Body, Mind, and Soul - Baraguz SlimT

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Karen Baraguz, CEO of Baraguz SlimT, located in Miami, FL, USA.

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

Our business is a health and wellness company that focuses on helping our clients with their healthy living habits. Our customers are everyone who is looking to lose weight, start a healthy living lifestyle or just anyone who genuinely cares for their well-being. We created products such as collagen with vitamin c and Hyaluronic acid, which helps the humans connective tissues (like bones, cartilage, ligaments, skin, etc.), Detox teas which have herbs and spices that are used for helping with lowering cholesterol, aiding diabetes, increasing metabolism and much more.
Our matcha is amazing too; matcha has been studied for many years, and it's known to be extremely beneficial for your overall health due to the number of antioxidants it contains, which helps your body get rid of free radicals.

Free radicals damage contributes to the etiology of many chronic health problems, such as cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, cataracts, and cancer. Antioxidants prevent free radical-induced tissue damage by preventing the formation of radicals, scavenging them, or by promoting their decomposition. We also have super greens with enzymes and probiotics. Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in your body, and probiotic is good bacteria that coats the lining of your large intestines preventing bad bacteria from entering and attaching (colonizing). Our Detox Day booster and night cleanse have also been made with 100% natural ingredients that all have been demonstrated to have a very positive effect on the human body. Our company focuses on quality rather than quantity, and I am working very hard to bring more products that will help everyone live a healthier life with natural products.

Tell us about yourself

I am a biology major with a concentration in Biopharmaceuticals. I worked as a construction consultant for insurance companies before opening my business, and quite honestly, it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I continued studying as I was working because I needed to complete my pre-med courses before applying to medical school.

During the pandemic, I opened up a TikTok account and began doing funny videos along with my husband to entertain ourselves without thinking we would ever become social media famous. After a few months, we gained thousands and thousands of followers. Our account grew so much that I would do cooking lives and had thousands of viewers watch me cook, but after each meal I cooked and ate, I would make an herbal tea and what's funny about it is that I would make it in a pot. I would walk around my house cutting my plants to make my tea (plants like lemongrass, Dominican oregano, etc.) I had a cabinet filled with spices and herbs, and I would throw them in the pot. After the tea would boil, I'd drink it every day. The viewers would ask me what the tea was for, and my answer was always the same, the tea helps me digest the food easier, it helps with not retaining much fat after each meal, and it helps me burn calories. After a while, all the viewers wanted me to sell them the teas and encouraged me to open this company and create my teas for them. Today my teas have had such a great impact on my clients that they blew up on all platforms. I am blessed to have every single one of them, they now have become family, and I have a beautiful community of amazing individuals who are absolutely in love with the teas as much as I am.

My motivation for me to do what I do every day is them; my goals are not finished as I am not in the process of entering medical school, but as you can imagine, I want to become a doctor to help people, and this company has given me the power to do just that. I love hearing all the success stories, and it motivates me to continue creating and making natural products that help the human body run smoothly.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment so far has been the positive impact that our products have made. We started with two products, and in 10 months, we now have 11 products with 11 different premium colored water bottles and are now waiting on our newest collection of tea blends which are seven more different blends focused on specific issues such as lactation, PMS & menstrual cramping, anxiety and more. I am honored to do what I do every day; there is a saying that says, "you never work a day in your life if you do what you love," and I am doing just that!

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

Late nights, when I opened my company, I thought I would work on my own schedule and that I would have all the time in the world, but in reality, I work harder and longer hours now than I did before. Sleeping 4-5 hours daily has been the hardest thing as sometimes I barely get 3 hours. Right now, I am on 3 hours of sleep, but I love every second of it.

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

I will give you three tips, plus a bonus one for anyone who wants to open a business would be:

Do something that you love because if you don't love what you do, you won't put 10000% into it, and you will lose motivation along the way.
Make sure you separate yourself from the business; having accounts separate and making sure you're not using the business account for your personal leisure or expenses is extremely crucial for any business to operate and survive.
Make sure you build a connection with your clients. Always ask yourself, why would clients buy from you rather than a well-established company? What makes you better?
Last one, but it's the most important one. Make sure you have all licenses, permits, and attorneys available before selling anything to anyone.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://baraguz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaraguzSlimt/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenbaraguz/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baraguz-slimt/

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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