Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bernadette Aguirre, owner of INA Botanicals & Tea, located in San Francisco, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
INA Botanicals & Tea is an herbal wellness CPG brand that provides teas and tisanes. Our core customer is the busy woman who is health and eco-conscious, looking for approachable ways to incorporate natural products into her daily ritual.
Tell us about yourself
Herbs, tea, and natural products have always been a part of my daily regimen to maintain my health and to nurse me back to health if I wasn't feeling myself. After my son was born in 2016, I naturally turned to herbs to support my recovery. However, I didn't find a brand that had the range of ingredients, quality, or values I was looking for. I'd studied herbalism and have a background in organic beverage product development and marketing, so exploring a brand that fit my ideals seemed like a natural progression. I want to help women feel empowered to reach their full potential. INA is just the vehicle.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Within my first year, I hit a 5-digit revenue mark, with almost no paid advertising. For a consumer packaged good with an economical price point, this means I was able to move a good amount of volume in the first year.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being a business owner can be lonely. If you're a team of one or two, the work can get overwhelming. Finding a community of other like-minded people and participating in it has been a saving grace. Having a community of business owners and entrepreneurs that share ideas and resources helps lighten the workload, and day-to-day decisions business owners need to make.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- If you're strapped for cash upfront, start small and test. Test different products, packaging, and branding options. How you execute in the market will evolve over time, so you don't have to go all-in at once.
- Find a community of other business owners or like-minded people. Many have started on the same path as you at different levels. It's essential to have a group to bounce ideas off of or collaborate with. There's no reason to go at it alone.
- Sharpen your marketing strategy skills. It's not only about how your product looks on social or how many ads you could run with a good ROI. Growing your business is also about your pricing strategy, the product development pipeline, and market trends that can impact future product and brand development.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
The name INA is inspired by the Latin suffix of Regina, meaning queen. It also is the word for "mother" in Filipino.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.inabotanicals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ina.botanicals.tea
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ina.botanicals.tea/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/berncaguirre
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernadette-aguirre-marketer/
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.