We recently connected with Sami Heller and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sami, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
We don’t get too many haters, per say, but we do get a lot of people who misunderstand our mission.
There are a lot of people who aren’t familiar with zero waste/refill shops, and most commonly they’ll take one look at our storefront or table at a market and say “It’s just soap,” as they continue on by.
Every time I hear this, I want to say “It’s SO much more than ‘just soap.’”
Yes, we do have a lot of soap products, but they aren’t only for cleaning people—their main purpose is to clean up the planet. (Plus, we carry way more than soap!)
We partner with brands who take back their packaging for reuse, provide refillable products instead of single-use packaging, encourage practices that reduce overall consumption, and we pay extra money to responsibly recycle any plastic packaging we get with orders.
We persist because we know that our mission is about helping people make more sustainable choices in their lives and that all of our small collective actions can make a big positive impact on the planet that we all share. “Just soap” can’t do all that!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
New Moon Refillery is on a mission to make sustainable living more convenient in the Denver Metro! We carry all kinds of eco-friendly products that either have no packaging or packaging that can be recycled or composted. We have all kinds of products ranging from laundry detergent to toothpaste tablets to nonperishable foods, and much more!
We have been doing delivery orders and pop-ups/markets since December of 2022, and are excited to have recently opened a small retail space! It is located in the Town Hall Collaborative Mercantile at 525 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204. You can now bring in your own containers to refill if you prefer! It’s also a great way to get more familiar with products before ordering online.
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?
Patience and Persistence: Starting a business is exciting and also very confusing! There are so many things to do, especially at the very beginning, and I remember wanting them to all be done and done now. However, the bureaucratic side of starting a business didn’t work that way.
When figuring out how to acquire a food license, for example, one application that I thought would be relatively quick to complete would lead me down a rabbit hole with 15 other tasks. It took a lot of patience, emailing back and forth, and combing through the City of Denver’s business license resources time and time again to complete the application. I would recommend giving yourself extra time and taking deep breaths when working through the confusing start up tasks. Small business development centers are also a great resource to utilize!
Organization: There are so many tasks to keep on top of when you’re running a business, and staying organized is key to not letting things slip through the cracks. Find a way to keep organized that works for you and get into a routine with it!
How would you describe your ideal client?
The most prominent trait for our ideal client/customer would be someone who has an open mind.
Refilling and starting up eco-friendly habits have all kinds of benefits that can appeal to a wide variety of people. A lot of our customers have concern for the environment, and that is why they choose to shop with us. However, there are also a lot of people who appreciate the budget-friendly aspect of buying in bulk, because products can be cheaper when purchased at a refill shop.
We also cater to those who appreciate convenience. Although we have a retail store now, the main part of our business is delivery. You can order online and we bring it right to your doorstep!
In any of these cases, an open mind is key to trying out refilling your products instead of grabbing something off the shelf at Target.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.newmoonrefillery.com
- Instagram: @newmoonrefillery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newmoonrefillery/
