We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shanita Richards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shanita below.
Shanita, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from my inner strength, knowing that I can achieve almost anything with hard work and smart decisions.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own Motor City Spreads, a small business making small batch, unique, gourmet jam and jellies. All my flavors are vegan, gluten free, always fresh, handmade, safely canned and super delicious!
I adore what I do. I get to produce very high quality foods, interact with amazing people and be super creative. I am a huge foodie so creating delicious, safely canned combinations is one of the best parts of owning my business.
Since my flavors are seasonal, my flavor list changes almost constantly and there is truly something for everyone, every time. I’m currently selling at Farmer’s Markets and delivery dates to nearby areas.
I have recently expanded to creating Jammin’ vegan granola with fruit and nuts, using my jam flavors and also decadent oatmeal cookie bars with my jam inside.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities I have that have impacted my journey the most are my optimism, my penchant for hard work and my stubbornness! I am always working towards bigger and better and looking toward the future.
I’ve always been a super hard worker and I don’t mind working hard toward my next goal. My stubbornness has been a huge asset as well, if I set my mind to something I will do my absolute best to make it happen.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed I try to take a moment, refocus and get right back to it. Sometimes a break then a nap or some cardio exercise helps and then I make a detailed plan of action with specific steps to take to alleviate whatever issues are causing me to feel overwhelmed.
Owning a small business and having a young family can make it very difficult to balance everything and checking in with myself daily helps keep everything in line and as balanced as possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: motorcityspreads.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/motorcityspreads
- Facebook: Facebook.com/mcspreads
- Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/Shanita-richards-25077a64
Image Credits
Shanita Richards
