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How BodySoups Founder Jessica Milligan Turned Her Heartache Into A Blossoming Startup

By Zubia Abbasi After her engagement with her fiance was called off, Jessica Milligan turned her private solace into a rising startup, BodySoups. See how she got started and why her products are like being hugged by a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup.

BodySoups Founder Jessica Milligan.

By Zubia Abbasi

Jessica Milligan brought Body Soups to life to prove that she could persevere through hard times. The 26-year-old said, “I wanted to bring BodySoups alive because it’s such an easy gem that people totally neglect. You can take pills for PMS or a headache, but you can also alleviate most bodily pains, tensions, and stress with a bath.”

The startup, still in its first year of launch, began from Milligan’s pull towards a bath, that to her, contained remedial properties. “Right around the call off of my engagement was when I had the idea of BodySoups. I found myself constantly in the tub. Taking baths were seriously one of the only things that made me feel like I was being hugged by a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup,” she said. “I want the world to wake up and see that they can soothe away worries, pains, and give some self-love via soup.”

She further explained, “I actually was on FaceTime with a Feng Shui coach and I remember have the ‘ah ha’ moment for BodySoups when I was telling her about the creative way I like to take baths. As soon as I came up with the name, I knew I had to make it happen.

BodySoups offers bath, beauty and wellness products centered on relaxation and luxury at an affordable price.  A large percent of the site operates on ‘made-to-order’ production, and the products are made out of Milligan’s home. In addition she said, “I also have a couple Etsy manufacturers who help me create my unique recipes.” Along with the products, the site also features a blog where she posts recipes for different types of smoothies and BodySoups.

Some of its most popular products are the CLN&DRTY Face Mask, and the Midnight Lavender Bomb. The mask is one of Milligan’s favorite, it detoxifies the skin while removing making and other invisible impurities left on the face. The lavender bath bomb leaves the skin feeling smooth and according to Milligan, “it comes in handy after a long work day and you just want to turn off your phone and zone out.”

Milligan also offers bath samples which can be created on specialized orders and they come in little packets that are great treats for Birthday parties, Bridal Showers, and other get-togethers and giveaways. One such sample is the Epsom salt packs with lavender and eucalyptus in which Milligan adds a touch of Vitamin E oil. “It leaves your skin feeling beyond smooth and is really good at blocking out free radicals, which helps prevent wrinkles.”

Milligan explained that the process of pushing the project off the ground came with a lot of challenges she had not expected. “I thought that putting my creation from my mind to a site would take off immediately.” She continued, “Being a woman entrepreneur who doesn’t have a college degree is often frowned upon. So many people questioned me, but ultimately, if you believe in your vision and yourself, that’s all that matters. Now, I just celebrate the highs and the lows.” The startup meditates on the idea that life’s pains are motivators, and in Milligan’s case, instead of making lemonade, she cooked up some soothing soups.

How BodySoups Founder Turned Her Heartache Into A Blossoming Startup - Lioness Magazine

The costs and funding for the site were strategically acquired by Milligan as she organized and spanned out her spending. “I set up a budget for what I was going to spend on Marketing, Ads, the site etc. I also spaced out a couple different photoshoots so that I am not up to my ears in debt.”

Her goal is to achieve $20,000 for the first year off the products and services on the site. She is in the works for a “Customized BodySoups for an in-home Spa Day” feature, which would allow a Soup Builder to customize a bath for the customer in the luxury of their home.

Milligan hoped to inspire others to get on the bandwagon of self-care and discover the soothing and replenishing nature of baths. The new business has given her the chance to delve into this self-care for herself and the relationship which started this whole new platform.

Regardless of her future, Milligan has faith that her relationship would also find a way through with the progress of the start-up. “Taking a bath is such a caring way to nurture your body and soul. I plan on creating a recipe ‘cook book’ next year that contains many different ingredients for BodySoups and how certain baths can heal headaches, heartaches, boss-aches, and so much more,” Milligan said.

Zubia Abbasi is a senior Creative Writing major, at Western New England University. She loves to tell stories and believes in the importance of representing the unheard. She hopes that one day she can inspire someone to take the leap and draw creative inspiration from whatever kind of life they have been dealt.

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