Meet Jordan Mini

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jordan Mini. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jordan below.

Jordan, 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?

Even from a young age, I have been passionate about the environment. I can recall making sure all the cardboard and metal tins made it in the right receptacles at home in maybe 5th grade. I can also recall walking home with a friend who did that little trick where you squeeze a bottle so the cap pops off and he planned to leave the bottle cap behind, so stubborn as I am, I refused to keep walking until he picked it up because littering is not okay. As I got older I still cared about the environment but I didn’t get serious about my carbon footprint until around 2018-2019. I learned about the zero-waste community and soon enough I was ditching big fast fashion brands for my local thrift store, visiting bulk refilleries to avoid unnecessary plastic and to support small businesses. I was learning to garden more, compost, bake bread, etc. all to avoid single-use plastics, toxic chemicals, and reduce my carbon footprint. I even started my own blog and Instagram to share eco-living tips I learned along my own journey to becoming more sustainable in the hopes it might help or inspire someone else to join. At one point I had decided to start making my own soap and someone had commented I should start selling them.

Fast forward a bit and I decided to do just that. I then built a business centered around sustainability. I get to use my love for science, my creative side gets to explore, I am always being challenged, and I get to help others on their own eco-journey by swapping out single-use plastic products they use daily for clean and sustainable ones. If this isn’t my purpose, then I am not sure what is.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Its not the most cheerful chapter of my life that lead me here, to being a business owner. Early 2020 my dad was diagnoses with stage 4 cancer. I became his caretaker and medical decision maker at the age of 21. We fought for as long as he could but he passed in the summer of 2021. After I pulled myself out of a deep depression I realized that we have a finite amount of time on this planet and there is no way to know what that amount of time might be. My dad was in his 50’s when he passed and for all I know I could only live that long too. That to me, was a big eye opener about how I wanted to live my life. I think the focus, dedication, and excitement surrounding starting a business really grounded me in that first year after he was gone which is something I am not sure I had thought about until just now while writing this.

Now that you know a little bit better about how I go to where I am lets talk a bit more about the what it is I actually do. I have been in business for over 3 years now. Silly enough I was so busy this last year I forgot Spriggits’ own anniversary believe it or not. I am the sole owner of Spriggits which means I get to wear A LOT of hats as they say. I do all the social media (admittedly, not my favorite), all the production, all the events, and much much more. Many of these tasks I manage are actually full time jobs for so many individuals so as you can imagine its a lot to juggle and keeps me beyond busy.

Being in a product-based business that makes in-house means I get to research, test, develop, and create so many amazing products for our customers. I started off with just 4 different soaps and a couple lotion bars. Now I have over 50 products and product varieties I make in-house and that list is expanding all the time. I have cold-process soaps in both simple designs and more elaborate designs all with different oils, butters, scents, botanicals, ect. for different needs. I also offer shampoo and conditioner bars which being in bar form makes them travel friendly through airports. They are also more concentrated than a bottle so they save on space too! Another one of my customer favorites is our lotion bars which come in 16 different scents made from different essential oil blends I create myself. Another must have and one I am so proud of is our solid dish soap which is tough on grease and won’t dry out our hands or leave streaks on your glasses. Its seriously a dish washing game changer! Beyond these we also offer botanical bath salts, foot soak bath bombs, sugar scrubs, and related accessories.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

This is a big question to limit to three. I would have to say that if you asked me this in the beginning my answer would probably have been totally different. Knowing that, I would have to say you must be adaptable to changes and able to roll with the punches so you can learn and grow and ultimately become a better, smarter version of yourself. Know that this type of career comes with lots and lots of hurdles and you might think you’re a gold metal track star but life has its ways of kicking you down to bronze. I say this not to be pessimistic but to be realistic. You won’t win them all and some hurdles will take you longer to get over but being adaptable and ready to learn and grow will get you over them a heck of a lot quicker. Learn from the challenges instead of letting them keep you down.

When starting such a big chapter of your life as a business owner you have to be ready for it to become an all consuming part of you. I know that sounds outrageous but with a handmade product based business in this economy you have to really give it your all. I often work 12-16 hours a day sometimes more if I am also working my booth at a festival. Its demanding so I would say that you must have work ethic. Now having work ethic can look different when there is no one above you to boss you around and keep you in line because you need to have the self discipline to have that work ethic now. Are you ready for that much responsibility?

You also need to have and be ready to continue developing your communication skills. Not only to promote your business, and collaborate with others, but also to learn from others because you just simply cannot be an expert in everything. Leaning on others will be important because a strong support system is one of the many keys to success. Since starting this business I can say that my confidence and communication, hand in hand really, have grown. I now have a large network of like-minded individuals all trying to pursue their dreams just like me. We all seem to hit the same hurdles at one point or another and can help provide alternative routes so to speak. We support each other when times are tough, we vent, we problem solve, and we celebrate in each others successes.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I would say its important to know what your strengths and weakness are because it helps you determine what tasks you are most and least efficient in. It can also help you determine when and where its best to call in a helping hand. My strength are in my passions, science, and determination. If I leaned into those alone, then I wouldn’t be where I am today. For example my passion for sustainability help fuel my drive but doesn’t help me figure out how to start wholesaling my products to other stores. My understanding of science helps me create new formulations but it doesn’t help me create marketing campaigns. My determination helps me stick with it when times are really bleak but it doesn’t help me stand up to that rude market goer. Its not always easy to call out our weaknesses but knowing where you struggle is the the first step in investing the effort to improving those areas.

Me? I know I struggle with worrying and overthinking far more than I should about the tiniest things. This is where I can check in with my advisor and other small business friends and ask for support or advice rather than being alone in that little spiral. This is where that communication skill I said was one of the top 3 areas you should really be ready to develop comes in. Overtime some of your weakest areas could become some of your strongest as long as you aren’t afraid to ask for help and learn. I think if I was able to go back and talk to myself from 3 years ago I would be shocked at how much I have grown in some areas I struggled the most like confidence, self-worth, ability to ask for help, and even time management. Okay, okay for those reading this and knowing me well then you know that last one is still a work in progress… but its better!

The point is, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Know your strengths but don’t rely on the solely because as amazing as you might be a those things, there’s room to grow in other areas that could better you more than ever before. Don’t be afraid to try, fail, try again, and grow.

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Jordan Mini

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