We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justin Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justin below.

Hi Justin, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

The Three-Hat Reality: Entrepreneur, Employee, and Advocate
Are you happier as a business owner?
I’ve realized that happiness isn’t a single state; it’s a balance. Currently, I wear three very distinct hats: I am a full-time business owner, the director of an animal sanctuary, and an employee with a “day job.” People often ask how I do it, and the truth is, I’m not always “happy” in the traditional sense—I’m driven. Each role serves the other. My job provides the stability that allows my business to grow, and my business provides the funding that allows the sanctuary to survive.

Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
The irony is that I have a regular job, and yet I still find myself dreaming of a life where I only had one thing to focus on. There are days when the mental gymnastics of switching from “Employee Mode” to “Business Owner Mode” to “Sanctuary Caretaker” feels like a marathon I didn’t train for.

The Story of the Last Time I Felt Like “Giving In”
It was a morning where the lines blurred too thin. I had just finished a demanding dispatch shift where I was solving problems for other people for hours. I sat in my car for a minute before heading into the next part of my day—managing the logistics of my own business and the needs of the sanctuary—and the sheer weight of the “To-Do” list felt suffocating. I thought, “What if I just did the job? What if I clocked out and my time was actually my own?”

I walked out to the pasture, still in my work clothes, feeling the residue of the day’s stress. But then, the transition happened. I was met by the physical reality of what those hours of work pay for. I saw the goats grazing and the pigs waiting at the gate.

One of the pigs nudged my hand—that unmistakable, wet snout—and the noise in my head just stopped.

The Conclusion & Insights
I realized that while being an employee is what I do for a living, and the business is what I do for growth, the sanctuary is why I live.

Having three hats isn’t a burden; it’s a strategy. My job and my business are the scaffolding that holds up the sanctuary. The “regular job” gives me the security to take risks in my business, and the business gives me the resources to save lives. I’ve come to peace with the “hustle” because it has a heartbeat. I’m not just working for a paycheck or a profit margin—I’m working for every snout that depends on me to keep showing up.

Justin, 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?

The Founder with Three Hats and One Mission
The Journey: From Logistics to Lifesaving
For folks who haven’t met me yet, my path has been anything but linear. For years, my wife Valerie and I worked at the distribution center for The Spice & Tea Exchange in Florida. It was a high-energy environment rooted in logistics and movement, but Valerie had a vision for something of our own. The road was incredibly tough, but we stayed the course, and in 2018, we officially made the leap and bought our own store.

That business became the foundation for everything. Once we were established as business owners, the “accident” happened. I asked Valerie a simple question: “Would you rather have a weekend away or a pig?” She didn’t hesitate—she chose the pig. Shortly after, we found out about Archie. He was our first rescue, and the moment he entered our lives, Second Hand Sanctuary was born. What started with one pig has grown into a mission in Honea Path, South Carolina, where we provide a forever home for 140 pigs and our goats.

The Work: Bridging the Gap Between Profit and Purpose
Today, I operate a “three-hat” lifestyle that keeps me grounded and driven:

The Business Owner: Running the store we bought in 2018, leveraging the retail and industry knowledge we’ve built over the years.

The Employee: Working a full-time dispatch and customer service role—a job I’ve held for four years—using the logistics skills I honed back in the distribution centers to keep things moving.

The Sanctuary Director: Managing the daily care, medical needs, and fundraising for our 140 residents.

What sets me apart is the integration of these worlds. I don’t run a business or work a job just for a paycheck; I operate them specifically to fund the sanctuary. I solve logistical problems in my “day jobs” so I can solve life-saving problems for our animals.

Happiness, the Hustle, and the “Regular Job”
People often ask if I’m happier as a business owner or if I ever think about what it would be like to just have a “regular” job. The truth is, there are absolutely days when the mental gymnastics of switching between these three roles feels like a marathon I didn’t train for.

I remember a particularly brutal afternoon not long ago. I was coming off a demanding dispatch shift where I had been navigating crises for hours. I sat in my car for a minute before heading into the next part of my day—managing the logistics of the store and the needs of the sanctuary—and the sheer weight of the “To-Do” list felt suffocating. I thought, “What if I just did the job? What if I clocked out and my time was actually my own?”

I walked out to the pasture, still in my work clothes, feeling the residue of the day’s stress. But then, the transition happened. I felt a familiar, wet nudge against my knee—that unmistakable, muddy snout looking up at me with total, uncomplicated trust. In that moment, the “logistics” and the “funding” stopped being abstract stress points. They became the very things that kept that snout fed and that soul safe.

What I’m Most Proud Of
I am most proud of the fact that we took the “tough road” from that Florida distribution center to where we are now: providing a permanent, dignified home for 140 animals that the world often overlooks. I’m proud of the grit it takes to keep a 1987 Ford F-150 running to haul feed and the fact that we’ve built a sustainable ecosystem for compassion.

What I Want You to Know
If there is one thing I want followers and potential supporters to know, it’s that every effort counts. My work is proof that you don’t have to choose between a “regular job” and a “dream.” You can use one to build the other.

When you see our “Join the Herd” program, know that your support isn’t just a number—it’s the physical corn, the vet care, and the safety of those snouts that keep me going. I’ve come to peace with the “hustle” because it has a heartbeat. I’m not just working for a profit margin; I’m working for every soul that depends on me to keep showing up.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My partner is my wife, Valerie, and our story is a testament to the idea that sometimes life has to take a “hard right” to put you exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Valerie moved to Saint Augustine, Florida, a couple of years before I did. She had relocated all the way from Northern Idaho after a period of immense personal loss; she had just lost her mother, and her marriage had ended in divorce. She was looking for a fresh start, a way to rebuild among the palm trees and the salt air.

I arrived in Florida having walked a very similar path. I had just lost my grandmother—the woman who raised me—and I was also navigating the aftermath of a divorce. We were both in a season of “starting over,” carrying the weight of grief and the uncertainty of what came next.

We eventually met while working at The Spice & Tea Exchange distribution center. In the midst of the aromatic crates of spices and the fast-paced logistics of the warehouse, we found something unexpected: someone who truly understood. We didn’t just share a workplace; we shared a history of resilience. We knew what it felt like to have your world shift beneath your feet, and we knew the grit it took to keep moving forward.

Our partnership started in that warehouse, but it was forged in our shared dream of building something that belonged to us. Whether it was the “tough road” to buying our own business in 2018 or the “accidental” birth of the sanctuary when Valerie chose a pig over a vacation, we have done it all as a team.

Today, she is the reason I wear three hats. She is the visionary behind the business, the heart behind the sanctuary, and the person who reminds me why we do it all when the days get long. We didn’t just find each other in that distribution center; we found a partner to build a life where the “hard rights” finally led us home.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

How do you keep in touch with customers and foster brand loyalty?

For me, brand loyalty isn’t about marketing tricks; it’s about relationship management. Because I wear multiple hats, I look at “customers” through two different lenses, but my approach to them is identical. Whether it’s a guest at The Spice and Tea Exchange or a donor for Second Hand Sanctuary, the goal is the same: providing an exceptional experience that honors their time and their contribution.

At The Spice and Tea Exchange:
We build loyalty by focusing on the individual. It’s not just about making a sale; it’s about matching their specific needs with our products. We take the time to listen—whether they are looking for a specific flavor profile or a gift for a loved one—and ensure they walk away with exactly what they need. We provide great service that makes them feel like a regular from the moment they walk in. When you treat a customer’s needs as your own priority, they don’t just come back; they become advocates for the brand.

At the Sanctuary:
I view our donors as customers in the most respectful sense of the word. They are “buying into” a mission of compassion. We foster that loyalty by providing total transparency and a front-row seat to the impact they are making. Through our “Join the Herd” program and our social media updates, we keep them in touch with the very animals they are helping to save.

Just like at the store, we match their needs—their desire to make a difference—with our “product,” which is the health and happiness of our 140 residents. Whether it’s an email update or a photo of the “snout” they are sponsoring, we make sure they know they are a vital part of the team.

The Common Thread:
Ultimately, loyalty comes down to trust and consistency. My customers and donors stay with us because they know what they’re going to get: a high-quality experience, a person who truly cares, and a direct line to the results of their support. Whether I’m hand-blending a tea or mending a fence, I’m doing it with the same level of commitment to the people who make this life possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: spiceandtea.com secondhandsanctuary.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecondHandSanctuarySC https://www.facebook.com/TSTEGreenville