Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Milena Keratsinova, Founder, and CEO of Abaca Botanics, located in Portland, OR, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
A purpose-driven company dedicated to delivering Natural based products in their purest and cleanest form. We offer sliding scale pricing to allow more people to be able to access our products.
Tell us about yourself
I set out on my journey with the purest and most compassionate intentions for developing a product that would provide others with solutions for fixing their issues, not masking them. At my core, I am driven by the possibility of empowering others to learn how to heal what ails them so that they too can live their best lives. I am intrinsically motivated to present people with a product that is not only affordable but potent and pure, and beautifully untarnished by the impurities which we find in many of the products we use in our daily lives.
I grew up in humble beginnings in Bulgaria, and even in my youth, I strived for what many called the "American Dream," or at least as close as I could get to better my life. Once I arrived in the States, my so-called "American Dream" was short-lived; I was hospitalized just two weeks after arriving in America. It was determined that I had a bleeding ulcer, brought on by stress and consuming food my body was not accustomed to.
Western medicine, it seemed, was not the answer for my ailing situation but soon became the cause of many more health conditions, including Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, severe Depression, and Anxiety. That is when I turned to Mother Nature for solutions to my debilitating health conditions, and so began my labor of love for Plant-Based Medicine and for a true lifestyle change.
Through my many years working as a Mechanical and Civil Engineer in a predominantly male-dominated field, my overall health and self-worth continued to deteriorate, and although I was at the precipice of attaining as much knowledge as I could about utilizing Mother Nature's gifts to cure myself, I still was allowing stress and self-doubt to cloud my gut intuitions.
And so I left behind the hustle and bustle of my Engineering career and turned my focus toward nature and all of its gifts just waiting to be bestowed upon an individual both willing and open to attain the knowledge needed to spread the healing properties of all that lies within our reach, and so I became that willing and open individual. Looking for purpose in the ideas of others led me to go out on my own to find purpose within, and so began the infancy stages of developing the Abaca Botanics brand, Which brings me to the present; I have become emboldened by the possibility of being able to share the wisdom I have learned during my time becoming one with nature.
I have found my inner peace, as can you. Nature provides us with an abundance of natural resources, and I have chosen to delicately imbibe in all that nature has to offer. In my creative journey at Abaca Botanics, my mission has remained the same; I strive to create a harmonious symbiotic relationship between nature and self, with sustainable benefits and attainable and achievable results. A product for the dreamers, my many years of trial and error in the pursuit of the "American Dream" have finally come to fruition, and your dream is only a step away! I cannot wait to explore this journey of balance with you; here is to our prosperous and harmonious present and future as we begin to share our lives with Mother Nature; may we luxuriate in her healing powers and bask in the benefits of her offerings.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being able to give back to those around me and seeing people's smiles after they have tried our products. Making people feel good has been the biggest reward.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Unpredictability. For me personally, being a planner and wanting to have everything done "perfect" has been challenging. You learn quickly that "perfection" is not something realistic or sustainable but rather continuous improvement and evolution. You definitely learn fast how to live in the "Unknown" and take moments and situations as they come.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- If you are thinking about starting a business - Just start it and do it! Don't wait.
- Trust yourself; you truly can do anything you put your mind to.
- Patience - Rome wasn't built in a day. Be patient and enjoy the journey; you will reach the destination, and don't rush.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://abacabotanics.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbacaBotanics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abacabotanics/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbacaBotanics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abaca-botanics/
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.
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