Princess Bombyck’s story embodies the essence of the American Dream. A migrant from war-torn Liberia, she has dedicated years to the public health sector and recently won a $15,000 grant at the Mountain West Foundation’s pitch competition for her activewear brand, Juah Apparel.
While Juah’s stylish and functional pieces are impressive, Princess views her role as an entrepreneur as just the beginning. For her, Juah is a launchpad toward her ultimate vision of creating a wellness revolution that prioritizes accessibility for everyone. Her journey spans continents and defies the challenges of geography, education, and language barriers (her native tongue is Kru). We are inspired by her story and are honored to play a role in one chapter of this epic journey that is still being written.
HERstory in the Making
Princess can trace the catalyst of her entrepreneurial mission to a single moment in time. Growing up in Liberia amid a lot of conflict and war, she was deeply moved by a humanitarian aid worker from the U.S. who made a significant impact on her community. “I was just amazed at how she ended up in Liberia!” Princess recalls. “I want to be like that! I want to help people in need!”
Fueled by this dream of helping people in need, Princess moved to the U.S. to pursue her education at Brigham Young University – Idaho and began working in public health, focusing on underserved rural communities. Through her work, she recognized the importance of exercise in preventing health issues, yet realized many barriers existed that hindered access to exercise resources for these specific populations.
The Need and the Vision
“I wanted to do something to help people get access to affordable exercise,” she said. “So, I became a personal trainer and started doing free fitness classes with a few of my friends.”
However, she soon discovered another challenge: the lack of high-quality AND affordable exercise gear. So, where she saw a problem, she also created a solution.
She used her connections in the public health sector to aid in that research.
She was a full-time community health worker for Salt Lake County Health Department and at the University of Utah. She currently serves as a graduate research assistant and academic program manager at the U. Public Health is her passion and her life’s work.
Her challenge was finding high-quality attire at an affordable price. And she did: the buttery-soft feel of Lulu leggings with a price-point closer to one of a Fabletics membership is a staple for Juah’s brand. However, the larger goal was still prioritizing social impact through health and wellness.
More than just a clothing brand, Juah’s mission is about empowering individuals to lead healthier, more confident lives through stylish, accessible activewear. Princess’s passion, research acumen, and relentless spirit is what took Juah from a dream into reality. But it’s not about the leggings. Because there are a lot of cool lifestyle and fitness clothing brands out there. Likewise, there are plenty of cost-effective brands for activewear (looking at you, Amazon.) But what Princess and Juah bring to the space is something completely different. It’s not just about changing the individual’s journey to wellness – it’s the belief that everyone deserves access to health and wellness.
When you hear Princess talk about public health and her journey — inspired by someone’s selfless act to prioritize health for strangers — one can’t help but also be inspired.
She believes in the value of public health.
She has an eye for style.
She is relentless in the pursuit of her dreams.
It’s also what inspires others to join her and support Juah and her larger mission.
A Queen of Capital
When you hear Princess’s story, you may be asking yourself (like we were): But how did she do it? One can research every type of fabric and have a dream that won’t quit, but at the end of the day, it still takes capital/financing to start a business. But when it comes to funding, Princess’s approach is old-school.
“I saved up,” she said. “I’m from a culture where we are afraid of debt. We prefer to deal with cash,” she says, and you can hear the smile in her voice. “So, my very first step was to save up some sort of income. And then once I got an income, I got started on the materials…”
Princess has a mind and disposition for research. Where some may believe their dream alone is enough to inform their work, Princess asks a lot of questions. Part of those questions include where to look and who she should be looking to for their expertise.
All this research eventually led to some prototypes. She was relentless in her networking efforts, including entering pitch competitions –always sharing the larger mission to find supporters and partners who understood that she was building more than just a clothing brand.
Phenomenal Future
While Princess says they’re currently in the early stages of a children’s and men’s clothing line for Juah, she wants to make sure that when people talk about the future of Juah, the most important pieces about the company and her story are the mission and the larger social impact she’s creating. Some exciting things are coming in Spring/Summer of 2025 for Juah, but long-term, she’d love to see a wellness center that’s built on her creative vision of accessible public health and wellness for all.
Mountain West Small Business Finance and the Mountain West Foundation are honored to have played a role in supporting Princess and Juah Apparel. You can support a local small business and shop Juah Apparel here: https://juahapparel.com.