We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Judica Salmon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Judica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I swear-I’ve answered this question about three different times and told a different story for each time, but they’re ALL true!
What I’ve consistently conspired to expound upon is that entrepreneurship is the most complicated, convoluted, yet natural process one could ever experience.
It’s not just one story, but a series of factors and events that leads to a eureka moment; that eureka is that you have a product/concept that is not only profitable but useful.
That moment happened for me while I was on Tumblr (of all things), but other factors were imperative to the founding of my business.
Some of those moments were downright misfortunate. In 2019, I was facing financial hardship after getting kicked out of college after just one semester in my new school. I was working to pay off my student loans when my manager, taking notice of the effects of my homemade skin elixirs, offered to sponsor it.
Judica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For starters, growing up, I was always that Hollister-wearing, hipster whose classmates would come to ask advice for all of their bodily dysfunctions. I reveled in it -it always felt natural to help and it was a gratifying feeling knowing I was providing the healthiest solutions to my classmates. I myself was struggling with acne and had particularly sensitive skin which ultimately led to me exploring more organic and natural routes to healing. My mom having an education in nutrition helped a lot.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A way of being that I had to unlearn is self-sacrificing to appease others. Ironically, a more difficult part of this process is preserving yourself for your business and having to not care.
There’s no particular backstory but, as a forewarning, I will say to expect a few tests like this if you’re looking into opening your own business.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
After not becoming verified for financial aid in 2019 and getting thrown out of school, my family presumed that something else was going on and they outcasted me as a college dropout. None of them believed that I would get back into school, but I did.
What helped me was remaining steadfast in the truth, constantly reminding myself of my personal aspirations, and consistently working towards my ambitions; Essentially being too busy to let their perspectives get to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: Meco514.com
- Instagram: @fivefourteenllc