Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rafik Riad, founder of Buy Good. Feel Good., located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

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

Buy Good. Feel Good. is an online marketplace that features ethical and sustainable products and unique gifts for conscious consumers. We believe we all have the power to use our purchasing power for good to contribute to a better world. With our marketplace, we make it easy for you to live by your values and support causes you are passionate about with your purchases.

Our mission is to support social impact brands that offer our customers alternatives that make a difference. Working with brands that focus on sustainability and social justice, from employing 10,000 beekeepers in Africa to working with artisanal leather craftsmen from Guatemala to employing Palestinian refugees in Jordan, every purchase from Buy Good. Feel Good. has the power for positive change.

Our platform helps us to spotlight ethical brands for our customers. In doing so, we can help both impact brands and our customers find what they are looking for all in the same place while knowing that every dollar spent has a ripple effect.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in Egypt. Having lived in a country where you can see the discrepancies between classes, I quickly became passionate about doing what I could to change the status quo. I became interested in poverty-related issues and social justice at a young age. It became my path - I studied and worked in international development and environmental issues in Egypt, Tanzania, Germany, England, and Canada.

Prior to Buy Good. Feel Good., I founded Salt, a social enterprise working with marginalized communities in Africa and Latin America. When I moved to Canada, I noticed that little was done to promote social enterprises in North America and felt the need to create a platform to spotlight impact businesses and help them connect with customers. There was still a need and gap in the market for a platform where sustainable and ethical brands came together - so that was my next step, which became Buy Good. Feel Good.

Buy Good. Feel Good. started out as an in-person event in 2014 to support social enterprises and fair trade businesses by providing them with easier market access. We grew over the years to become the largest sustainable shopping marketplace for social enterprises and impact brands in North America. And that alone is a motivator that gets me excited to start each day, knowing I am making a difference.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I would have to say it's the community of businesses and consumers that have come to be part of Buy Good. Feel Good. A community that wants to do good in the world. Through Buy Good. Feel Good. I was able to bring all these different facets together by providing a platform that makes it easy to connect this community that cares deeply about the same causes and a future of ethical commerce.

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

It can feel lonely sometimes being a business owner. You feel like you go through the ebbs and flows of motivation, inspirations, and challenges on your own sometimes. Even though that does not need to be the case at all, I would say I need to keep reminding myself to recognize every gain, accomplishment, and progress, no matter how small, and celebrate them as little wins.

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

  1. Start something you're extremely passionate about because the road isn't always easy. When you get faced with challenges, your passion will help keep you going.
  2. Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! Finding your community of people working towards the same goals is essential. You will help one another during the tough times, lean on each other for support, and motivate one another to reach your collective goals.
  3. Create a routine! Sometimes when you run a business, you will be required to do tasks that you are not passionate about, like bookkeeping and accounting. But if you have a time slot and routine for everything a business encompasses, you'll learn that the discipline to do these tasks becomes so much easier.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Believe in yourself and reach out for help when the gets bumpy. Know that your passion and perseverance will lead to great things.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.buygoodfeelgood.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buygoodfeelgood/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buygoodfeelgood/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/buygoodfeelgood
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buygoodfeelgood/

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.