Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fashion but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sacha Laurin, Founder of Kombucha Couture, located in Davis, CA, USA.

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

Kombucha Couture is a bio-design tech company creating sustainable fabrics from bacterial cellulose produced by the kombucha SCOBY. Our customers are fashion and product designers wishing to explore and utilize this new textile in their product innovations.

Tell us about yourself

My career as a cheesemaker has allowed me to extend my knowledge of fermentation and dairy science into other cross-over fields of fermentation, such as kombucha production, and I began my journey with the fabric by first falling in love with the beverage.

My passion for zero-waste production led me to begin exploring the uses of the SCOBY that has to be pruned as it continues growing through the fermentation cycles, and it continues to be a very symbiotic journey as I now am working to also commercialize my kombucha to create one of the first circular economies between kombucha the beverage and kombucha the fabric.

Opening the world to experiencing how delicious the beverage can be and what incredible gifts it contains is one of the greatest motivators of my life!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Making a difference in the accessibility of kombucha fabric for designers all around the world has been an amazing accomplishment, as I am still one of the only creators of kombucha fabric selling to the public. Having Kombucha Couture present an entire line at Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris Fashion Week in 2015 was also an incredible accomplishment that today I'm not sure how I pulled off!

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

I think the hardest thing as a business owner is finding investment and resources to initiate the necessary expansions in order to truly grow as needed.

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

The top 3 tips would be:

  1. To seek some professional consultation to get really clear on goals, timeline, business plan, investment, and branding. Lots of free resources are available at city/county/state levels for new businesses.
  2. Get dialed in with social networking.
  3. Keep dedicated family/personal time worked into your schedule to maintain lifestyle balance and well-being.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.kombuchacouture.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kombuchacouture/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sacha-laurin-32663a7/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveYourCultureKombuchaJewelryCouture

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kombuchacouture/
https://www.instagram.com/togetherkombucha/

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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