Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Helmi Ansari, CEO & Co-founder of GROSCHE International Inc, located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

At GROSCHE, we sell our coffee, tea, and hydration products to fund the GROSCHE Safe Water Project. Our company is a Benefit Corporation ( B Corp) That is on a mission to save lives affected by unsafe drinking water. Every GROSCHE product sold funds 50+ days of safe drinking water for a person in need. #Everycupfillsanother

Tell us about yourself

As parents, ourselves, my wife, and I can imagine how difficult it would be to lose a child because the only water they have to drink is contaminated. We have dedicated our lives to saving the lives of children, adults, and the elderly who live in remote areas and don't have access to clean and safe water to drink on a day-to-day basis.

We have met countless parents who have lost their children to contaminated drinking water. And it breaks our hearts. We have dedicated our lives to helping those people by building a brand selling products to raise money to run our safe water projects in six countries so far. Every product we sell can fund 50+ days of clean and safe water for a person in need.

We install Biosand water filters at the household level with our profits. These filters require little to no maintenance, are Canadian technology, need no electricity or replacement cartridges, no spare parts, and can last up to 30 years. Each filter in a household can change the course of a family's life by enabling them to live, go to school, go to work without the burden of illness or even loss of life due to water contamination.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We have built this entire brand that is changing the world and is not an internationally sold brand, from a $6500 investment, a lot of passion and a lot of hard work. We are competing with mega-brands with deep pockets in a very competitive business environment. But we have shown that if you have a quality product, a real mission, and purpose behind it, and are willing to really put in the hard work, consumers will reward you for trying to make a difference.

We are building a community of "GROSCHEES," fans of our brand that are changing the lives of others by choosing a brand that stands for a better world and a better future for all. If a small business like ours that started from the laundry room of our house and a modest investment can achieve this much success, imagine if the other mega brands also stood for something? That's the world we dream about and work towards, where businesses solve the world's problems, not create them.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

It's an insane amount of work, and you're always being attacked by the big brands and competitors who enjoy economies of scale. It means no weekend, no vacations, and no "unplugging" when it's time to go home. It can be very demanding, but at the end of the day, because we know that we are working towards a greater goal than just making a profit, it is all worthwhile. Every day we are at work, we are helping to change a life. What can be more rewarding than that?

What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be clear on what makes you different and better than the alternatives to your product or service.
  2. Know who the customer you seek to serve is. Understand them, what they need, what are the passion points and pain points. Help them solve the problem you are there for.
  3. Love what you do and why you do it. If it's just for the sake of making a few bucks, that will fade away. Work towards a greater goal, a greater mission, and work will never feel like work. It will become the greatest reward you could ask for

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Please visit www.grosche.ca, follow us on social media, and we would love to have you support us (and other B Corps like us) that are trying to change the world through better business!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://grosche.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groscheinternational/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.