Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Leblanc. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Daniel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
Am I a happy business owner? Yes, but a lot of times I am also an exhausted business owner.
This is common, entrepreneurship definitely has it’s ups and downs. Being a business owner takes a huge deal of self-motivation. No one is going to tell you to be where, when. No one is going to tell you what time to start work and what time to end it. There are no ‘rules’ you have to abide by. There is no ‘safety’ so say – one month you may sell &10k and up and the next you may sell $500 – and you know why? Because the success of your business depends on how you show up for it. Which means that if you want a successful business, you need to be consistent (!) – no matter how you may feel. It can definitely be strenuous. And still, do I miss working for someone? Absolutely not. Because there is no one to tell you what to do, when to do it and how to do it. The freedom to choose is yours. With enough drive – you will gladly make the choice to show up for your business, which in the end also means showing up for yourself. Staying optimistic in the midst of chaos or a low sales cycle is your best bet, right long with being dedicated and consistent!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My journey first started in 2013 when I decided to share my journey to veganism, a healthier lifestyle and later on – a holistic approach to pregnancy. This allowed me to build a solid following on social media, with a very supportive and engaging audience. My focus then was to just post my vegan dishes, recipes and parenting advice. You could say this was more of a ‘hobby’ at the time. While I was working with a few brands, it wasn’t monetizing enough to focus on social media full time. It wasn’t until 2020 that I launched my business Hellawhealthy at the beginning of the pandemic. It actually ‘fell into my lap’ if I may say so. Sea Moss, a seaweed which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and/or the Caribbean started heavily trending in 2020 – everyone started focusing on being healthier, building their immune system and protecting themselves – as did I. Our bodies need essential minerals to thrive. Minerals such as Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium and a long list of Vitamins – 102 minerals to be exact. Sea Moss is one of the only sources that contains 92 of the 102 essential minerals our bodies require. The easiest way to consume Sea Moss is by turning it into a gel. When I posted my first Jar on Instagram, I really just wanted to share my usual content. My caption was “Yay, I made Sea Moss”. I had no intention on turning this into anything other than a daily dietary supplement for my daughter and I. However… my followers had other plans for me lol. My DM’s blew up! Everyone wanted to know where, how, how much for a jar. It caught me off guard but since it was in demand, I was like ‘sure, ‘I’ll make you some’. My very first shipment of Sea Moss was eight packages, my second was 27 and my third now started going into the 60’s. My average shipment volume now is 50-60 packages every week. Enjoying it as much as I did, I officially turned it into a business and launched ‘Hellawhealthy’ in July of 2020. It’s a lifestyle for me – not just a business. Promoting health has and will always be my main goal – each one, teach one. So the monetization part of this is a bonus, for sure – but above alll, I do it to help people. I now offer Sea Moss Gels, Juices, Soaps, Masks, Gummies and more – giving everyone – from child to adult – the opportunity to enjoy it.
How did you build your audience on social media?
You will more than likely hear this from anyone but it is the absolute truth… BE YOURSELF. Let me explain with a personal story. I built my audience by showing up as me, sharing content of my daily life, my dishes, my research, my pregnancy etc. It was always authentic and so posting about it and reaching the right audience became natural. Let’s fast forward to 2018. I went from being vegan to a plant based diet. It is less restricted, you avoid foods like fish, dairy and eggs – but unlike in veganism, it is not completely taboo. But… since my audience grew from me showcasing my veganism – I never felt right sharing anything plant based. I couldn’t imagine the judgement I’d receive if I posted let’s say a piece of fish. I let my overthinking get the best of me – and so, I didn’t share. Which meant that eventually I shared less…. and less…. I found myself at crossroads with wanting to be myself and not letting my audience down, and my social media presence suffered. You can’t organically post about something you’re not actually interested in or are actively taking part in. Posting became more of a hassle than enjoyment for me. This may be dramatic for some but social media will do that to you. Eventually, I got tired of not showing up as me. So I said f’ it and just started posting what I was actually doing, eating and partaking it. It is what it is and as with anything in life – the right people will find you. And they did. My IG followers are some of the kindest people I’ve encountered – I’ve made many friendships over social media and I started loving what I was doing again. So my tip to you – don’t overthink it, be you!
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
I am currently in the works of rebuilding my business because … well, life happens. I was going through a tough time towards the end of 2021. During that time, I stopped posting completely for weeks or even months at a time, I stopped engaging, I was too stressed to think about what my customers need or wanted to see. Going through what I was going through definitely ended up in the business suffering. One of the worst things for me personally was that I began being late on shipments. It’s a trust thing. It’s a customer service thing. I always focused on being available, very communicative and on time with my customer requests/shipments. So allowing myself to get to that point, I felt like I couldn’t come back. My anxiety surrounding this eventually got in the way of me even wanting to try. Thankfully, I removed myself from what was holding me back from being at peace within myself and my life. Next, I made a choice – I decided to go full force again. Put my all back into the business. It took a lot out of me because I had nearly already gave up on my business but then my customers came all the way through. I posted a little bit about this and I got so many supportive messages. I knew I had to get back to it. And so I did. I’m not where I used to be but my heart and mind is – I show up everyday, I let my people know that I am fully present, I am working and I am dedicated.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hellawhealthy.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hellawhealthy
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@daniel_no_le
Image Credits
n/a