Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rebekah Jensen, founder of Sanara, located in Leander, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Sanara creates beauty rituals powered by indigenous Latin American botanicals and was created for those moments in life when you need to step away and heal. Our community is full of women of all ethnicities who are mindful in their everyday lives. They are conscious consumers seeking wellness products and body care they can feel good about.
Tell us about yourself
I'm Rebekah, the 5th of 5 girls born and raised in a small West Texas town. I created Sanara for those moments in life when you just need to step away and heal. I envisioned Sanara through the whispers and lessons from my Latin American ancestors. My family was migrant workers cultivating and incorporating the bounty of their land to feed their families and provide all-natural medicinal remedies. My grandma Jasso is a great source of my inspiration; she was a healer, often performing limpias or healing rituals on friends and family in need. She would crush and mix her concoctions with helping bring healing and wellness to her family. Sanara harnesses the beauty of indigenous Latin American botanicals, and it's my way of paying homage to my family and ancestors.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment was last November when I became a Four Seasons Vail spa partner. We are Four Seasons Vail signature body treatments using Sanara's products.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Making it profitable. There is a reason 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, 50% after the 5th, and after the 10th year, a third have survived.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do your market research first before jumping all in. What's the market like? Is there a whitespace for you to meet a specific need?
- Don't quit your day job just yet. About four years ago, all the rage in the entrepreneurship world as if you were truly serious, you would quit your job and go all in. I never understood that concept; your startup will take funding. Unless you already have capital, don't quit your day job. Thankfully that mindset has come back to reality.
- Learn, learn, learn. Sanara is my first startup, and I've had to learn every detail of building a company, from working with manufacturers to designing the brand to creating the product. I've learned everything along the way.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
When you become a business owner, everyone wants to sell you their services. So be careful and choose wisely because there are some great partners out there, and then there aren't.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sanaraskincare.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanaraskincare
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanaraskincare/
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.
