“Whenever you look internally and hyperfocus on what really matters — ignore all of the external noise — you possibly can construct a meaningful business,” said Heela Yang, chief executive officer and cofounder of Sol de Janeiro.

She should know. By doing just that, Yang has catapulted her brand into superstar sales status.

Yang first had the concept for Sol de Janeiro shortly after moving to Rio de Janeiro. While on a Brazilian beach during her pregnancy, she noticed everyone round her — women of all shapes, sizes, colours and ethnicities — “all wearing tiny little bikinis and having one of the best time of their lives,” said Yang. They were celebrating who they’re, and the here and now.

People mixed body oil with sand to make use of as exfoliators, before jumping into the ocean.

“They were loving themselves head to toe,” cellulite and wrinkles included, said Yang.

“I became absolutely obsessive about this sense of liberation, freedom and nonjudgment,” she continued. “I assumed: ‘I’ve got to spread this message.’ That’s the way it all began.”

Yang and her team spent six months crafting a brand mission statement, personality and identity.

“Sol de Janeiro exists to spark limitless self-celebration and joy through the ability and heat of Brazilian spirit,” said Yang.

There was much brainstorming and lots of debates. Yang and her colleagues created a girl, asking themselves who she was, how she walked, smelled, hugged and smiled.

“She doesn’t just walk — she saunters,” said Yang. “She sways. We never defined how she looks. It was all about her attitude.”

Next up was deciding which product and category would help amplify and spread the message. They opted for body care.

“What’s Brazilians’ favorite body part? It’s unanimous — [Brazil] is the one country that has a bum-bum contest,” she said.

That led to the creation of Sol de Janeiro’s now iconic Brazilian Bum Bum Cream.

Yang encountered a whole lot of “no’s” in developing the product — from the nixing of its vivid yellow packaging to the words “bum bum” appearing in a premium product name — but moved forward along with her ideas anyway.

“We had the courage that was rooted in the inspiration of the brand that we had articulated,” said Yang. “It was like a bible.”

Every time executives asked themselves if something is true to the brand.

 “Then when the reply was ‘yes,’ we had the courage to make those daring decisions,” said Yang.

During product development, greater than 100 ingredients were identified to exclude, a touch of light-reflecting shimmer was added and the feel was worked.

“Lots of people said: ‘Your fragrance is simply too sweet,’” said Yang. “Your fragrance is way too strong for a body cream.”

Yet Sol de Janeiro is supposed to be delicious, so she added 3 percent fragrance to the formula. Fragrance supplier Robertet took a bet on the product, collaborating on it at no cost, and the brand is now amongst its largest clients. So did Sephora, where in 2016 the Bum Bum Cream became the number-one skincare product after three months.

“Since then, with this dynamic relationship and partnership, we were capable of take this brand from a Bum Bum brand to the Sol de Janeiro brand,” said Yang. “That was an incredible journey.”

A fragrance mist was created from the Bum Bum cream’s scent, for instance.

Sol de Janeiro, which was acquired by L’Occitane in November 2021, is predicted in 2023 to generate global retail sales of $650 million, of which $475 million should come from North America. The brand has about 30 retailers, 30 products in three categories and 145 people on staff.

“You’ll be able to grow a meaningful business with only one hero product,” said Yang.

She added: “We’re blessed with this fun, playful lifestyle brand that may extend across many categories,” she said. “We will really rejoice. The sky’s the limit.

“My dream is to turn out to be a world, multibillion-dollar brand with a cult following,” said Yang. “I’m here for the long haul.”