Interview with Meg & Helen of SOL + SPIRIT
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Meg & Helen, founders of SOL + SPIRIT.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I grew up in Toronto, in a family that has always been concerned with nature preservation and the impact humans have on the environment. My parents’ example made me realize from a very young age that the biggest wish for my future would be to bring a contribution to reducing the damage we are causing to our planet. Upon completing my bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and working for a few years in a digital marketing agency, I felt ready and well prepared to follow my lifelong dream of having my own company. That’s how Sol + Spirit came to life, as a Mother and Daughter family business dedicated to raising environmental awareness and reducing the use of everyday plastics.
What inspired you to start your business?
Starting a green business with my mother was a natural happening. It was just part of our lives and the inspiration came mostly from our wish to help the planet and the resources we have left. We both believe that everything we do has an impact on the world around us and that we can all make a difference. Our hope is that by showcasing eco-friendly goods and promoting a healthy lifestyle we can help raise awareness regarding the harm we are causing to our planet.
Where is your business based?
We’re based in the US, although Helen lives in Toronto, Canada and works on most of the operations there. We primarily sell our products online and have a few retailers throughout the USA also. We love working with like-minded companies with a strong commitment to sustainability, and are working to establish more partnerships to help spread our mission!
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
After a few years in a digital marketing agency, I realized that I didn’t belong in a highly stressful corporate environment anymore and that I longed to be free to work on my own productivity rhythm. Being very close to my mother and sharing the same worries regarding the alarming deterioration of our environment, making it obvious that it was time we did something about it. Since our business is mostly online, the first step we took was creating our Sol + Spirit website which would be easy-to-use and could offer the best user experience to our visitors. The next steps went towards making ourselves more visible and that’s when my background in digital marketing came in handy.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Social media and our blog posts have been the most efficient ways to reach our clients. So was taking a stand on important causes. We have partnered with one of the best organizations out there dedicated to cleaning up the oceans and 10% of our profits are donated to The Ocean Cleanup, the largest ocean cleanup in history! They aim to clean up 90% of ocean plastic pollution by using the natural oceanic forces to rapidly and cost-effectively clean up the plastic already in the oceans. It’s important for us to support this project, and it allows every one of our customers to contribute to this goal.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges we faced was learning from scratch how to do something that we have never done before. Understanding how to manage a new business was extremely consuming and in the beginning, we felt a bit lost in the middle of it all. Having my mother as a partner in this journey helped me a lot. I knew that I could trust her completely and count on her regarding any business decision and I am sure that I could have not done it without her.
Developing resilience, perseverance, patience and also having a strong will to learn, were all extremely helpful in overcoming the challenges that most of the new entrepreneurs face in the beginning.
How do you stay focused?
Our world today is so noisy and distracting, that keeping the focus on what is important can become extremely difficult. Some of the best strategies that have always worked for us are prioritizing tasks and focusing on only one thing at a time. I am also a strong believer that focus is highly improved by cognitive rest and that is why I try to find some daily time to meditate and do some yoga. Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness, and for me, it has been a life-saver. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
Each business is special and unique in its own way, but what I believe differentiates us from our competitors is the passion that we put in everything we do, from producing to selling and promoting our products. We practice what we preach and we only recommend our customers the products that we truly believe in and that we are also using. In fact, we are not selling you just a product, we are guiding you towards a new and sustainable way of living. A life which is not only healthier for all of us, but also beneficial for the environment.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I can definitely say for us it was the search engine optimization of our website. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, SEO is all about creating authority so that search engines can perceive your web page as reliable and place you on top of Google search results and in front of your competitors. Developing an ongoing website content strategy and constantly updating our blog with relevant information are some of the SEO strategies that we are applying. A marketing strategy is like an ecosystem of positioning your idea, message or product in the right way to gain visibility, engage prospects, capture attention, and create customers. There’s a whole lot that goes on in this ecosystem from providing great customer service, to managing a store, to wholesale orders and social media, but it’s important to focus on what’s working the best and what is making the most impact.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
The biggest piece of advice we would give to any aspiring entrepreneur would be to not start a business unless it’s something that they truly love and are passionate about. The only way to success is to enjoy what you are doing so much, that you build your whole world around it. The journey of any business from starting, to growing and staying alive can be extremely provocative, and only passion can keep you engaged and help you get over all the hardships that might appear.
It’s also of great importance is to be open to external feedback. Always aim to know the truth about your product and the best place to get it from is your customers. As hard as it may be to listen to bad reviews, knowing your weak points is the only way to improve your business and move forward.
Building meaningful relationships with customers, but also with people from inside your industry is a must too.
What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I love this question! One of my favorite apps is Calm, a helpful tool for meditation and improving your mental well being. I’ve tried many others, but this is by far the best! I really enjoy listening to the sleep stories at night, they always lull me to sleep.
My next favorite app is definitely Audible. It’s really important for me to always be working on my personal growth, and I’ve found the best way for me personally to do this is to listen to audiobooks. I can go for a walk on the beach and listen to my favorite authors tell me their stories. A few I am listening to right now are “Principles” by Ray Dalio and “Rising Strong” by Brené Brown (I adore her).
I enjoy reading a variety of different blogs for different purposes. When it comes to marketing and SEO, I like to catch up on the latest techniques from Niel Patel, Search Engine Journal and Backlinko. When it comes to sustainability blogs, there’s none other than Bea Johnson at Zero Waste Home. Eco Warrior Princess also has a ton of great content on important eco-news, sustainable living, eco-fashion, and ethical business practices.
What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
This is a tough one! I use so many that it’s hard to narrow down which one. I’m going to go with an inside-the-box answer and say Google Analytics. Even though it isn’t a secret, hidden tool no-one knows about, it’s one of the most important ones in determining what’s happening with your business. If you can make your way around the platform and read the data, you can make some pretty game-changing improvements to your website and overall business. My next favorite tool is Photoshop. With a little bit of experience, you can create some amazing visual images, and this is extremely important when it comes to branding. I built our website myself and created all the images and graphics for it by being able to utilize Photoshop, which has saved me a ton of time and money.
What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products?
I start and end my day with a simple beauty bar cleanser by Dove. I use a few different serums to help with uneven skin tone and sun damage (if only I could talk to my 18-year-old self on why sunscreen is so important) and finish off with a light moisturizer. I try to use as many natural products as I can, and if possible, without any plastic packaging. I have recently switched over to a natural deodorant that actually works, called Routine. I love that this deodorant comes in a glass tube, and is made by two sisters from BC. For my hair, I use Moroccan oil to smooth out my frizz that I get in this humidity. And finally, getting a good night’s sleep is the best thing you can do to keep you looking young. It’s a simple routine, but it works!
How do you balance work and life?
The majority of us are living extremely stressful lives and by becoming so busy with being busy we forget how important it is to live a balanced life. It is even more difficult when you are passionate about what you are doing as it can get extremely tempting to immerse yourself into work and lock everything else outside. Both I and my mom have the same understanding of how important it is to have a work-life balance. That is why we try to set fixed working hours that we can stick to, in order to be able to incorporate daily time for exercising, reading or socializing with our friends. Proper nutrition is equally important to us because only through clean eating can you boost enough energy to function at your best level. We try to stick only to fresh, whole products and stay away from pasteurized or packaged ones. And whenever we go shopping, we never forget to bring with us some of our reusable produce bags and tote bags which are perfect for collecting the goodies!
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
The best way to decompress for us is to spend as much time outdoors as possible. And you may not know, but the Toronto area has a lot to offer when it comes to hiking trails, beaches, and waterfalls. There is always something new to see and discover!
I live in Puerto Rico right now, and for me, it’s a privilege to be able to experience this tropical island paradise each day. As soon as I wake up to the sound of the waves, I take my laptop and some sunscreen and off I go to my favorite place to work just down the street overlooking the ocean.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
Right now we are working on finalizing our organic cotton shopping bag line and we are aiming to expand towards incorporating a diverse line of products for the kitchen and bathroom. Our plan for the year ahead is to be able to become a one-stop-shop for a diverse range of eco-friendly products so that our customers can come to us and find everything they need for a greener way of living.
How can our readers connect with you?
Anyone willing to connect can reach out to us on our website Sol + Spirit or follow our Instagram page @solandspirit. We are also more than happy to welcome you on our Facebook page and get to know each other better. And if you are willing to join our mailing list, we promise to send you a lot of eco-tips and helpful guides (as well as a 15% off discount code! ) on how to live more eco-friendly.
