We were lucky to catch up with Ciara Waters recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ciara, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I first began with a goal to have sustainable lucrative work that I could do at home. I wanted to start my own business. My health issues have made it difficult for me to work outside of home.
I began thinking about what I could create. I needed something that people will love, that would make an impact and have great staying power.

I came to work in the cannabis industry when it was going from medical to recreational.
I wanted to make a unique product that would stand out and set Portland apart from the rest. With the rose petal blunt wrap and pre-roll this product is for the cigar and cannabis enthusiast. This product is a natural alternative to the rolling paper and cigar. The roses used are organic, and the product is a non-allergy and food grade product.
I never liked the other rolling papers and did not like using the other methods of smoking. I needed to create something that will change the game and is healthier alternative from the cigar.

I came across a youtube video were they were using a rose petal as a rolling paper. That’s when I got the idea to make a cigar out of rose petals.

I knew I need some kind of glue. I started researching cigars and came across cigar glue. I ordered the glue so that I can make my first prototype.

I received my cigar glue and it was a very small bottle. Like fingernail polish sized and I thought well how am I supposed to mass produce with this? I wanted to recreate the glue. There were no ingredients on the bottle. So I tried looking up the ingredients and I found out that cigar companies have a patent on the glue. My trial and error journey began from there. I tried everything from honey, to cornstarch. I tried all kinds of flours and gums to mix until I came across what is now my special sauce aka glue.

Ciara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My grandmother always had a rose garden. I remember helping her take care of her rose bushes every summer growing up. The inviting smell and beauty is where my love of roses began.
I love being a city of rose native and I wanted to create a product reflecting my love.
My love of roses, handmade and natural products plays into who I am and my brand. I became very sick in my early twenties and from then on my life would be changed forever. I had always been strong willed with a resilient spirit. I had to be emotionally and mentally strong, my physical body has not been strong enough to keep up with me.

I was always a creative person, good at problem solving, and I love learning and trying new things.
I know that all of this creative energy would come in handy somehow in my life. As a disabled person I had to be creative in finding ways to get things done and maintain being independent.
Having a lot of downtime after surgeries and anytime I was admitted to the hospital, I needed to keep my mind busy and focused on something to get me through rough days. I love to work with my hands, so I learned how to crochet and I fell in love with the craft. I would freestyle my own patterns and I was able to easily follow patterns. I would make any and everything I could and challenge myself to make new things.
I looked into selling my handmade items but that never was very lucrative. In my mid twenties I began taking on the art of jewelry making and that for what it was worth did bring is some cash because I could make unique one of a kind items. after a few years the work began to take a toll on me. My arthritis and back problems started to get worse and it was becoming painful and more and more difficult to make jewelry.
I care about people, the planet and my carbon foot print. It is important for me to have a sustainable business that was not going to create more garbage. Everything about my business is eco-friendly. All material used in production is recycle-able, reusable, biodegradable and compostable.

Making the rose cigars is a labor of love and I love that my business involves me being around roses everyday.
I am so proud of how this turned out to be a quality product.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Even though I was still in the prototype trial and error phase trying to figure out the science of roses was a challenge. I had to learn things like how fast they brown or what causes bruising. I started keeping the petals in vacuum sealed bags. I wanted to compare if they stayed fresh longer in the fridge or out of the fridge. I went through a lot of roses. At one point I discovered that the vacuum bags were bruising the roses. The design on the non smooth side of the bags damaged the petals. There were multiple things like this that created frustrations. Having to start over and over again. I was keeping notes and dates to see what went wrong and what went well during this trial phase.

Then began the process of how to make roses into a rolling paper. I did everything from ironing the petals and trying to find a way to dry them. The youtube way was to put them in an oven to dry the petal. But that didn’t really work you end up burning everything. I then bought a toaster oven. That burned the petals as well. I spent all my energy working everyday spending time, money and tears to figure out how to make this a thing. I would make prototypes every which way, leaving some prototypes out in open air, in closed containers and taking notes during the process. I did everything from putting the prototypes in the fridge or freezer. Once I figured out how to cure the product I was ready to move on to the next thing. The Rose Cigars did not need to be kept in the fridge which means that I can sell my product anywhere. From there I needed to figure out packaging and shelf life.

I had to regroup and start over countless times but I never gave up on my dream. Royal Rose PDX has consumed me even when I’m not working. I am always thinking of ways to make my product better and sustainable. Royal Rose PDX is now ready for the world to experience and I couldn’t be happier with the end result.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The book “Super Maker” by Jaime Schmidt of Schmidt’s Naturals. This book gave me the confidence to know what are the next steps in getting my product from prototype to stores. The information and tips she provided about her process from start to finish helped me know that I was on the right track to success. A lot of the questions I had about what to do when developing a product from scratch was answered in this book. I also take pride in the fact that Jaime is a Portland Native too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.royalrosepdx.com
• Instagram: royalrosepdx
• Facebook: royalrosepdx
• Twitter: royalrosepdx
• Youtube: royalrosepdx

Image Credits
Jasmin Waters -Headshots Josh Cohen- Product Shots