We were lucky to catch up with Karen Chaw recently and have shared our conversation below.
Karen, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
This is honestly a very difficult question for me to answer. To attempt to answer this question, we will have to take a step back and look at my journey to becoming a small business owner.
Before starting The Daisy Refillery, I actually did not have any retail or business experience. In fact, my original career was as a computer programmer!
I fell in love with programming when I was introduced to my first programming language in high school at the age of 14. This is why it was not a surprise to my family and friends when I decided to pursue a career in computer programming!
After going to university for Computer Science, I ended up with an amazing career as a computer programmer in Los Angeles. Yet despite having this “amazing career” with wonderful and supportive colleagues, I could not help but feel stuck, and I found myself constantly wondering if I was just a replaceable cog in society. Even though I only had a few years in the industry, I realized I was burnt out. I no longer smiled at the idea of working on a project. I no longer looked forward to work. I would wake up on some days and cry, wondering why I was so pathetic and weak.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD for short. I attributed all I was feeling to this, and I worked to get myself better. For the sake of my mental and physical health, I ended up moving back home to San Francisco to be closer to family and friends. I soon found myself another job and continued my computer programming career.
I thought things would be different now that I was at home, but I continued to feel apathetic, and my guilt towards my colleagues and my family only grew. I struggled with the question of whether I wanted to be in a career I was passionate about or work in a stable industry that could fund other sources of happiness. I thought about my parents who moved to a new country and worked so hard to provide me with the means to pursue this career I originally chose. I felt guilty that I was even thinking about leaving work when my parents did not even have the privilege to think about such a thing.
All these thoughts continued to push me into a deeper and darker hole, and it soon began to affect my work. In 2019, I decided that it was only fair to my company and team that I leave my job. While my parents were not happy about this, they respected my decision, and I left.
After leaving my job, I decided to take myself on a road trip to visit as many National Parks as I could before winter would hit. I knew I needed a change of scenery to get my mind off things. During the month and a half, I explored so many different environments and saw so many beautiful sights! From breathtaking mountains to miles and miles of sand, as well as trees that were hundreds to thousands of years old, all these sights reminded me of just how beautiful our world is. Breathing in fresh air and being surrounded by nature lifted my spirits, and I knew I was falling in love with life again.
I came back home from my trip with a new sense of desire and purpose to protect all that I saw! Nonetheless, I did not quite know how, and that was when the research started.
Growing up, I had always hated how many single-use items existed. However, single-use items, specifically single-use plastic items, have become so prevalent in our society, and there were no good alternatives to prevent that. Or so I thought.
In my research, I soon discovered a plethora of sustainable products! There are products that are made with earth-friendly ingredients and materials and FREE of single-use plastic! The only issue was that access to these products was limited, so I asked myself, “How do I change this?”
That was when I first learned about refilleries. Refilleries not only sell such sustainable products, but they also allow customers to bring in their own container to reuse and refill with a multitude of products. This entire concept excited me, and I wondered why my home of San Francisco did not have something like that.
It was then that I realized I had found something I wanted to do! I wanted to create more access to sustainable products! I wanted to open my own refillery! This was how The Daisy Refillery was born.
Now, returning back to your question of how I found my purpose, quite honestly, I am not sure I can really answer this question. Despite my long story, I still wonder if this is my purpose.
Running a business is no small feat, and I have many moments of doubt. Yet, it is in those moments that I think back to my customers, my community of sustainability warriors. When they bring their own containers for refills, when they tell me how much they love my products, when they thank me for the existence of The Daisy Refillery, I know that regardless of what my purpose may be, The Daisy Refillery has become more than just me.
I may not be sure if this is my purpose, but what I do know is that I am the happiest I have ever been! While I do not know how things may change in the future, what I do know is that my current goal is to look over The Daisy Refillery and help it grow. I wish to bring more access to sustainable products to even more people, in hopes that the world will become more sustainable, so that the beautiful sights I saw on my road trip will not disappear, so that the planet we share can continue to thrive, so that my growing community of sustainability warriors can go on their own journey to discover their purposes and their goals in life.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the proud owner, manager, and sole employee of The Daisy Refillery, a mobile refillery selling sustainable household care and personal care products and refills. From Swedish dishcloths and reusable ear swabs to toothpaste tablets and shampoo bars, everything sold at The Daisy Refillery is FREE of single-use plastic.
In addition, customers also have the option of bringing in their own containers to refill on a multitude of products. Whether it be hair care, body care, or cleaning refills, everything is made from earth-friendly and human-friendly ingredients, so it is not only good for the people but good for the planet!
For a business to be truly sustainable, transparency is key. This is why I vet every single business that I work with to ensure they are truly ethical and sustainable. In addition to this, I also list ingredients, materials, “how to use,” “how to care,” and “how to retire” for everything I sell on my website, wherever applicable. I want my customers to know what they are getting, but I also want them to know how to take care of a product so it will last longer, as well as how to properly dispose of a product so it does not just end up in landfill.
While customers can only purchase from The Daisy Refillery through markets, house calls, and online orders for local milkman-style deliveries to San Francisco, South San Francisco, and Brisbane, I have plans to grow our reach and expand the delivery service!
Currently, I am also at Genentech, a large company in South San Francisco, twice a month to provide my mobile refill service, but I certainly welcome more inquiries for reoccurring refill events at other companies in the San Francisco Bay Area! The service has been very much loved by employees, and I know many of them appreciate the fact that they do not have to travel far for sustainable products.
With that being said, I know that I only provide service for a few cities. However, the plan for the next year is to register The Daisy Refillery to do business in more cities, thus continuing my goal to increase access sustainable products and thus sustainable living.
Right now, The Daisy Refillery has only a little more than 2 years under its belt, but it is growing! While ambitious, my goal is to continue to work harder to grow The Daisy Refillery so that one day it will become a household name. When that happens, sustainable living will no longer be just a privilege accessible by a few but a choice available and accessible to all. Only together can we create a greener and cleaner planet for all of us to live on!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Everyone’s journey is different, but I can tell you what was most important for my journey:
The first most important thing for me was doing my RESEARCH. While starting a business can be as easy as signing a few documents to register your business, it is important to know what running a business will entail. From figuring out whether there is a market for your business, to setting up and implementing business operations and processes, to determining if you have the financial means to run your business, and so forth, all of these details should be worked out before you dive into starting a business.
For myself, it took me almost two years of research and planning before I felt ready to start operating my business. Of course, the amount of time it takes will differ per person and per business.
In my first six months of research, I was very determined to open a storefront. However, amid those six months, we were thrown into lockdown, and the world found itself dealing with a pandemic. I still had hope that things would open up soon, but after six months and things still had not opened up, I was not sure it would be a good idea to open a storefront. Instead, with the help of an advisor, I decided to pivot and go mobile.
Despite having spent so much time on plans to open a storefront, I ended up having to scrap those plans and start over with how to run a mobile business. From deciding on a mobile vehicle, registering to do business in more than one city, finding a place to store inventory, implementing an online ordering process, and so much more, understanding what it takes to run a mobile business was another mountain I had to climb.
After all the research and work I had put in to open a storefront, I admittedly felt frustrated to have to scrap plans and deal with more research and planning. However, in the end, I know I made the best decision for my situation.
This brings me to the next most important thing in my journey: PERSEVERANCE. It was only because of my perseverance that I was able to eventually open my business.
Even after my business was up and running, I had to deal with many setbacks that made me wonder if starting this business was a good idea. However, I chose not to give up, and I continued to work hard and pivot to manage such setbacks. Seeing how much The Daisy Refillery has grown makes me realize that with good planning and research and perseverance, it is possible to run a successful business!
Last, but certainly not least, I think it is personally important to BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. Throughout your journey, you will have many amazing moments, but you will also have moments of doubt and moments of frustration. I know I certainly did! In those moments, it is important to be gentle with yourself. Remind yourself that work will always be there, but if you do not take time off to take care of yourself, you may not.
Your business journey will not be perfect (and if it is, props to you)! However, it is what you make of your journey that is most important. Experience those setbacks, get frustrated, and then learn from them. If you need a day off to get some mental clarity, it is okay to give yourself that.
Admittedly, I still have to remind myself of this ever so often. When you run your own business, it is hard not to feel guilty when you are not working. However, each time I learn to let go of that guilt, I realize that I always come back and work better than I usually do. So, take care of yourself, because only then will you be able to take care of your business!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I mentioned earlier that my parents were not too keen on the idea of me quitting my programming job. Well, when I told them I wanted to start my own business, they were certainly not excited.
As immigrants to the US, both my parents experienced tough working conditions in their home countries. Because of this, their wish for me was to have a stable job, so that I could live comfortably in life. This was something they did not have the privilege of experiencing, so they wanted to do what they could to change things for their children.
While we did not grow up financially well-off, my parents made sure my siblings and I were never in need of anything. We were fed, we were clothed, we were provided with a safe space, and we were loved. I know I am very lucky to have my parents.
This is why I felt such tremendous guilt when I quit my programming job. To then tell them I was going to start a business, something that was anything but stable, well… it did not go well.
It took some time, but after seeing how much happier I was, my parents have now become two of my biggest supporters. In times of doubt, they provide me with reassurance. On days where I am too tired to think, they make me laugh and forget my worries.
I am forever grateful to my parents. I know that I would not have made it as far as I have, and I know I would not be able to continue to grow The Daisy Refillery if it was not for their support.
I want to use the last part of this interview to say a few words to them: “Mama and Babi, thank you both for all you have done and for all you continue to do! I know this silly daughter of yours always has so many crazy things she wants to do, but no matter what it was, you both have always let me do so. Even if we do not always see eye-to-eye, I know I always have your support. I love you both, and I will also always be there for you too!”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedaisyrefillery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedaisyrefillery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedaisyrefilleryofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedaisyrefillery
