We were lucky to catch up with Sharee Howze recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sharee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
I started learning astrology and getting into holistic and indigenous medicine about 10 years ago after being laid off from a job that I had. Everything started off as a hobby honestly, and I would go to meetups and hop in online forums to find like minded people. A local metaphysical and herbal shop offered some classes where I would go take courses every so often and during that time the owner taught me how to read cards. I started very small and before you know it my friends and family were sending ppl my way for consults and astrological birthchart readings. From there i started signing up for events and fairs and my clients began to grow. During this time I have traveled to South Africa many times where i have been blessed and had the opportunity to be trained on indigenous healing practices. I have been shifting my business alot over the past 2 years where I am starting to offer more products and various consults that can really help people on their spiritual and wellness journeys. I have also been teaching and doing more webinars for clients that can easily be accessed. I am currently revamping and in a business cohort that is helping me get more organized so that I can grow and scale my products. I am excited about whats to come bc in my day to day life I am blessed to work as a designer, but in the grand scheme I want my holistic business to be my Full Time bread and butter, but until then what I have now works for me and my clients.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi I am Sharee Howze and I am the owner of Tenofwater LLC which is a holistic based business where I work as practitioner of traditional medicine having trained in South Africa with over 10 years of experience. I am dedicated to guiding your spiritual journey with personalized consultations, empowering guides and planners, and high-quality herbal remedies. Whether you seek clarity, balance, or healing, we provide the tools and support you need to nourish your mind, body, and spirit. Tenofwater is here to elevate your spiritual and wellbeing through traditional healing methods and custom made products.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
For my current business I have been bootstrapping. I was working on another app type business prior to the pandemic hitting that was supposed to be more of a finance product, but i decided to halt on that because after speaking with a few mentors we collectively decided now was not a great time for that product so I shelved it. I am a Founder Gym graduate so I have the knowledge on how to crowdfund and find investors etc, but honestly at this point in my holistic business I have been bootstrapping everything. Many of the milestones I’ve made have come from customer support and family. Like when I went to South Africa to train one of my family members helped me with finances to be able to go and train for a few weeks. When I needed my website my customers bought the items I put out to raise the money. Right now i’m in the ideation phase for alot of products that will be launching . I’m currently working full time and bootstrapping, but I have a few programs that I plan on applying and some grants etc. I have also been preparing to pitch for grant money for my current cohort program once I graduate
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
During the holiday season I created a small batch of yearly planners and a grief journal that I created to put out for 2024 and I’m fairly new to email marketing etc. But I was able to sell all of my planners out thanks to friends, family, and clients sharing my posts on social media. My grief guide has sold over 40 copies to date and that gave me motivation to keep improving my products and to keep creating. I am currently editing and revising those projects and getting ready for Q4 sales and early 2025 I can see all of my years of hardwork and networking and building a niche clientele coming to life.
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Image Credits
Photo Credit: Robin Eve Photography