Antonia Hiesgen is the founder and CEO of Alchemista, a London-based social business launched in 2021. Alchemista sells unique sustainable homeware, handmade accessories and ethically made jewelry from artisans around the world. Her mission is to create income opportunities for female artisans in developing countries by creating a market for their handmade artisan products.  She is also a certified Transformational Travel Designer, travel product manager, and travel blogger with over seven years of experience in the travel industry.  

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in Western Germany, in a city called Bochum in the Ruhr Area, the industrial heart of Germany. Initially, I wanted a career in the travel industry and spent as much time as possible globetrotting during and after college doing internships and semesters abroad. After finishing my master’s degree in International Development in Copenhagen, Denmark I moved to London and started my first job as a gap year advisor for a small adventure travel company. Having been in the “Big Smoke” ever since I am now on an exciting new path as the founder of my social business Alchemista. 

What inspired you to start your business?

Spending my twenties exploring different parts of the world, one thing has always stood out to me, the beauty and uniqueness of homeware and jewelry handmade by artisans around the world. Writing my final thesis on the impact social businesses can have on developing countries, I have always wanted to “merge” my passion for travel and my interest in design while contributing to improving livelihoods in poorer countries. Be it beaded earrings from Tanzania, alpaca blankets from Ecuador, or seagrass baskets from Rwanda, with every souvenir brought back to the UK, my idea of a business selling ethically sourced products made by artisans in developing countries started to take shape. Accelerated by the pandemic, which drastically increased the number of people in need, Alchemista was finally born in 2021.

Where is your business based?

My business is based in London, United Kingdom, however our products are sourced from all over the world.  We have just started out trading and are focused on the UK market for the moment, with big plans to grow across borders eventually. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

While the initial seed for the business was planted a long time ago during my graduate studies, I finally made my dream come true by launching Alchemista last year. I just had to do it, if not for myself than for the many disadvantaged communities in the world Alchemista might be able to support. In the beginning, I felt quite overwhelmed by the number of details and work that went into the launching of a business, which sources its products from all over the world. The first step was to find suitable suppliers and organizations abroad that worked with women’s cooperatives and artisans and to ensure that we share a common mission and values. Everything else followed, from website development to learning about import duties to designing a content strategy and learning about financial statements. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way of raising awareness is education. Rather than just putting content out that informs potential customers about existing products, we want to get the message across about “why” you should buy our products. Questions such as “Who made my product?”, “What impact does my purchase have?”, “What organic materials are used in the making of my product?”, and so on. I think we all want to do good and if you can do so while shopping – perfect!

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I am quite impatient and love to see results straight away. Setting up a business from scratch requires persistence and resilience. It is easy to doubt yourself when the results in the first few months don’t reflect your expectations. But everything takes time especially when your marketing budget is small, and you rely on organic search appearances and raising brand awareness on social media. What really helped me is listening to Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” podcast. Steven consistently emphasizes the importance to invest your efforts into one major project at a time rather than losing focus and giving up too early when something else comes along that seems more promising at that moment.

How do you stay focused?

Often, I find myself wanting to work on too many things at a time. To stay focused, I try to outline my day, my week, and my month as detailed as possible and stick to a schedule. It is hard in the beginning but once you get into the habit of structuring your time and tasks, it gets easier. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I found quite a few other companies doing something similar in the US, especially California, which has been a pioneer in everything green and sustainable. In the UK the market for artisan-made sustainable homeware and accessories seems a bit less saturated. There are a few larger competitors, yet I did not find them, particularly focusing on the artisan makers and the products’ country of origin. Focusing on the social impact and the story of each product is what differentiates us, besides offering some unique items that can only be bought at Alchemista.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

We are still in the very early stages of growing Alchemista and for the moment I am focusing a lot on brand awareness through growing our social media presence. When I did SEO keyword research I found that a lot of suitable keywords I want to rank for are not very competitive. This is great as our website can therefore rank much easier organically, which is paramount when the marketing budget is small. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Trust your gut feeling. When you have had an idea for a long time, trust the signs you get on the way to becoming an entrepreneur. Also don’t overshare any details with people that you don’t 100% trust. Lastly, always look at the bigger picture. What are the trends of tomorrow? How can your business fill a need that’s not filled yet and how can you be better at it than your competition?

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

A great book that I have read recently and really enjoyed is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is an inspiring book that very effectively explains how small (atomic) changes in your daily routine can yield extraordinary results in the long run. One of my favorite apps is Tailwind, which helps me create, structure and plan out my social media content. I am being a little cheeky now mentioning my own blog called Flashpack Journal. It is a travel blog for solo travelers and digital nomads looking for unique accommodation, cultural immersion and transformative travel experiences with a positive impact on each destination.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I recently started using the business planner tool Asana to get structure to my days and weeks and keep track of my goals, projects and tasks. It really helped me to keep a cool head and not get too overwhelmed.

Who is your business role model? Why?

She might not be known by many readers in the US but I have to stay Stacey Dooley. She is a British TV presenter, reporter and journalist. She documents, films and interviews in some the world’s most hostile environments working on eye-opening documentaries for the BBC. What I admire most about her is her resilience and her way of keeping her composure no matter the situation she is put in. Keeping your composure and a cool head in difficult situations is one of the most important traits of a leader and entrepreneur.

How do you balance work and life?

True to the motto by Confucius: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” I believe that if you feel you have to completely separate work and life, being an entrepreneur might not be for you. There are obviously exceptions to the rule as this does not apply to a lot of other professions, but as an entrepreneur you very likely chose to go on this venture.

When I have an idea pop up in my head on a Sunday, I will open my notebook and write it down, because I enjoy it. Having said that, I also believe that there needs to be times where the laptop stays shut and the phone is on silent. Personal development and focusing on the body and the mind are just as important because this provides the foundation to being successful in other areas of life.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Going for a long forest walk with my adorable rescue dog Jador, who I adopted from a shelter in Spain in 2019.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

If the current situation allows it, I am planning to travel to Central America for a few weeks to visit and speak to different artisan cooperatives we could potentially partner with. Other than this, I take each day as it comes!

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can find me on Instagram @flashpackjournal and @alchemistaofficial.

Website: https://alchemista.co.uk/

Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/alchemistaofficial and on LinkedIn find us on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alchemista-uk/