Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Aja Atwood, CEO of Trella Technologies Inc., located in Bourne, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Trella Technologies, we create energy-efficient and globally-scalable solutions to problems unique to the indoor farming industry. In an aim to ensure the industry's longevity for future generations, we're diversifying the types of plants that can be grown indoors with sustainable, automated plant-training robotics. Due to climate change, outdoor agriculture has been compromised, and the risk of food and plant medicine insecurity has increased. Current Indoor farming techniques are limited to producing microgreens and shorter plants.
We must be able to grow what we want and where we want in order to meet the needs of all communities regardless of geography and economy. Our goal is to disrupt the status quo in traditional indoor farming and bring innovative and environmentally sustainable technologies to residential growers and small-medium scale commercial farms.
Tell us about yourself
As a natural catastrophe risk engineer-turned-co-founder and CEO of an agri-tech startup focused on the modern indoor farming industry, I apply my 15+ years of experience in climate disaster risk engineering to create innovative technologies that will revolutionize urban farming to protect plant medicine and our food supply. After graduating cum laude from Northeastern University's College of Engineering, I worked as an international engineering consultant and specialist focused on climate disaster risk engineering to reduce property damage and business interruptions from natural catastrophes.
In 2011, I started my first entrepreneurial venture. In 2016, I combined my unique mix of experiences of working as an engineer on the ground during and after natural catastrophes with my entrepreneurial drive, leadership, and passion for plant medicine to create the patented automated plant training system (TrellaGro LST™) that will revolutionize indoor farming and diverse plant growth. In addition to serving as the CEO of Trella Technologies Inc., I am also a mentor and volunteer for EforAll (Entrepreneurship for All) and am the Lead Grow Officer for Building Audacity, a non-profit organization serving the communities throughout Massachusetts.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Trella Technologies launched in 2016 and then obtained our first US utility patent for TrellaGro LST - an automated plant-training system in 2021. This was a huge accomplishment!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Finding your target market for a new idea can be quite challenging. Especially when you're solving a problem that most people don't know they have. After several marketing attempts, we now understand our target client and customer base, both from residential and commercial perspectives. We also put more effort into educating our market based on the need to grow their own food and plant medicine at the local level. This takes time, and patience can be difficult, but it's key.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't do it on your own. Get a partner that's as dedicated as you are, so you can hold each other accountable and lift each other during difficult times.
- Create a revenue-generating business model with low overhead so that you can use this capital to grow your business. Don't rely on external investment. It's nice when it happens, but it's rare. You'll burn your energy trying to find investors vs. running and expanding your business.
- Remind yourself of why you're doing what you're doing it. When it no longer resonates or excites you, it may be time to quit. But if it still excites you, even a little bit. Don't quit. Take a break and reassess, but don't quit.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.trella.io/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trellatech/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/trellatech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trellatech/
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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