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

Hi Selena, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Thinking for myself.

Oftentimes we get stuck and unproductive wondering if other people will like something we want to do. At the end of the day, when you’re new to entrepreneurship, the people you’re trying to market to don’t even know your name. I love lavender flavored ice cream, I love lavender flowers, and I love the color of lavender so I made a lavender lotion that is my best seller. I didn’t ask people if they liked it because someone always will. They didn’t need my name, they needed a product.
Being successful is not a dollar amount. Being successful is having an idea, doing it, and achieving a positive outcome. Success is an accomplishment no matter what size and being able to say “Hey, that was me. I did that.” Thank the people you need to thank, pray for more opportunities, and be satisfied.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What keeps me busy professionally? I can’t really say much. I’m pretty chill, not so much “busy”. When starting everything I was busy trying to figure out what scent was the best and how to mix ingredients together in precise ratios. Right now I have the library of scents I need and if I smell something I like I’m going to try and replicate it. At the beginning there was also a lot of figuring out pricing. That was an interesting element in the beginning because when I came up with wanting to start a small business and sell ANYTHING I had to really pay attention to what people were willing to buy at the price that was presented to them. I worked at a fast-food restaurant that sold burritos, among other things, and I saw people walk out paying $10 for a burrito that wasn’t organic. They’d complain, sure, but they were willing to pay that cost for food. Food is nutrition. You can’t use it for anything. It’s consumable. I looked at lotions as consumables: we buy a bottle, we use it over the course of at least 2 months, and then we throw the bottle in the trash. Then what do we do next? We buy another one–mabey 2 for home and office. But eventually it’s gone, and it’s a cycle. I priced my lotions the same way with the same concept. It did really well because my cost of production was low enough that I could charge enough to give me a profit and still lower than organic brands out there to be competitive. In one month alone I made $500, but then sales trickled to a stop. I tried figuring out why but it was because I didn’t have repeat customers. I had maybe two, but that was it. The demographic I chose to market to was a poor choice too because they liked my brand, but they were people I knew. People who know you will only help you out once and then forget unless they really like what you’re doing. Now I know it’s important to retain at least five repeat customers to help spread the word and be your cheerleaders. You don’t need a lot to start with and they need to be strangers.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to thank my husband. He’s been super supportive and a huge help with all kinds of support.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/erilavande?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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