This week’s blog is from Nana Johnson, SCAD graduate, Savannah entrepreneur, and eternal source of positive effervescence! Read on as Nana shares insights on what keeps her pushing forward. FYI – – The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map…
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Fear…this word alone stops many of us from pursuing our dreams, goals or ambitions. It begins to resonate with us, making one feel anxious about making decisions or giving answers or having opinions. However, the truth of it all, well at least for me, fear is the unspeakable motivator.
I’ve learned in starting anything, big or small, it’s the new and unknown that makes me more curious about leaping than failing. I like to use fear as my constant variable, my checkmate, gaining its power to drive me to become more innovative, to keep trying and to not give in. Basically, fear brings out the best in me.
So, no matter how overwhelming your endeavor seems, it’s your endeavor: own it, literally, fear and all.
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Five Fierce “Fears” about my budding company, BäKS sustainable parties
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1. What was my biggest challenge in starting a green company online?
My main challenge was how to create something fun and achieve a serious mission, all while being an online company.
So, the fun part was easy but educating people about the real importance of being ecofriendly and conscious is ongoing. No one really wants to know that we are damning earth but celebrating just about anything put us at ease. Therefore, having an online company with a moral frame/platform removes that awkward feeling for those individuals that want to buy with confidence and learn more about doing the right thing without having to explain oneself.
For instance, when I am doing an event, people have the urge to apologize to me for not recycling, composting or using their cloth bag enough or just not doing anything at all. But I believe we all want to do what’s right in the end and an inquiry or curiosity is a start which, my company allows access to do so without having to verbalize guilt. Therefore, creating a happy medium makes my company desirable for feeling good about yourself and I love that.
2. What makes a party sustainable?
First, before choosing any product I make sure that it’s ethically sourced, meaning it needs to be humane, it needs to be clean. I then carefully choose merchandise that is made from plant-based natural organics like bamboo, palm trees, banana trees, potatoes, rice and etc., thus ensuring that 99% of our products are biodegradable meaning it can be composted.
Now, here’s the challenge: if BäKS does an event we then have complete control over our waste and can discard it properly so it won’t end up in a landfill. However, once our goods are sold we can only hope our persuasive “how to” message grasps our consumer’s conscience firmly enough for them to not throw any of our products in the “un-healthy” trash bin.
Making sure our products end up in the earth’s soil makes a party wholesomely sustainable. Recycling is great too!
3. Are you trendy?
Yes and No. On trend and ahead of trend, yes, however, it’s a vital trend. Many people view green businesses as trendy, but being green is much, much, more than a trend. It is a reality that if we, as a world of people, don’t come together to repair our exploited Earth then our future will be compromised indefinitely.
4. Why did I choose to go into the party business?
I chose parties because it simply makes me feel really good to bring moments of happiness into people’s lives. Being ecofriendly is the bonus.
5. What is the present/future of BäKS?
A few months ago I launched the edible side of my company, Sugär, beginning with the organic cotton-candy cart service which has gained a lot of attention in a short period of time. I did this because I wanted sound traction by having a product on ground that points the customer to our online store and services. It wasn’t the original plan to do this but I took the fear by the horns and did it anyway, and it’s working. I’ve been booking public and private events, attracting people’
s interests about my company and preluding to earning a good reputation. I mean, who can really resist something this sweet, this nostalgic, and it’s organic!
As for the future of BäKS, I have many things planned and once the website launches this August, more will soon follow.
XOXO & Sustainably yours,
Nana
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