Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lorenzo Sevilla, founder of Grateful Earth, located in Laguna Hills, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We want people to live better and happier lives. We want them to feel sharper, have more mental energy, and focus. "We believe that Mother Earth has provided us all we need to heal the body. And when you change your brain, you can change your life." Grateful Earth is on a mission to deliver the world's first brain-healthy superfood coffee so that everyone can enjoy feeling more activated and inspired.
Our secret— we infuse our coffee with six all-natural nootropics, including turmeric, cinnamon, lion's mane, chaga mushrooms, l-theanine, and black pepper. It's a game-changer because now, health-conscious people can get all these superfoods in an individual to go packet and enjoy it anywhere their heart desires.
Unlike most of the functional coffee companies out there, who use cheap coffee, we source premium gourmet coffee so that coffee lovers don't have to sacrifice taste to get their favorite adaptogens and functional mushrooms. We truly focused on creating a full coffee experience. Head-to-head we're the best tasting functional coffee in the game.
So many people focus on taking care of their bodies. But how many people proactively take care of their brain health? People don't realize how important it is to feed your brain the right nutrients. What does having a six-pack matter if you can't think straight. Anyone who has suffered from brain fog can attest to that.
People that love Grateful Earth love taking care of themselves and feeling their best. They especially love the convenience and savings of our subscription.
Tell us about yourself
Grateful Earth started because of my passion for brain health and finding a better solution for people to feel the benefits of these ingredients. For example, we all know turmeric helps lower inflammation in the brain and body. There are thousands of PubMed studies showing that. The challenge is how often do we eat turmeric? How do you get it daily in a Western diet? Because going out to eat Indian food with turmeric once a week isn't going to help lower inflammation. To use food as medicine and heal yourself, you have to consume the right things daily.
Since people who drink coffee usually drink it religiously every day, adding these ingredients to coffee was a perfect solution. Now our customers don't have to take multiple supplement pills or remember to take them or eat the food.
They just have to do what they normally do— drink coffee. They don't even have to cut out their Starbucks. They just have to add our coffee to their regiment every day and then drink whatever other coffee brand they prefer.
I'm a solopreneur too, so there's so much more to this mission. I'm a small American business, and I'm just loving the journey. I wake up every day, and I get to serve our customers and build a business. I'm doing what I love every day. I feel like I'm living the dream. I'm just grateful every day for this opportunity to serve the world, God, and make my family proud.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my biggest accomplishment is inspiring others that they can do whatever they dream of too. Grateful Earth began as this concept in my head, and I manifested it into existence. I didn't have capital, most of the time, I didn't know what I was doing, but I kept the faith and just figured it out as I went along. (And I'm still figuring it out). To make it this far, I did a lot of self-development, personal growth, and spiritual growth. (Side note, the person you become to pursue your dream is a beautiful accomplishment in itself).
When my nieces and nephews ask me so many questions about starting a business, I can see their imaginations run wild with possibilities. That lights me up. Every day aspiring entrepreneurs ask me questions, and I just love helping everyone I can pursue their dreams. I'm super passionate about sharing everything I learn that can help people.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing I've experienced as being a business owner with a new start-up business is the emotional roller coaster ride. We'll have our peak state days, and we'll also have our challenging days. When you make the shift from employee to employer, we have to not only make the mental shift but the emotional shift in understanding we are 100% responsible and have to make the big decisions and tough decisions. We have to respect that some of the decisions will mean success or failure for the business.
There's lots of research and intelligence going on, but we're not robots doing calculations. We're humans, so decisions are also an emotional game. So there's also a lot of praying and meditation going on. We have to be clear-headed and lead with the heart when weighing decisions with the data. Also, part of the journey is understanding that we won't make the right decision every time. We will make mistakes. And that's okay. That's part of the game. We just have to learn, get up, dust ourselves off and keep growing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be Resourceful
This is an entrepreneur's superpower. As long as you believe there is always another creative way to solve a problem, you'll keep searching for the answer and be unstoppable. Once you say, 'you can't, you don't know anyone; you don't know-how, you don't have enough capital, etc.,' you're already doomed. All successful people were resourceful AF. - Have Faith
Faith is believing in the existence of the unseen. As an aspiring business owner, your role is to become a conduit to bring the unseen to the seen. You are a manifester and co-creator. In order to harness that, you must have faith and a vision. Without a vision, people perish. How will anyone have faith in you and your business if you don't? Remember, faith is a muscle and skill that can be learned. If you don't have faith now, know that there are ways to install faith. - Fall in love with Learning
To be a successful business owner, you have to keep learning. There's no way we'll know everything. You have to learn to embrace curiosity, scheduling sitting down and learning time and reading, and being a novice white belt over and over again. Whether it's public speaking, leadership, emails, technology, your craft or art, communication, finances, organizing, marketing, HR, taxes— the opportunities to learn are endless. Our business grows only as we grow. When the company is not growing, we're not growing. I constantly ask myself, "What do I know that I'm not doing?" and "What don't I know that I need to know?" As a business owner, you are a leader. Remember, leaders, are readers.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Every day practice gratitude and give thanks and praise. Make sure to have fun and enjoy every moment. We only get to do this once.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://gratefulearthcoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GratefulEarthCoffee/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grateful.earth/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GratefulEarthCo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grateful-earth/
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.