Listen to this article

Despite the skills gap in New Jersey manufacturing — and the lack of women leadership in the industry altogether — BJ Dowlen, founder and president of Bodyworks Enterprises, a sports performance strategic product developing group in Brick, has continued to make a name for herself.Despite the skills gap in New Jersey manufacturing — and the lack of women leadership in the industry altogether — BJ Dowlen, founder and president of Bodyworks Enterprises, a sports performance strategic product developing group in Brick, has continued to make a name for herself.

Her success lies particularly in the manufacturing of the BodyworksBall — a self-massage tool designed to help provide instant relief of stress, muscle knots and aches and pains.

After having been named one of Inc. Magazine’s 2015 Best in Class for innovative office design products, Dowlen’s product has since been featured in the Los Angeles Times’ 2015 holiday gift guide and Oprah Winfrey’s “O List” in the January issue of her magazine.

It was its launch at The Made in America store, Brookstone and especially the rotating gallery-like boutique store STORY in Manhattan, however, that catapulted demand for the BodyworksBall.

“Sales were through the roof,” Dowlen said. “I ended up selling out and had to rush STORY new product.”

Such high visibility led to her also filming segments for “The View” and “The Fab Life” — as well as being one of three companies in the U.S. selected for Barbara Corcoran’s national “Seal of Approval” contest.

This meant a sit-down, one-on-one business discussion with the “Shark Tank” investor.

“Barbara gave me her input and provided strategies,” Dowlen said. “She told me that I should focus my energies only on that which produces the most revenue.”

While that sounds simple, it was something Dowlen needed to hear.

“I realized I was putting my energy into dead-end or projects that I had already completed with others who weren’t carrying the load the same way,” she said.

Corcoran also told Dowlen that she shouldn’t let anyone else represent the BodyworksBall on television.

“She said I had the right energy to do it,” Dowlen said.

Now, Dowlen is writing a book in hopes that others will learn what it’s like to be an entrepreneur from start to success.

 “For example, I was getting maximum orders within such a short period of time that my current systems were becoming too labor-intensive. I hated going through the learning of it, but that realization ultimately led to better resolutions,” Dowlen said. “I want to tell others what it is I struggled with and what helped me.”