The youthful face of Laurent Cosmetics and Laurent Active Wear has made a name for herself in the cosmetics industry but humbly said that she is “still a work in progress” because she sees progress as a non-stop journey. Meet Laurent Joy Benig, a doting mom and a jump rope expert who sees the future with brighter prospects. iOrbitNews Lifestyle Editor Larrica Angela Cunanan- Dinio interviews Laurent Joy. Excerpts from the interview.
Who is Laurent Joy Benig as a mom, as a fitness buff, and as a brand ambassadress/influencer?
I consider myself as a very hands-on mom. I wear many hats but I make sure that the “mommy hat” is my top priority. I set rules and I make sure they are being followed. But I’m also a very “chill” mom, I can hangout with my daughter like I’m her best-friend, we can bond together, we can talk, we can laugh. But at the end of the day, I make sure that I have the authority to implement things.
As an expert in jumprope, I will definitely say that I am disciplined and very organized. I make sure that wherever I go, I will find the time and place to do my routines, as I consider that first and foremost, as a form of self-care. So it is very important for me to allot the time and patience to push through and follow my schedule. But, as important as following my routines and schedule, I also make it a point to allow myself to be lazy sometimes, there are definitely those moments, and it is okay to say “yes, I deserve to be lazy today.” Having some time off is very important too.
Read also: How this jump rope enthusiast founded her activewear line during the pandemic.
As for being a brand influencer, reaching the target audience and bringing the brand to a new set of people is truly a priority for me. I make sure that I help the brand in bringing their message and core values come accross. And for me to do that, I need to believe in the brand first and foremost. Their values, their message, their belief, and of course, the quality.
What are the brands you have established?
I am proud to say that I have already established two brands. Laurent Cosmetics is my original baby, I came up with this idea of bringing budget-friendly and high-quality cosmetic brand to the market. I started off really small, I was a reseller, and I slowly turned it into my own brand. So, I am very proud of that.
Next is Laurent Active. Not so long ago, I became health conscious and explored so many fitness programmes and activities — jump rope, boxing, weight-lifting, you name it. And as I go along with my fitness journey, I discovered the lack of budget-friendly active wears. Most of them are very expensive. So, I really made it an effort to build a brand that exactly caters to what I need and what I’m looking for, and fortunately, it turns out, many are also clamoring for an active wear brand that is within their allotted budget.
Watch Laurent Active TikTok videos here:
As a career wo-mom, how do you juggle all day-to-day tasks?
It is very important to have a set schedule for your daily activities — especially when you’re a mom. As a mother, you are expected to do everything, from house chores, to taking care of your kids, to budgeting, and to go beyond what is expected too. And while doing all of that, there’s a pressure to meet all these expectations — do less and you’re a bad mom, do more and it still isn’t enough. As moms, we have to remember that first and foremost, we are also individuals, with our own dreams, own priorities, own goals in life. So, if you feel that you need a “me time”, go ahead, because you can’t really take care of the people around you if you can’t allow yourself to be free from all the pressure and expectations. That doesn’t make you a bad mom, that makes you human.
Why invest in yourself, in health, in healthy diet? How do you motivate yourself to stay committed to your fitness plan? What was your weight before being into jump rope?
Investing in myself when it comes to health and well-being is also a top priority. I can say that I’m a health-freak. I get too paranoid with all these different health conditions around, so for me to help myself be free from all the worries, I turned to exercising and different physical activities. I don’t really believe in dieting, but I believe in giving proper time and dedication to fitness. I also don’t weigh myself too much because I believe that it is very unhealthy to check your weight regularly. I believe in feeling good.
Is jump rope for everyone? What are the surprising benefits of jump rope as a form of exercise?
Jumprope is definitely for everyone as long as you have the patience and dedication to learn and improve. You just have to remember the first step: take that rope and do the first jump. Everything and everyone starts with the basics. I remember when it was my first time, I’m almost on the brink of giving up, but I felt like I owe myself the chance to be better at it, and I did. Now, I work at Jump Pampanga, Tiktok Philippines & Philippine Jump Rope Community in creating a safe space for everyone who wants to learn and wants to jump with us in this exciting journey.
In handling a business, what are the advantages that you yourself are the image of your brand?
There’s definitely an advantage in being the “face” of my own brand. It’s simple: I can control the branding, the visuals, and the way I want my brand’s message to come across. And did I say it’s very practical?
Who is Laurent Joy Benig now? What’s next for LJ?
The Laurent Joy now is still a work in progress, because I see progress as a non-stop journey. If you stop progressing and developing yourself, there will be no “next,” there will be no future. We must always seek the next step. We must explore new grounds. So, what’s next for me? I really have no clue, but one thing is for sure, the future is brighter and it keeps getting better.
