Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cedar Carter, CEO of The Good Patch, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Good Patch is a wearable wellness patch brand for all that life throws your way. We make a variety of patches with plant-based ingredients that can be worn for any amount of time, up to 12 hours. Some of our best-selling patches are B12 Awake, Dream, Rescue, and Be Calm. Our products are sold online and in over 10,000 retail locations nationwide, such as your local Target or Ulta Beauty.
We have a variety of customers but really resonate with a female beauty consumers. The lines between beauty and wellness are blurring, and people really want to feel good inside and out. As we've said from the beginning, when you feel good, life is more beautiful!
Tell us about yourself
It's always been important for me to work in an industry I'm passionate about. I started in the apparel industry and have always loved the way a great outfit can bring confidence. With beauty and wellness, I think it's similar. If you feel good, it gives you that extra boost to advocate for yourself, do that extra thing, or simply just make it through a hard day. My favorite part of my job is hearing all the amazing stories from our customers about why they love our patches.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Running a company is a huge responsibility because you hold other people's livelihoods in your hands. I feel the weight of that, and I think my biggest accomplishment is hiring and mentoring a great group of employees. As an emerging brand, we're hitting milestones every day, and I love nothing more than sharing and celebrating those wins with the team who helped us get there.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Let's be real; it's all hard! It's all worth it, though, when you have a customer thank you for creating something they love or when you can share in the successes with the team you've built along the way. I try to instill in my team that failure is okay because, in business, there will be many failures along the way. As long as we're transparent, come to the table with solutions, and learn from our failures, we're doing a great job and continuing the momentum forward.
I actually congratulated my leadership team on how they handled a failure earlier this week. They brought it to my attention with a great solution in action and processes in place to ensure it didn't happen again. It turned what could have been a negative moment into something that made me proud!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know your strengths and weaknesses, hire good people who will complement and strengthen your skill set, and don't be afraid to let those people lead in the areas they're hired for.
- Model out your cash flow and check it every single day (don't run out of money!). Figure out what you need to get where you want to go, and make sure you have the capital to do so. It takes more time than you think to raise funds, so get started early.
- Know there will be failures along the way and embrace them. Learn from them, and don't give up.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://thegoodpatch.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodpatch/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedar-carter-43319611/
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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