pilferage, and some workers just think it's their right to take what they feel like taking. Then there are costs with transportation, especially of containers shipped here. We need a competitive price on the international market, especially with China posing such a great challenge.
Some products may not be similar, but containers look alike. We have to pay a lot of important costs. We have to buy in heavy bulk but we are lucky in that we have never made products that are not used. We don't manufacture enough to meet demands. But we have never had to pull anything from our shelves.
BE: When do you find time to relax and take vacations?
JS: I am a reader, I read every night before I sleep, no matter how late; it shuts me down for the day. I don't take vacations but when my husband and I go to our various locations, it's like a pleasurable business trip.
BE: How do you divide your time among the overseas locations?
JS: There is no set time for visits but I go to each one at least once per month. I am here Thursday to Saturday but I can juggle that and no one knows when I'm coming.
BE: Have the bomb blasts in Trinidad affected your spa there and what about Red Hills Road when it was plagued by crime and many businesses were forced to leave?
JS: No, it has not affected us badly yet. We are located on Alexandria Street in Trinidad and staff are still at work. It's just like when we have our periods of violent unrest here. I never had a problem at Red Hills Road; our move was in our long-term plans.
BE: Crime remains a big problem for us all, do you have a view as to what could be done to reduce it?
JS: I think education that makes people more aware of right and wrong. Children need to be taught what are positive and negative actions. Also, there are not enough jobs available for those who are unemployed.
BE: Do you cater to all ages and what are some of your services?
JS: We serve males and females women from puberty to the menopause years; we do water massages, oxygeniser, hydrotherapy baths, cellulite treatment, LPG mechanical facial muscle tightening, diabetic treatments such as pressure therapy, electrolysis treatment, hair care, a deli and many more. Our Ambassador and Executive suites are very popular with men in the corporate world.
BE: Is there anything else that clients are asking for?
JS: Some would love to stay overnight but hotels are close enough so I won't venture there.
BE: Are you involved with any charities?
JS: Yes, I support Maxfield Park Children's Home, National Children's Home and Bethel Baptist Church and others.
BE: Where do you see Jencare in the next 22 years?
JS: If life and health are fine, I would want to turn the manufacturing part of the business over to underprivileged children, teaching them to manufacture cosmetics for the local market and export so that they can make something of themselves. I would love to do that for my country.
BE: What would you say to a young girl who wants to set up a business, and sees you as a role model?
JS: I find that one of the main hindrances is that many young people want to start at the top. I started at the bottom. In the beginning, most people, even my friends, thought I was mad to give up my job for this. They said, "You are so educated, why clean faces?" But I stuck with my talent and perfected it before I spread my wings. I believe in the saying that wasps can't make honey because they sting the bees before they learn.
So start at the bottom, work, take time, build confidence, put all your earnings back in the business, endure the challenge, don't make your lifestyle dependent on the business. It will grow when you put your all in it. The work starts after you open a business.
BE: What is your hope for Jamaica?
JS: Peace. I love my country and if we can achieve peace and keep crime down and return to being a nation of family, with love and peace, not even the stones on the roads would be affordable by outsiders, if we could achieve that.
