Tiffany Cartwright, the 2024 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest winner, is excited to open a store for G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs that offers her organic skincare products and supports underserved individuals in Detroit. 

 

Tiffany Cartwright’s mission to support those affected by poverty, unemployment and incarceration is fueled by her own experience with suddenly losing everything. Cartwright was laid off in 2012 after working roles including an assistant attorney general, a judicial clerk and an administrative law judge for the State of Michigan, resulting in her losing her benefits, insurance and even her home.

Fast forward to 2018, Cartwright began making skincare products for her daughter, who was born with eczema. She was soon inspired to start her entrepreneurship journey and turn that into a business. Cartwright officially launched her business, Amarra Products, in 2020. Amarra Products houses G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs, which is a natural skincare line offering body scrubs that are free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oils and phthalates. Amarra Products is also certified through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

 

Cartwright’s business has found great success since launching; G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs was featured on “Good Morning America” and the “Tamron Hall Show,” and the line has also been sold in Walmart and Target stores across the country. While her business has received national recognition and support, Cartwright is focused on empowering people right in her native Detroit, by providing mentorship and job training to folks reentering society, particularly women who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Since 2020, she has worked with around 50 women.

Detroit is giving that love right back to Amarra Products and G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs; the community’s votes and support helped crown the business as this year’s winner of the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown earlier this month. We spoke with Cartwright about her business’ mission, participating in the Contest and her future storefront in Detroit’s Rosedale Park neighborhood, which she hopes to open as soon as the end of this summer.

TechTown Detroit: For those unfamiliar with G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs, how would you describe the brand and its mission?

Tiffany Cartwright: G.L.A.M. is actually an acronym for “Giving Love to All Mankind.” And that’s what our commitment is; we’re definitely committed to the community. And our mission is to support the community. We are fighting poverty and unemployment, incarceration and recidivism by providing jobs training and mentorship to underserved and underprivileged members of the community, but also women who have been victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and also working with returning citizens.

 

How was your experience participating in the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown?

Oh, it was absolutely amazing. It was even bigger and better than I ever would have imagined. I had no idea that there would be additional promotional opportunities, where they would showcase us and showcase our businesses. And just setting up the tables and being able to pitch and just talk to members of the community, as well as funders and business owners, it was just amazing.

How did you prepare to present your business throughout the Contest?

I went into it with an eye toward this really being of crucial importance for me and for my business. I literally availed myself of every possible opportunity, reached out to every organization I’m affiliated with — friends and family, church members, everybody — to rally that support. And I think [the community] knowing that the support that I’m seeking is bigger than me, and that it really is a win for the community, I think that definitely encourages people to want to support because they see that you’re in it to win it for others. I’m a firm believer in not just talking about it but just being about it. So, because I am so passionate about that, that was what I wanted to make sure that I conveyed and showcased to everyone with whom I came in contact.

 

We saw your mother, 89-year-old Aleata Cartwright, was right by your side throughout the entire Contest. How has she influenced your entrepreneurship journey?

My mom is the most amazing, positive, supportive, enthusiastic mom that anyone could ever ask for. I always say that she is truly the wind beneath my wings. And I love having her there with me because she is such a source of support. She encourages everybody. My mom raised us to feel that we could conquer the world. There was never anything that we could present to her where she would say, “Oh, you can’t do that. You can’t be that.” And not only did she encourage us, but she did everything in her power to make sure that it manifested.

What lessons did you learn throughout the Contest that you’ll take with you as you run your business?

[I learned] to embrace change, to step out on faith and to be courageous. It takes a lot to ask people for support, to ask people to help you, and then have to depend on their help to advance. Just being humble and not being afraid to ask for help. I had never used a [presentation] clicker before in my life, I had never done a presentation that required me to simultaneously speak and operate slides. So, I was like, “Oh my God, how’s that going to work?” But I learned how to do that. I’m not even a graphic person, in terms of slides, flyers and things like that. I needed help to do that and just learning that it’s okay to not know. And understanding the importance of teamwork and the appreciation for moving to the next level like that. We put together vision boards, we did pop-ups, there were networking opportunities and we pitched — it was so important to embrace all of it.

 

The moment that you heard G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs was the winner of the Contest, how did you feel?

I was elated, but I was so humbled, and I just could not stop thanking God. My faith means everything to me, and I know that God has just moved on my behalf in so many ways. I was just so full of gratitude, gratefulness and just thankful for such and amazing blessing. I just could not stop crying.

You plan to open G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs in Detroit’s Rosedale Park neighborhood. Can you tell us more about your plans for the storefront?

I want it to be absolutely amazing. It’s a great location because you have the Grandmont Rosedale [Development Corporation], we’ve got Detroit Vegan Soul, we’ve got Cutz [Lounge The Grooming Shop], so it’s a great area already. I’m envisioning this really chic presence; I want the inside to have a chic warehouse vibe and for it to be modern and contemporary. And I’m looking for it to be a safe space, where again, particularly for the women who have gone through and endured things like trafficking and domestic violence, and those who are getting a new lease on life, I want it to be a safe space for them.

I always say that my grind to be a job creator comes from knowing what it feels like not to have one. And so, I empathize, and I really want it to be a place where, as I talked about during my pitch, not only are they working a job but [I’m] teaching them how to be job creators themselves to put legacies in place for their families as well. I want it to be a community outreach place where members of the community are actively engaged and coming out. I want it to be a space where they can come and spend a day; we’re going to be doing demos with the products, so if they don’t have the money to do the whole facial and mani–pedi, they can stop by and just engage in some really good self-care. I just want it to be a beacon of light in the community.   

Visit G.L.A.M. Body Scrubs website to learn more about its mission and browse the products. Interested in the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest by TechTown? Learn how Hatch Detroit makes entrepreneurs’ physical storefront dreams a reality.