Creative Collaboration

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alexa Jesse, Artist & Activist based in San Francisco, CA, USA.

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

I am an entrepreneur: a sales and marketing consultant, an artist, an activist, a photographer, event producer. I've been consulting in the cannabis and psychedelics space since the pandemic with the goal of using education to destigmatize and normalize plant medicines. My favorite brands and people to work with are those who are passionate about having a positive environmental and social impact, who want to create to inspire, and who truly care about the work they are doing.

For the past ten months have been the Director of Sales and Strategic Partnerships at Psychedelics Today, the planetary hub for individuals, practitioners, and professionals exploring psychedelics. Our audience consists of psychedelic industry professionals, healers, scientists, as well as conscious individuals passionate about alternate states of consciousness.

Tell us about yourself

Early in my 20s, I watched a documentary and went vegan instantly. That lifestyle shift altered the trajectory of my life. I left my blooming career in corporate major league sports and dove head first into the wellness space. After five years as one of the top sales reps at MINDBODY Inc, I suffered a terrible car accident that left me on disability for two years and led me into the world of plant medicines. I am motivated by my own experiences; plant medicines saved me and still provide me relief from both emotional and physical pain. I'm motivated daily with the desire to make this medicine accessible to all.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am proud that I've grown my independent consulting company into a six-figure business. I've had to figure out the not-so-fun, behind-the-scenes realities of owning a business, and I'm still not making as much as I was when I was 23 working in tech sales. However, I am carving my own path, doing work that really matters, and I get to create art along the way. I'm constantly growing, learning my boundaries, and stretching myself in ways I didn't know possible.

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

No one teaches you how to do this. The corporate path is laid out before us, and it's so tempting because doing anything else is against the grain. The lack of benefits is probably the toughest. I pay over $650 per month in health insurance, plus I still need to pay medical bills, which amount to thousands per yet. The lack of security is unnerving, but I refuse to give up.

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

If you're not comfortable with trusting without knowing, not sure that it's for you!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.alexajesse.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexajesse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexajesse/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexajesse_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexajesse/

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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