Detroit native Samia Gore became the first Black woman to launch a supplement in The Vitamin Shoppe. Her company started off as a goal to lose weight after her last child was born. The goal was to eat and live healthier in a bid to lose weight.
In Gore’s quest to do so, she couldn’t seem to find supplements that worked for her. Some even made her nauseous, thus, she set out to start her own company. After weeks of research, she launched Body Complete RX, a lifestyle and wellness brand of plant-based and vegan supplements in 2014, according to Detroit Free Press. Before launching Body Complete RX, Gore did not always have an interest in health and wellness, adding that it was an industry she fell in based on her personal journey.
In August last year, she launched her TRIM line, which includes plant-based metabolism drops, energy drops, and appetite suppressant capsules, in over 700 Vitamin Shoppes, according to Detroit Free Press.
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“We are so excited to be launching at one of the top retailers of nutritional supplements in the country because it’s a true testament to the efficacy of our brand and products,” Gore said in August when she became the first Black woman to have a supplement in the weight loss category at The Vitamin Shoppe. “As the first and only Black female-owned brand in The Vitamin Shoppe’s weight management category, I am excited to make these wellness products more accessible to customers across the country and support their journey towards wellbeing.”
Prior to launching her TRIM line, Gore used her Instagram page to share and discuss health-related topics in the Black community including her own experiences. The page, which now has over 200,000 followers, also features customers’ testimonies about her products as well as before and after pictures.
Her company also sells products like vegan protein powders, a Vitamin C serum, collagen-boosting powder, women and men’s multivitamins, and superfood bars. And so far, her company has grossed $10 million in sales.
“Being a Black woman in the supplement space for the past several years without having space on a retail shop, I do feel like I have to work 10 times harder,” Gores said about running a successful business.
Gore worked as a human resource manager for the Department of Veteran Affairs before starting her company. She quit her job to focus on her company full-time a year after she launched it.
“When I left my federal job, we were making my annual federal job salary on a monthly basis for a whole year,” she said.
