Meet Rich Williams | Entrepreneur // Health & Wellness Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rich Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rich, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I basically wanted to provide my Harlem community with access to a healthy, nutritious, organic, but AFFORDABLE food they could add to their diet. Lovers Rock Sea Moss was born during the height of COVID-19, which was impacting Black and Brown communities at an alarmingly disproportionate rate compared to other communities.

My goal is to bring awareness to this nutrient-dense “superfood” while combining it with additional ingredients that offer added health benefits. Lovers Rock Sea Moss only contains 100% Organic ingredients and is sugar-free, preservative-free, and 100% vegan.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Lovers Rock is all about simplicity…thats why most of our Sea Moss Infusions only contain 3-4 ingredients. Mother Nature has given us all we need to survive, why complicate things?

Its been a long and difficult road, especially when you’re learning to run a full-fledged business on your own (definitely felt like we were building the plane as we were flying!). But a few things I learned so far are:

1 – Don’t let perfection be the goal. I’m such a perfectionist I tend to get hung up over every little detail, which often led to me getting frustrated. I’ve learned that its never going to be perfect and to be ok with that.

2- I can’t do everything myself. Being a one-man band, i wear many hats – chef, accountant, logistics, marketing guy, social media person, photographer, etc – which is the quickest way to burnout. While I love learning new skills, i’m ok with stepping aside and getting professionals to do what they do best, so i can focus on other parts of the business

3 – Trust yourself.

I want the world to know that Lovers Rock Sea Moss is dedicated to providing a healthy experience. I want them to know each and every jar is hand made with the strictest attention to detail (I’m a Research by trade and a Virgo by nature, so attention to detail is what I’m best at!). My personal goal is to just do my part in helpingpeople live their healthiest lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in New York City, so it honestly depends on what time of year they come! If they come in winter…too bad because I (like most people) will be in straight hibernation mode haha!

But if its the Spring-Fall, there’s tons of things to do. Of course I would start with a restaurant crawl in Harlem, making sure to hit up some of my favorite spots like The Edge (Jamaican-British), Silvanas (North African), Tsion Cafe (Ethopian), Fumo (Italian), and Oso (Mexican), just to name a few. Then its off to have some local beer at Black-Owned taphouse Harlem Hop House and more drinks and vibes at Bixi.

For culture, i’d go gallery hopping around Chelsea and afterwards do a little people watching in Soho or Chinatown.

If i’m really feeling adventurous i’d go out the Brooklyn and visit several of my favorite spots, but Uptowners dont really go to Brooklyn and vice versa haha!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Man..there’s so many people! First off, shoutout to my partner Leilani for jumpstarting this venture. She’s been an integral part in getting Lovers Rock Sea Moss off the ground. Big shoutout to the Harlem Local Venders Program for believing in me and my vision to make the world healthier, one jar of Sea Moss at a time!

And biggups to all the customers who have supported this little (but mighty and growing) business! The fact that they trusted me to join them in their health and wellness journey means more to me that words can describe. I do this for them, so the love is definitely not taken for granted!

Website: www.loversrockseamoss.com

Instagram: @loversrockseamoss

Facebook: Lovers Rock Sea Moss

Other: tiktok – @loversrockseamoss