The Wilderness Maven Herbal Apothecary

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jenn Ziegler, Founder of The Wilderness Maven Herbal Apothecary, located in Marshall, MI, USA.

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

The Wilderness Maven Herbal Apothecary seeks to transform raw botanicals into clean and simple products that support the health and wellness of our community and planet. We strive to offer a safe space to find healing the way nature intended. We work with people in all stages of life during each stage of their wellness journey to find herbal support that allows for living the highest quality of life.

Tell us about yourself

Years ago, I was struggling with my own health complications and had reached a point where I was no longer willing to accept all the negative side effects of the prescriptions I was on. I began researching alternative health therapies and enrolled in a two-and-a-half-year herbal medicine certification program. I'm enamored with plants and the way they work gently, yet powerfully, with our body systems to support vital health and wellness. It became my passion to take the knowledge I gained in school and use it to formulate products that truly support the health and wellness of my community in a sustainable and practical way.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Connecting to my community in a deeply rooted way and empowering each person I encounter to feel confident in taking their health choices into their own hands has been a huge accomplishment. All too often, we turn the care of our health over to someone else, so to be able to educate customers on plants they can find and work with to ultimately take their health journey back into their own hands is very rewarding.

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

It's imperative to have ideas and goals for any business, but the hardest part, and I would argue the most important part, is to always be open to the idea that the business journey may take on a very different appearance than you initially thought. Being flexible about the direction of growth is challenging when it may not align with the exact vision you've been clinging to, but that flexibility is the only way to move forward through many unforeseen hurdles.

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

I'd say the most important tip is you cannot do it alone! Yes, there are a great many things that can be accomplished in business alone, but at the end of the day, without the support and input of friends and family, no business can grow to its full potential. We have blinders on when it comes to many aspects of our businesses, and sometimes we need help removing those blinders so we can see it from other perspectives and create a business that serves a wider audience more fully. Be open to those other perspectives.
Take baby steps when you need to. When I have an idea, I want it to come to fruition, like, yesterday. I've learned rushing to any goal only leads to more delays and having to re-do things in hindsight. Baby steps may feel like slow progress, but it makes everything stronger in the end.
Whether you have a service-based business or a product-based business, OVER-deliver every time. When you meet more than the expectations of a client or customer, not only do they return time and again for that extra special experience, but the word-of-mouth positivity they spread will be the best thing for growing your business. Go the extra step, include a handwritten note, go beyond what is expected, and never see any transaction as final.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thewildernessmaven.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildernessmaven
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildernessmaven/

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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