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

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

In my previous career I was a founding member of Stasher, the endlessly reusable silicone ziptop bag. We had major success and after years of development to get the technology of our seal to function properly, we filed our patent and went to market as fast as we could. Within a few months we debuted at the International Housewares Show and took home the Global Innovation Award. From there it was a wild ride of success, winning awards, and gaining global recognition and distribution. We were an industry leader in a space where no one else was making a reusable silicone bag that could reduce the use of single-use plastic bags in lunches and kitchens and still have all the functionality of traditionally used ziptop plastic bags and more. There were so many learnings that I will always carry with me, including a spark of entrepreneurial spirit. I learned to dream big, go for it and most importantly, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Get the idea out there, get feedback from your audience and refine and evolve as your business grows. Stay focused and don’t try to be everything to everyone, have a clear message and lead with your heart. The intention you put out there will be amplified back as long as you have passion and integrity with the product or service you are promoting.

Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Healing Well Ayurveda was born out of a passion of wanting to teach others that they have all the tools within themselves to live a vibrant, healthy and balanced life. It is so easy to get caught up in the latest health trends, but Ayurveda is a tried and true system of traditional Indian medicine, with a written history that dates back at least 5,000 years and an oral history that could easily double that. Ayurveda is the sister science to Yoga and has many overlapping principles, however Ayurveda focuses on the body to heal the mind, while Yoga focuses on the mind to heal the body. Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that encompasses mind, body and spirit, with a primary goal to bring you back into alignment with nature.

At the core of Ayurvedic principle, all disease starts in the gut. At Healing Well Ayurveda we offer Ayurvedic Health Counseling that guides you through diet and lifestyle changes to reach optimal balance. One of my favorite aspects of Ayurveda is that it focuses on the individual. No person is alike and our health should not be treated that way either – we asses your original constitution (prakruti) as our guiding light to bring you back to equilibrium. Your program in uniquely tailored to you and we can support you through issues with digestion, hormone regulation and stress management just to name a few.

In addition to health counseling we offer a variety of Ayurvedic body treatments that help the nervous system to relax, deep tissues to detox, muscles to unwind and support better elimination through your various detox pathways. The basis for many of these treatments is the use of herbalized oils that are chosen based off your unique needs or doshic imbalances (vikruti). I always love to share that the word for oil and love is the same in sanskrit, Sneha. Our most popular offerings are Abhyangha, a full body warm oil treatment and Shirodhara, where a steading stream of warm oil is poured over the head. These treatments leave our clients feeling deeply relaxed, nourished and renewed in a way that many western modalities of bodywork leave wanting. Ayurvedic body work incorporates the activation of marma points (acupressure points), to realign the flow of prana (your vital energy force) to tap into the rejuvenation of the subtle body as well.

At Healing Well Ayurveda I am proud to support my community and help to follow in my teachers foot steps to bring awareness around Ayurveda to our western society where I am seeing more people looking for alternative, holistic support to their health. I am looking forward to expanding our services to offer traditional Panchakarma detox programs that can help to course correct many chronic health issues in the future.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

Stasher, the endlessly reusable silicone ziptop bag, was a decade long project with the mission to reduce single-use plastic bags in the global market. We started small, but had big dreams and were not afraid to be bold and charge forward. Having a clear mission was key to our success, it was our north start and kept us on track as we developed brand partnerships, produced content and advertising, chose store placements and distribution partners, expanded into specific markets, and grew our philanthropy arm. When developing a business with the possibility of a sale on the other end I think that it is so important to believe in yourself, your vision and your offering as the driving force behind the business. Don’t let too many cooks in the kitchen, make sure you always have majority control in your business and think outside the box on ways to bring in key collaborators that does not involve giving away all your equity.

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

Healing Well Ayurveda has been bootstrapped from the get go. We are still growing and as we expand that may change but my best advice to get a business running on your own is to be scrappy! Scrappy does not mean you have to skimp on the quality of your product or the assets you put out there, but it does mean tapping into your own innate talents, being humble and knowing when you need help, and not being afraid to learn new skills. I truly believe the best leaders are those that are able to know just enough about what they need to drive direction and then use their discretion when picking the best partners and support team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.healingwellayurveda.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingwellayurveda/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-reinman-a9675769/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/healing-well-ayurveda-ojai

Image Credits

Brendan Willing James – Willing Photography