Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carrie Mapes, Co-Founder of Hello Again Products, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My first trip to a dispensary, at over 50 years old, changed how I thought about cannabis and how I tended to my own wellness. Once I learned about the body's endocannabinoid system and its biological goal of bringing balance to the body, I knew I wanted to treat my menopause symptoms with cannabis, but I didn't want the psychoactive high. My friend and now business partner, Patty Pappas, felt the same way. Three years later, our Hello Again cannabis-based vaginal suppositories are helping women of all ages with menopause symptoms, sleep, period woes, and hangovers. Hello Again exists to offer women a clean, plant-based, all-natural way to feel like themselves again when life as a female whack them out of balance.
Tell us about yourself
Curiosity took me to that first dispensary shop. Creativity allowed us to imagine a line of products that didn't yet exist. Dogged determination allowed us to get our products on the shelves, and respect for this plant and our products kept me focused on growing the brand.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Patty and I launched Hello Again in two dispensary shops just a few weeks before COVID shut down California. The two of us worked endlessly to expand our shop list and grow our dispensary partners to over 20. That number seems small to us now, but at the time, especially when many dispensaries were not allowing anyone in the shops, it represented a lot of hard work.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Entrepreneurship is not a career; it's a lifestyle. Crisis' has no conscious and doesn't respect your family time. Going home at the end of the day doesn't mean the work doesn't find you. It is, however, very invigorating to have your brand at the forefront of your mind and to be creatively inspired to foster its growth.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Learn every aspect of your business before you hire or contract out for services. You will make better hires, be a better boss, and appreciate your employees more when you've walked a mile in their shoes.
- Go slow until you know. Resist making reactive decisions.
- Carve out regular, non-work time that is sacred. Even 60 early morning minutes to read, meditate, exercise, or work about your home can help you arrive at work focused and content.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
First-time entrepreneurs often have Imposter Syndrome. It is easy to trust other people's expertise instead of what you know in your gut, especially if you are a first-time entrepreneur. No one knows your brand as you do. You do not have to follow every good idea other people have for you and your company. Empower yourself to discern.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://helloagainproducts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helloagainproducts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helloagainproducts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-mapes-4549891a0/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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