Booking modeling gigs in Paris and Greece isn’t something most people dream of growing up. It’s certainly not something most people consider a possibility when growing up in a town with less than 20,000 people. But that’s just how life works out sometimes, and such was the case for Amanda Lavery. She grew up on a military base in Petawawa, Ontario. Situated in Ottawa Valley, the town has a population of just over 18,000.
Life seemed to progress normally for her until she went to a modeling convention in Toronto when she was 16, where everything changed overnight. Amanda won an editorial award, and suddenly a slew of agents came calling. Multiple agencies were interested, but a modeling agency called Montage in Montreal would strike Lavery as the ideal option. Soon, they had her booked for gigs in Paris and Greece. A notion that never crossed Lavery’s mind until that moment.
Those gigs worked out better than Amanda Lavery had hoped, and things only got better. She was being booked for magazine and print runway shows. The gigs piled up, and Lavery was deeply immersed in the modeling world until she was 28. Eventually, modeling wasn’t as fun anymore. So, she decided to take an entrepreneurship course because Lavery wanted to fulfill her ambitions of creating something for herself. She wanted to be the shot-caller, the boss.
It required demoting modeling to part-time gigs, but she was happy to do so. After all, she had the opportunity to forge something tangible for her future. If a girl from a small town in Ontario could conquer runway stages, she could also conquer the business world. Amanda worked part-time as a bartender to support herself while she studied her course online. This period would prove pivotal for Lavery’s life, helping her rediscover herself.
She also became fascinated with yoga and meditation, taking them up as active hobbies. These hobbies would pique her interest in holistic wellness, prompting her to research ingredients in body care products. Eventually, she had something on her hands. She wasn’t satisfied with the ingredients being used in commercial products. So, she decided to start creating them herself.
Whether it was lip balms or body lotion, Lavery would whip them up in her kitchen. She would take her products to friends and family members, seeking their opinions. Similarly, her coworkers would also get the opportunity to test them. The reception was unanimously positive. It also coincided with Lavery completing her entrepreneurship course, signaling the start of her corporate business brand CoCaBee.
Amanda Lavery was always a fast learner. She needed to be to adapt to her changing circumstances in life. After all, she entered the modeling world as a fresh-faced sixteen-year-old. She had no idea how the modeling and fashion world operated, but her natural inclination to learn helped considerably. She would take the lessons and adapt them to her entrepreneurial career.
CoCaBee, her body care products company, initially came to fruition after Lavery was inspired by her love for animals and nature. As an animal lover, Amanda Lavery could never bear to witness animal cruelty, finding it inhumane and disturbing. That’s why her company focuses on creating safe and cruelty-free products. It also reduces plastic consumption and waste to protect consumers and the environment.
Her work has paid dividends. CoCaBee was recently asked to be a part of the Oscars, where celebrities carried and used the company’s products. It also recently received the top lip care product in Ontario. Rather than resting on her laurels, Amanda Lavery is ready to bring her ambitions to life in the near future. She wants to develop her influencer persona. In addition, she’s also interested in taking CoCaBee international.
