Starting A New Business. If Not Now, When?

Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Most of us do. And so many of us never take the first steps to make it happen. Why is that? I’m the first one to live in the aspirational dream-state-zone, because it’s fun – and living reality can be scary, unsafe and sometimes not fun at all.

So what finally gave me the nudge to navigate the entrepreneurial waters and try my hand in the ultra-competitive skincare industry? I’m not entirely sure. I’d love to say it was down to my ballsy hear-me-roar bravado, but it was a combination of different variables. Mostly, life didn’t give me a choice. At least that’s the way it seemed to me. The universe just kind of pushed me in this direction. And I went with it. It’s important to know when to swim upstream and when it’s important to go/flow with where life takes you.

Somehow life pointed me in the direction of chia. I’m not sure why, but one day I found a bag of chia seeds squarely planted in my lap and started to read the back of the package. I was amazed when I read about the many attributes of this superfood, – chia seeds are the most nutrient dense plant source on the planet. That’s when I thought, “how can this not be amazing for the skin?” It turns out, it is.

After reading about a study published by the annals of dermatology, in which patients with the most severe dry skin (xerotic pruritus) were dramatically helped by chia oil, I was convinced that I wanted to bring this chia oil to market to help address a myriad of skin issues, including eczema, pruritus, aging skin, and the list goes on and on.

One thing was clear to me starting out this venture – I wasn’t going to dedicate my time and energy to a product that didn’t work just to make money. Yuck. It’s critical for me to feel real passion for what I’m advocating. And I want happy people around me. This was my deliberate intention. I want our customers to feel they’re getting real value for their money. Every time I talk with a customer and hear how they love our products, and how they’ve really made a difference, my heart grows three sizes bigger.

The other major factor that was important to me when starting this business was that it gave back. That’s why 10% of all profits will go to the Mayas of Central America. I have deep ties to that area of the world, and chia has been a staple in that region for thousands of years.

Everything just kind of made sense about this business– and I think it was the universe’s wise hand at work. Not to sound too New-Age(y) – but there you go. I would encourage all entrepreneurs to go with it when they have that strong feeling for change – and move forward when things generally feel right. Sure, that little fear devil will rear its head with questions of “how?” And I guarantee there will be bad days when you feel like your swimming salmon-style upstream. But more often then not, the universe will help guide you and let you know if you’re on the right path. I would say, if I may, your job is to pay attention for the signs the benevolent universe gives you, and follow those good-excited-passion feelings. As Sheryl Crow says, “if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.”