We were lucky to catch up with Dayna Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dayna, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
One of the greatest, most powerful lessons I have learned to be successful whether it is in the workforce or as an entrepreneur, is really making sure you are surrounded by the right people who want to see you grow and be successful. The right support system is a strong ingredient, and it is more than okay to be selective.
Another great lesson I have learned to be successful is to listen to and trust your intuition. It is the internal compass that guides the path toward aligning with your true purpose, even if it does not make sense at first. The “Ah-Ha” moment will come later.
As I evolved from traditional leadership roles to an entrepreneurship journey, I continue to operate from a personal belief system that navigates me through challenges, adapting to obstacles that leave me a little more determined and unshakeable to see a vision come to life.
A few tips I can give to anyone looking to create their own successful business is to be prepared and willing to create a positive impact and value with your goods and talents.
1. Create a vision board or journal of personal dreams, goals, ideas, and inspirations to help manifest personal success.
2. Stay action-driven, empowered, and focused on each goal, whether financial or organizational.
3. Make sure your brand is branded professionally to capture customers’ confidence and trust to purchase from your business.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Earthbound Elements is a small business located in Kansas City, Missouri. The brand is inspired by the four elements that support the cycles of life on our planet: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Our handmade E•E Signature and Element candle lines reflect each of these.
We have a new product launch that is coming in late March 2025. I think the new product launch will really help to set us apart from other candle vendors at local events this year. Stay tuned, keep visiting our official website!
We desire to mindfully make handmade home goods that are from the Earth. Each piece is familiar and unique in its own earned right.
3% is donated to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society for every purchase made with us. We believe in using our handmade home goods to help raise awareness and aid research in racing for cures or significant relief from Multiple Sclerosis. It is a nervous system disease that we hold close to our hearts as we have watched the effects it carries on people dear to our hearts. We wanted to make sure our brand aligned with our purpose to help create an intentional impact and provide humane support to the world.
Our customers are mostly locally based in Kansas City, Missouri. We have gained a strong clientele by participating in local Farmer’s Markets, holiday Sip & Shops, Fundraisers, and more.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I truly believe my hardships and life experiences have shaped my resilience.
As far as the journey with Earthbound Elements, it was co-partnered with Christan M. in 2017. In the early stages, it was a lot of try, fail, and adjust with product design and development. Some decision making along the way was overshadowed with doubt. Do you allow the doubt to create setbacks or feel the fear while overcoming? Through time and experience, it really becomes a valuable tool to tap into your inner strength and trust your intuition. It is a validating experience to receive the positive feedback from clientele that was once overshadowed by doubt.
One of the hardest things that comes with being a small business owner is remembering that there will be all kinds of failures. The failures will allow you to evolve and grow with business, clientele, and products. The journey of entrepreneurship is not always smooth sailing. Each challenge and obstacle that is faced can be used as building blocks and teachers to achieve the next goal.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
We really enjoy sharing our handmade products where we can maximize easy sharing that allows E•E products into our customer’s homes.
Our products are available on our official website, local Missouri and Kansas vendor pop ups, and most mainstream social media platforms.
We prefer to sell through the official E•E website, ordering directly from www.earthbound-elements.com helps us reduce small business fees.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.earthbound-elements.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthboundelements
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earthboundelements
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/EarthbndElement
