Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Diana Duren, Founder of Sage Refill Market, located in Nashville, TN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a zero-waste market offering sustainably packaged and bulk refill personal and home care products. We serve our community and help them to reduce single-use plastic waste.
Tell us about yourself
My husband and I are professionals working for decades in our fields – I am an art director, and he is a special education teacher. We became disheartened when we learned several years ago about the terrible recycling rate in our country (and around the world), and we decided to reduce our family's plastic consumption as much as possible. But it wasn't easy to find convenient alternatives. So we started Sage Refill Market in an effort to provide our community and ourselves with easy and affordable options for reducing waste –– in particular plastic waste.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We opened our business at the beginning of the pandemic (May 2020), so we feel pretty lucky to still be here! And we are continuing to grow and build a wonderful community of customers who are as passionate as we are about reducing waste.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
We don't have any experience running a business, so we are literally flying blind and trying to serve our customers in the best way that we can. One of our biggest challenges is simply letting people know we exist. Marketing and advertising have changed quite a bit over the years, and it can be hard to know how to reach people in ways that feel organic and authentic. We don't want to pay influencers to market our products because that simply doesn't feel right, so we continue to look for ways that help us get noticed but feel true to our mission.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a realistic business plan. We edited ours several times and used conservative estimates to help us see goals that felt achievable.
- Check out the competition, both brick-and-mortar businesses, and online businesses, and understand if there is a "need" for the service or products you want to provide.
- Think about not just selling products or services but about providing an experience. Make your business one that feels good to your community and something they find helpful and, if possible, enjoyable!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sagerefillmarket.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagerefillmarket
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagerefillmarket/
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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