We recently connected with Lisa Jenkins and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, appreciate you joining us today. 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?

It seems like another lifetime… Before I started Jenkins sunshine Farm LLC, I was selling insurance. Before that, I was selling school supplies and workshopping for teachers, and before that I was a teacher. All these jobs lead me to “the farm” in 2004.

I have always enjoyed working with and helping people. I have always been creative, even as a child and made everything from paper to quilts. I also, over the years, have had a deep interest in healthy living and gardening. When I found myself newly married and in a new place, I decided to develop my gardening skills and plant knowledge. It was then through reading and questioning that I began to understand the value of the plants, not just as food, but as actual nourishment for the body both inside and out.

This ever growing knowledge lead me to begin to examine the products I was consuming. I began to understand some ingredients have great value and some do not; to the point of actually being harmful. It was the toxicity of commercially mass marketed products that pushed me into finding a better way.

So I beqan to develop my own ingredient list and product fantasies. It went like this…
What’s the problem?
What’s the desired outcome?
What plants will make that happen?
How can I do it in a natural and healthy way?

With these simple questions, I was able to address my own skin care needs as well as family and friends. And then that’s when the magic began to happen. I listened to everyone who would talk to me. I asked questions and read the labels on everything. I began to formulate recipes.

The formulation process is not so simple. There is math! When an idea occurs there can be a lengthy process, in my head, before I even say the words out loud. The idea rolls around and around with me questioning every aspect, considering possible results, and trying to work through all the potential problems. All this occurs before I even write anything down. I will sometimes argue a concept, in my head, for months before putting on my apron and stepping up to the making counter. Then comes the tweeking. Make it, test it, repeat. Once the product is actually packaged, there is a time span of more testing by me first and then family and close friends. Sometimes it’s a success and sometimes not.

In the early days I spent a lot of time at craft shows and farmers markets building a customer base. The face to face interaction is so valuable when launching, educating, and demonstrating. You don’t get that from a website or advertisement. For years I would hit the road, with my trailer packed, and visit with people to sell my product. The first show I ever did, in 2005, I think I had about 25 bars of soap on 1 table. The last show I did, in 2019, was a double booth with 8 tables covered with about 200 different products.

During this time, my husband and I also conducted “farm tours” for the public and had many visitors including, small families, social groups, children’s groups, and senior bus tours. At the completion of each tour, the participants where allowed to shop in the “gift shop” which was a great way to introduce the products to a wider audience. We saw people from all over the world during this time and enjoyed the fellowship, the feedback, and the sales.

I have always run the business mostly by myself and still do. There have been a few employees who have come and gone but I remain the constant and today am still a 1 woman show. I have a store front on our farm and see customers on occasion. I also built a website several years ago and have continued to keep it updated and fresh. Because of the website, I now have a nation wide following.

In 2020, my husband and I closed the farm gate and went almost 100% online. We do still accept appointments for shopping but mainly maintain the business on the internet. Because we have lost so much personal interaction, I always take calls from customers, add a handwritten note with each order, and always drop a sample in the box before shipping.

Starting a business from scratch has been one of the best things I have ever done. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know that it all is happening because of creative energy, strength of character, and desire for success. There is no one to tell you what to do or how to do it. It takes a whole lot of guts, discipline, and energy to make things happen.

Lisa, 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?

I covered some of this in the previous question and will add here…

I design, formulate, and manufacture a line of natural skin and home care. All the products are focused on everyday items that we all use with the addition of some items that target specific needs for some common problems.

My thought has always been that because we absorb everything that touched our skin, it is those things that we use everyday that can end up being the source of a problem. There are way too many available ingredients, in commercially made products, that are dangerous, harmful and even banned in other countries. In a time when there are so many health issues and sensitivities, it is my belief that excessive use, over long periods of time, will cause the body to begin to reject and react to even the most common items. I believe this to be true for not only adults but also and even more vulnerable children.

I am often asked “What makes your products different?” and I always reply with “It’s not what’s in my products, but rather what is not in them.” I spend a great deal of time researching ingredients and their source. I purchase raw ingredients only when I am sure they will be best for me and my customers. I also produce several of my own ingredients through herbal extractions, oil infusions, and proprietary blends. Many of which you will not find elsewhere.

I have been know to formulate a product for a single individual with a specific need. My herbal knowledge allows me the opportunity to assist with skin irritations, complexion struggles, and challenges associated with aging. I strive to assist anyone who has the desire to help themselves through the use of more natural processes and a more natural lifestyle. Those are my people.

It is my goal to create trust through the production of products with a purpose. The products are natural, plant based, and they work. They are free of harmful chemical, fillers, additives and dyes. One can use them for themselves and their family everyday without worrying about long term effects. They are simply made, good for you.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Word of mouth.

There is no better advertising than what one friend tells another. I have impacted daughters who tell their mothers, mothers who tell their daughters, friends who were visiting friends. I have customers who tell me that people lean in and asking them what perfume they are wearing. I have customers who did their laundry at a relatives house and wondered what that spray was. I have customers who’s children steal the products off their counters.

When the product is good, it will almost sell itself.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My husband Jim is my business partner. He was also my boyfriend when I was 13 years old. We reconnected some 35 years later, married, and started Sunshine Farm. He is in charge of the farm and all things agricultural. He dug a garden so I could plant. He built a shop so I could make. He built an aquaponics system so I have unlimited food. If I want a certain plant, he will find it. He is my go to guy.

When I first started the business, he was a Houston police officer and when the business got to be too much for me alone, he retired and came on board full time. Not only is he strong and smart, he also is my biggest fan and is always right behind me no matter what I want to do. There is the occasional eye roll though when I go off the deep end from time to time but he is always there to catch me if I falter.

It is a well known fact that being in business with a spouse can be very difficult and can even cause the end of a business or marriage. The daily challenge is real but it can also be a blessing and a deepening of a relationship. Its always great to have someone to learn on and he is like a big shade tree.

I like to think that behind every good woman is a man putting lotion on her back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goodcleanlivin.com
• Instagram: @mysunshinefarm @jsfwholesale @mekitchenwitch
• Facebook: facebook.com/JenkinsSunshineFarm facebook.com/Jimjenkinssunshinefarm
• Linkedin: Lisa Jenkins
• Twitter: @mysunshinefarm
• Youtube: Jenkins Sunshine Farm LLC

Image Credits
Photos of products were taken by Arrowhead Photo who is one of my daughters. Shannon Matlock