Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sonya Hernandez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sonya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

This is an excellent question. I often use the analogy of a plant. Often a plant has many obstacles during its maturity cycle. It is most delicate and vulnerable while trying to advance to more mature growth. My business has been the same. I knew in order to scale it required me to push beyond the limits that I had been playing it safe in. For example, expanding to a bigger e-commerce site such as Amazon. I thought how would I measure up and maintain the demand of growing beyond what I already have room for. Will I be able to keep up with the growing demands?

I took the risk and it all worked out. Why? Because I did not let fear of failure intimidate me. At times, we must leap and not be afraid if we fall or fail. The business world is a gamble and you cannot be afraid to sink or swim. To make money and expand I have had to open my mind and spend money, delegate, take losses and wait for the outcome that often shows up much later. You need patience and perseverance. One example of this is when I had to purposely lower stock levels on my website to boost stock levels on Amazon. This seemed ridiculous but I knew the end goal was more brand recognition on a global scale beyond what my website was able to achieve on its own. I realized you must be willing to take risks if you want to grow. This pushes you far beyond the safe zone. Taking necessary risks has given me full stability along with brand recognition beyond what I ever anticipated.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a licensed cosmetologist for more than 22 years. One thing lacking in my industry is a vegan hair growth line. Working with breast cancer patients in 2018 helped me recognize this was no longer a need to sleep on. I then went to the drawing board and painstakingly researched every detail on how to build a brand. Brick by brick I built my company. I now offer a plant-based vegan hair growth product line that restores hair with vegan ingredients. I am most proud of being able to provide a product that not only works but also to offer ongoing education that helps my clients achieve hair success. I do this with a series of videos that offer practical advice and product application techniques. My clients are not just investing in a product but a service that lives well beyond the products they are using.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I utilized my savings and my own earned funds in the beginning but later learned that stable capital is the heart of every business. I started working with a banker and applying for grants to give my brand a foundation to stand on. Investing in a business loan is necessary to have any longevity unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to have investors or an inheritance.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Early on in my business before I received a grant, I wondered if I was going to be able to keep up with my growing business expenses. I was running out of capital, my credit card was maxed out and my expenses far outweighed my earnings. This as you can imagine was very intimidating. I pursued all avenues of funding, cut costs and stayed positive. Right when everything seemed bleak, I was awarded a nice size grant to help with operational costs so I could keep up with the growth. This has shown me the value of financial planning for your business.  The true love story of being a business owner is that it has plot twists and unexpected turns.  In fact, you may find that you will fail many times before you get it right. Let love for what you do keep motivated and focused.  Patiently pursue your path, do not stop at being told no and remember just because you cannot right now does not mean you will not accomplish it soon. Stay the course my friends and surround yourself with positive mentors, when we pull together amazing things happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: Recoverrestoregro.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/recover_restore_gro?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recoverrestoregro/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/recoverrestoregro
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/Creekgirl29
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/RecoverRestoreGro/page/40CD7CA0-D716-4C86-A412-7545285B286A?ref_=ast_bln

Image Credits
Albany, NY Photographer: Alejandra Pereyra Sacramento, CA photographer: Frances Camille