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

Jamah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 started my original tea company, BlendBee, where you can custom design your own unique tea blends as well as purchase blends that I designed. Early on I designed a blend that knocks you out, it really helps with sleep, so I aptly named it Go The Fuck To Sleep and put it on my BlendBee line-up. Within a month, a couple customers reached out with angry emails stating that they were offended by the “vulgar” language and wouldn’t buy from my company anymore. As most of us know, if two people reached out and said something, that means there are more in the wings that feel the same way but stay silent. I chose to take this as helpful feedback, and a light bulb went off…”What if I designed a brand where ALL the product names were ridiculous and funny?” That is when ModestMix Teas was born with my flagship blend Go The Fuck To Sleep, then of course Wake The Fuck Up (a super energizing and immune support blend), then naturally Chai Fucking Harder (a yerba mate based chai blend with tulsi). ModestMix became a total grassroots brand, growing by word of mouth only as I was denied any and all advertising with the language I was using. Fast forward 12 years later, and ModestMix is now in hundreds of eccentric, cool shops across the USA. Investors have wanted us to change our language, and we rightly tell them they can fuck right off. We aren’t about dimming our light to scale. We have been growing our badass brand organically since day one. Our ethos is small business supporting other small business, you’ll never find our brand in big box stores or Amazon. The shops we are in LOVE our brand, and they always know where customers are in their store when they hear laughing. Our branding isn’t a gimmick, we use organic and wildcrafted ingredients, expertly formulated to taste as good as our blends make you feel.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Jamah Dacus, I have been in the health, herbal and nutrition world for over 25 years. I have helped hundreds if not thousands of clients feel their best through natural remedies. I have a passion for using food as thy medicine. I’m a little punk rock hippie, I’m anti-establishment, pro-uniqueness and self expression. I am also a trained dancer and painter. I have a huge love for animals, and I have never met a dog that didn’t melt my heart. I am outdoors most of my free time, and love going on extended trips around the world meeting new friends, immersing into cultures and spreading as much love as I can.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I knew absolutely nothing about manufacturing, and learned through trial and error. I spent a huge amount of time researching organic farms to buy the best quality ingredients. Went through countless packaging options, deciding to use recycled packaging that didn’t up my cost too much. I would rather spend the money on what’s in the packaging vs. the packaging itself. I had to remodel a 2000 sq ft space to be to code for a dry-commercial kitchen. I have learned that you need to have patience and also, it’s ok to launch before everything is perfect. I am still shifting and growing everyday.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Treat people the way you want to be treated. I worked so many jobs prior to starting my own company. In those times, I would dream that if I ever had my own company, I would run things different, and I do! I put a huge amount of trust in my team, and so far it’s been incredible. I have flexible hours, I don’t want my team coming in in a bad mood, we strive for good vibes only. The rule is, take care of yourself, take care of your shit, come in when you’re feeling good, leave when you’re feeling done. We handcraft every blend to order, and to release the air from the package, we actually hug the bag. Every bag gets infused with a love hug. We blast music, some of our team listens to audiobooks and podcasts, we dance. We wear whatever the fuck we want (as long as it meets health code standards). Also, I pay a livable wage, because I want my people taken care of. We put the tea in team, we are family.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://modestmix.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/modestmixteas
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/modestmix