Own Your Own Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Too!!!
To answer this question, I never dreamed of owning my own small business or helping others to do the same. We never know where we may have a change in life’s direction and mindset. Let me explain what happened to me and share about being with a company on a mission for change.
In December 2013, I received a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis. I was 50 years old, didn’t have the BRACA 1 gene nor am I an African American as typical demographics for those diagnosed with triple negative. Currently, the American Cancer Society reports that only 5% to 10% of cancers are linked to genetics. That’s 90% to 95% are environmentally caused to include chemical exposures, stress, food, fitness and more. We have lots of control over what we put into our bodies, use on our skin and allow into our homes. Through treatments and multiple surgeries, I learned the how’s and why’s about what I needed to change. These changes have made a huge difference in my energy level and freed me from daily cravings, which can be overcome. Sugar was what I craved, and it’s food for cancer cells. Based on our choices, we either feed or starve these cells that are always circulating in our bodies. Prior to this diagnosis, I was definitely feeding those cells. It was time for me to stop talking about what I should do and actually be moved to action.
First, I looked at food. I don’t know about you but food labels were confusing. I’d see ingredients that I knew and minimize the ones I didn’t. I’d make a decision about a product and say, “oh, this must be pretty good as it has SOME good ingredients in it.” Now I had reason to pause on and research these unknown ingredients, like carrageenan, gaur gum, artificial food dyes, BPA, sodium nitrites and the list goes on and on . Up to this point, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. My eyes were opened, and I couldn’t help but make the necessary changes. Today, I read labels differently and know what to look for. As a national board-certified integrative health & wellness coach, I teach others to do the same.
Food-like substance, like those created in lab, aren’t nutrition. If I can’t identify an ingredient on a product label, I choose another product. Prepackaged foods should have 5 to 7 real food ingredients or less. That’s what nutrition looks like. We can either feed disease or feed nutrition to our bodies. When choices feed disease, there is little hope for prevention. Your liver works hard to filter out toxins in your body. Our lives and environment are overloaded with harmful chemicals in foods, personal care and cleaning products, and in the environment. Your body can easily reach and go beyond its total body burden limit. An overloaded liver is limited in its ability to filter as it’s designed to do. As a result, toxins accumulate, causing weight gain and inflammation in the body. It can show up in different ways adversely affecting your health as inflammation is disease.
I also looked into which companies were truly on a mission to provide clean products for consumers. What companies used GMOs and other toxic substances in their product lines? Were they interested in this “healthy” market for its financial benefits? It took time but it’s this knowledge that I cannot help but share with others. Making these changes have affected the quality of my life and how I feel as well as for my family, friends and clients. I want to help others to find the freedom and confidence I’ve found.
There were additional action steps on my wellness journey but those are for another discussion. Lastly, let’s look at how I got to what I put on my skin and use around my home. I was most frustrated while learning about the personal care and cleaning products industry. I spent more time figuring out truths in this industry than in any other. It’s unregulated with unlimited false claims. Manufacturers can literally say anything when marketing but the proof is in the ingredients label. Don’t believe marketing! In a previous blog I discuss in more detail about the organic shampoo I was using. To highlight…Sodium benzoate and citric acid are two commonly paired ingredients found in shampoos, lotions, etc. When they are both present they create benzene. Benzene is rated 9-10 out of 10 for toxicity by the Environmental Working Group! Really?! That was in the ORGANIC shampoo I was putting on my head with its BIG pores. When I look back on the multiple toxic chemicals found in most of my products, my body was well beyond its total body burden.
Many “clean” companies are purchased by others that are far from being clean. Let’s look at one common product line…Burt’s Bees. It is now owned by Clorox. Clorox is not a clean company. I used to think Burt’s Bees was as good as they marketed. Like many manufacturers, they have quietly changed the ingredients and labels on their products. Currently, they have soybean and canola oils in their lip balms which are likely GMO as they are less costly to use. Aside from cost, both oils cause inflammation in your body. They are not what they used to be. So many companies have changed their ingredients and labels as this situation with Burt’s Bees is not unique. Such companies are not on a mission to be nontoxic. I encourage you to read your ingredient labels often. I used to buy the same products without rechecking labels. We can work together to change this chemical-laden industry. Vote with your dollars by supporting companies that are toxin free. This will change policy faster than waiting on government agencies to make necessary changes to protect us all.
As I continued, I learned about many toxic and commonly used ingredients like fragrance, phenoxyethanol, parabens, phthalates, SLS, etc. These are harmful chemicals approved for manufacturers and are widely used. Among this endless list, I was overwhelmed and angered by what is allowed in our products. Even the organic shampoo I was using had toxic benzene in it! I also found and used a truly clean 4 oz. shampoo that cost $62! Financially, this was not sustainable for me. What about the rest of my family? What about our shower gel, makeups, laundry soap, cleaning products, dish soap, etc.? If your house is like mine was, you and your family are exposed to many harmful toxin-laden products. I also exhausted the products in the wellness isle at my local Whole Foods as most of these too had unacceptable preservatives, fragrance or dyes. Through my exhaustive search, I decided to mix my own raw ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil, essential oils for the scents. Plant ingredients work with your body, providing nutrition for your hair and skin. These were the ingredients I felt confident to using. What we put on our skin penetrates and gets into our bloodstream. They absolutely matter!
The following weekend, I attended a Camp Bravehearts Retreat with other cancer surviving and thriving women ! The founding leaders organize four fun-filled weekends each year. It’s a supportive group and I have fond, fun memories spending time with these women. Some are in treatment and others diagnosed ten to twenty years ago. Many are now friends for life. As I was sitting with camper friends, I shared my dilemma about this industry and what I was trying to find. One camper asked if I had heard about this product line that I am sharing with you. On my return home, I researched the ingredients and found them to be all plants! I LOVED their ingredients as they were what I was looking to mix myself. I was so excited to have found products that work for my body rather than ones my liver has to filter. They were also affordable for me AND my family. So far, so good! I found a small business owner, purchased and used their skincare line and LOVED it.
I knew every ingredient in these products and they passed all my tests. Needless to say, I was excited and thankful to have finally found products that I could trust. Pure Haven cares about eliminating toxic chemicals in personal care and cleaning products and changing this unregulated industry as much as I do. I so appreciate all they do with third party testing to sampling each incoming, raw material to make sure there are no compromises. What other company does this?!
I could go on and on about what they do to bring me, my family and so many others truly clean, trusted products. They GUARANTEE they will not compromise on the quality of the ingredients. One example in our past, a trusted supplier could no longer secure an ingredient from a safe source. Due to this “No Compromise” Policy, our eye makeup remover was reformulated. From our USDA Certified Organic Facility, they are that serious about what they do, delivering each and every product from small batch preparation to your door step!
There are a variety of reasons why individuals become consultants aka small business owners with Pure Haven. Here are three…
As like many others, my initial reason for becoming a consultant was for the generous discount. I transitioned my whole home to Pure Haven. I knew I’d be ordering products in the days ahead. Why pay full price? And, consultants earn free products too.
Some share the message in their immediate circle of family and friends. Many team members are passionate about this mission and want to help others learn to navigate this personal care and cleaning products industry.
Some choose to grow their businesses, earning a generous income as well as travel and other perks. Not only is Pure Haven a leader in the industry in quality, pure products, they are leaders with their generous compensation plan. This business opportunity is limitless in how you can grow it. Since January, we've seen the greatest growth since the start of this company! Growth continues through the COVID-19 challenges. People are interested and have time to learn, becoming more aware of the chemical toxins in their products and how they affect their bodies and our environment. It’s a PERFECT time to start your small business to grow it anyway that’s right for you!
