[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message]Niche : Home and Living
Shop link : https://www.etsy.com/shop/HouseOfOyaBotanica
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/HouseOfOyaBotanica
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/houseofoyabotanica
Website : http://www.jenniferlwatson.com[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Tell us something about yourself. What is your niche? Why did you start your business?
I am Jennifer L Watson a wife, a mother, Santera (Olorisha Priestess), and an entrepreneur. I specialize in all things spiritual and my goal is to help my clients and customers to manifest their desires whether it’s through products or services. We all get too bogged down with being an adult, mindless living day today. So when working with clients, I teach them to lead a spirit-filled life, learning to create a life of freedom and joy instead of fear and worry. I do this through my products and services which include: 1. I own House Of Oya Botanica on Etsy. I have made over 5,000 sales rankings in over $10,000 in revenue a month with an average 5-star rating (out of 1000 reviews) so I developed a course to show people how to manifest a business and make $1,000 a month within the first 30 days 2. My Youtube channel provides instructions for my products, and I offer valuable guidance on mindset management 3. I mentor individuals as well giving one on one personal advice to my clients as we navigate their journey together. I have been in my client’s shoes. Everywhere from wanting a deeper understanding of what life is about and not having anyone to turn to. I wanted to create a sustainable business but was fearful to jump out there on my own. I was tired and frustrated and wanted more from life. I looked at everyone around me who appeared to have it all together and I asked “why can’t this be me!” That’s when I set out in pursuit of higher learning and education in the mind and spirit. As I began to understand how these two can blend and live harmoniously inside of us, I unlocked the door to understanding life and the journeys we are all on. No longer was I lost or confused. I then set out on a path to intentionally create joy and happiness for me.
What type of products do you sell? How does your manufacturing process look like?
I specialize in making spiritual oils and candles. I use herbs and essential oils in a base oil like Olive, but the real magic comes when I charge these oils through special rituals that I perform.
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What are some challenging aspects of your business? How did you overcome them?
I started from really humble beginnings, actually a corner the front room of our apartment then. When we moved into a bigger space, I now had a room that I intentionally looked to be my office. Soon after, I realized I needed another room, so I took over the dining room LOL. I actually need one more room for when I begin to see clients at my home again. So here we grow again! When we buy our next home, I actually want to have an entirely separate building apart from my home that where I will be able to house all of the components in one.
What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? What’s the hardest about it?
I enjoy knowing that the income I receive, I did it all on my own. I am able to have heat/ac, a roof over my head, care for my family, all because of the dream and vision that I had. It’s very fulfilling to see this. While it is joyous seeing a dream realized, it is is also taxing on my time. I really do get addicted to seeing my business flourish even greater so sometimes I lose my focus on the things that actually matter the most like spending time with my family. When I don’t see it, they see it and they have no problem letting me know!
What are some beginner mistakes you made? What advice or words of inspiration would you like to share?
In the beginning, I had an idea but no sense of direction. Some of my earlier product listings were a bit all over the place LOL. My labeling wasn’t the best and I had not established a clear brand….but I did not let that stop me. My best piece of advice is to not let perfection get in your way. Yeah, my labels looked a mess, pictures were blurry, but I posted them and people actually bought them! I did not start branding everything into one consistent package until about 8 months to a year after I started. After you start, take the time to see how your consumers are reacting and look for ways to improve (not perfect), and take it one step at a time. Perfection is an illusion because there is going to ALWAYS be something that can be perfected. So if that’s the case, is there really such thing AS perfection?
What inspires you while designing and/or creating new products.
My customers inspire me 100%. My goal is to help them solve problems and if I do not have a product that will already help, I gladly create something that will.
How did you get the background and skills necessary to run this type of business?
I’ve always been a spiritual person since I was 13 when I started my journey. As I grew older, I combined my spiritual journey with my higher education in Psychology and it opened up a new world for me. Professionally I ended up in the field of Fundraising and Inside Sales for about 15 years. As my spiritual knowledge grew so did my knowledge of marketing and consumer relationships grew. It was a path that I walked that I had no idea (then) would give me the skills I needed now.
What are some of the most effective ways in terms of marketing products to your customers?
Marketing is fun because you can be as creative as you want. I found that linking my YouTube channel to my Etsy has brought in a lot of customers. It’s a two way street of marketing- some people buy from my on Etsy because they found my YouTube videos and some people go to my YouTube after buying from my on Etsy. I also created a postcard that I insert in every order offering instructions for their products on my YouTube channel. I have found that this method helps my consumer to get to know who I am since Etsy does not allow for many videos on their site.
What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful online business?
To be successful at running a successful online business, you must know your customer base. Being online is tricky because you are not standing in front of a person showing them a product, they are viewing a computer screen and it is my job to speak to my consumers through pictures and creative wording. Your goal must be to invoke a feeling inside of their heart and mind through the use of technology which can be tough to do. Though with a consistent understanding of your customer and your products, you will find the perfect link through trial and error.
How do you personally define business success? Is it money? Freedom? Influence? Creative expression and innovation? Something else?
For my freedom is all about my time and freedom. I no longer wanted to trade my time for a paycheck so I created this business to live life on my terms. Success is having the ability to travel where I want, teach others how to live freely, and also the money sure doesn’t hurt! I am always in awe at each and every person that I touch and to hear their testimonials simply warms my heart.
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Describe your day-to-day operation. How do you manage your time?
Every morning I wake myself and my husband up to get started for the day. I do enjoy a bit of coffee prior to seeing what orders have come in for the day. Once I have a chance to sit down at my computer in my office, I print them out and start putting them individually in plastic bins. Once they have all been sorted, I walk them over to my production room (aka dining room lol) where he securely packages them up. I joke with my husband that we have mini-warehouse stations in 2 rooms of our small home. When he is finished, I take them straight to the post office. I try to get orders out every day to decrease the time my customer has to wait for items because I understand the anxiety of waiting and have experienced waiting 3, 4, 5 weeks for products for myself! I do not want my customers to wait that long. As my husband and I are working, my daughter is doing her homeschooling (you know…Covid and all). So I balance between picking products and answering my inbox messages to helping my 8-year-old with her assignments. After the orders are done, I check to see if there are any low supply of products. For example, if we are low on a particular oil, I make a list and take it back to the production room where we have a table dedicated to just oils (it can get messy lol) and between my husband and me, we pour each bottle individually. I try to stick to making all of the products while he packages. It’s a team effort but it works for us. When it comes to time management, I can sometimes get stuck in the creative process and have to pull myself out of it! I’m in a zone, but I am quickly reminded by my husband or my daughter that they need my attention too.
How do you plan on growing your business? What is the biggest impact on your profitability?
I do plan to expand into the business coaching arena as well as open a storefront for my business in Greensboro NC. The storefront will have a huge impact on my profit margins as I will need to learn and adjust to having to pay for utilities and rent. It’s a bit frightening but I won’t let fear stop me!
Anything you wish to add, feel free to do so here. We value your opinion
I know and understand that in this grand universe that we live in, that there are no limitations on who can have what, so that’s why I created the Manifest Your Success Checklist (bit.ly/manifestabusiness) to help others create their own freedom story.
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