From Navy intel to natural skincare: Meet Tia Petrovitz

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How did you get into this business?  

After COVID, my daughter said to me, “I want a business you and I can do together.” My mother-in-law had taught me how to make soap and candles and things like that, and we kind of fell into this. We saw a lady who was selling a soap business and (I told my daughter) “I can teach you what your grandmother taught me.” So I ended up buying the business and restructuring it and it’s what I’ve been teaching my daughter to do. 

What did you bring from your military background that helps you as a business owner? 

I grew up military and then I did my own time in the U.S. Navy – military intelligence. I’m very structured and I’m very detail-oriented. I have been an accountant for almost 40 years. So I used all the skills I learned and I’ve been teaching my daughter. She is very focused on what she wants to do, and she’s bringing those skills into learning how to do the candles, bath salts and lip balms. Next year, she’s actually going into the navy herself as a hospital corpsman, so she’s kind of using the skills she’s learning with me to translate to what she wants to do in her life. She’s trying to use those skills to bring better products, and that’s what we’re doing — we’re researching, we’re trying to bring the best products we can to do no harm. We’re completely sustainable as much as we can be. Both of us have a lot of allergies, and we know a lot of people who have allergies, so we’re creating products we try to customize for people as they need. If you have something you know you’re allergic to you, tell me, and I’ll customize something for you. Which is something we learn in the military: you try to make everything work for the people you’re with. 

What advice would you give to a fellow veteran who wants to start their own small business? 

It’s a lot of hard work. Make sure you research what you’re going to do first. There’s a lot of information out there, on what you can do and what you can’t do. The VA actually has a lot of programs right now for mentorship, to help you navigate what you’re doing for every single state. Reach out to them. The DAV has programs that help and so do the American Legion and VFW; they all have programs and they’re really good. When I started my first business there was nothing, so I tried to figure it all out myself. Now there’s a lot. 

Are you a fan of “the Christmas season starts Nov. 1” or a “wait until after Thanksgiving” person? 

I’m a “hold off until after Thanksgiving,” because my daughter is a Thanksgiving baby. I grew up in every country but the U.S., until I was 9 years old. You did not put Christmas up until December 1. 

Jennifer Botchie-Deinlei is a freelance writer

About Tia Petrovitz 

Tia Petrovitz, 56, bought a soap business in 2022 and, with her daughter, turned it into Utterly Simple Goat Milk Products. She was in military intelligence in the U.S. Navy and also has about 40 years of experience in accounting and bookkeeping.  

Petrovitz earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kaplan University. 

She lives in Linglestown and has two sons and two daughters, one of whom is in the business with her.