We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Wagenborg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rachel, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
Making myself a priority is a must!! For self-care, I love to listen to music while journaling. My journal consist of venting, goal setting, my life’s vision, and to do list. My life is extremely busy, I have 3 small children and a business to run. I have to make sure that I stay focused and organized. Journaling allows me to stay on track. I know that I can get easily distracted so writing down my thoughts and goals helps keep my mental in check.
We all have flaws, you just have to learn how to work with them and celebrate those small wins. Practicing self-discipline is a major key to staying on the right path.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the owner & founder of Blk Rose Self-Care. Blk Rose Self-Care specializes in handcrafting beauty and home products based in Metro-Detroit. We have linen and room sprays, personalized car air fresheners, potpourri, and herbal body oils.
Blk Rose Self-Care goal is to give customers the ultimate self-care experience. BRS most popular product is our linen+room sprays. Our linen+room sprays is free from toxic chemicals and freshens your material without staining it. Of course, they smell amazing and it’s not overpowering but they still eliminate odors effectively. Our products are affordable with a great variety of scents. We also have seasonal scents which our customers love. Lastly, we provide many shipping options for our customers so there’s no high shipping cost.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Most impactful skills in my journey is connecting with customers, staying consistent, and always willing to learn.
My advice to early on entrepreneurs is to start off selling 1-2 products at a time. Releasing too many products can be stressful especially if it’s just one person running the business. Entrepreneurship is a journey, there’s no need to rush and have anything figured out. Learn as you go and make those improvements when necessary. Always be willing to learn and educate yourself on entrepreneurship even when your business is successful. Lastly, be your authentic self, customers love to see who’s behind your brand and how they can connect with you.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Finding ways to pivot in business is the hardest obstacle for me. You constantly have to make changes to your approach on marketing and selling products. For an example, social marketing and networking can be challenging. You have to figure out ways to be trendy and inviting. Then, content creating is time consuming and consist of a lot of work.
Some entrepreneurs like myself don’t have funding for social media marketing yet. So, I decided to organically create my own community online. One of the ways to connect with costumers on a personal level is showing what life is like being a new mom and entrepreneur. I have a 1 year old and newborn twins, my life is extremely busy. Showing my social media followers what that life is like is authentic and somewhat inspiring. My followers also see my monthly goals along with business tips. As long as I am consistent with showing up everyday for my business, I know that I will continue to be successful and thriving in entrepreneurship.
Furthermore, I connected with my local customers by renting a kiosk at the mall for 3 months last holiday season. This was a cool experience and I got a chance to interact with my customers in person. I am hoping to participate in more events next year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blkroseself-care.com
- Instagram: @blkrose_selfcare
- Facebook: Blk Rose Self-Care
- Youtube: @RachelNicole_BRS
- Other: Email: [email protected]
