Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Martha Carlin, CEO of BioCollective and BiotiQuest, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We started as a microbiome research platform and ultimately developed functional probiotics to restore the gut. Our customers are people looking to restore their gut health to feel their best with improved energy, sleep, and digestion.
Tell us about yourself
I am a Citizen Scientist, systems thinker, wife of Parkinson’s warrior John Carlin, and founder of The BioCollective, a microbiome company expanding the reach of science. Since John’s diagnosis in 2002, I began teaching myself the science of agriculture, nutrition, environment, infectious disease, Parkinson’s pathology, and much more. In 2014, when the first research was published showing a connection between gut bacteria and the two phenotypes of Parkinson’s, I quit my former career as a business turnaround expert and founded The BioCollective to accelerate the discovery of the impact of gut health on all human health, including Parkinson’s.
I was a speaker at the White House 2016 Microbiome Initiative launch, challenging the scientific community to “think in a broader context.” I apply my systems thinking background and experience to drive collaborations across the scientific spectrum, from neuroscience to engineering to infectious disease. I am an out-of-the-box problem solver in the microbiome field. I bring a unique perspective to helping others understand the connections from the soil to the food to our guts and our brains.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Founding the company with limited outside investment and morphing the business multiple times over seven years of changing business and microbiome landscape to become a profitable business that is making a difference in our customers' lives.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
There are many difficult decisions that have to be made as an entrepreneur. The hardest thing for me was ultimately sacrificing everything I had saved in my years of hard work to invest in the company and make it a success. Making payroll and being willing to sacrifice my own income and assets to do that is one of the hardest things.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't waste a lot of time going to conferences and listening to advice from outsiders that will waste your time.
- Focus on how you are going to make money and work on revenue every day.
- Build a team of people you can trust to get things done and have your back.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://biotiquest.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiotiQuest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biotiquest/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthacarlin/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TBCMicrobes
https://twitter.com/BiotiQuest
https://twitter.com/mcarlin33
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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