We recently connected with Liz Murphy and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

Owning a business, of any kind or scale, is very hard work, but personally I find it much more rewarding than any other job I’ve ever had. I have always taken pride in every job I’ve had, from barista to hotel sales manager and everything in between, but there’s a different level of passion that goes into building something of your own. Throughout my early adulthood I didn’t really imagine myself venturing outside of the traditional career cog, but in my late twenties I started to feel as though something was missing from my work, but as many people are, I felt too busy and overwhelmed by life to figure out what that might be. The idea of working for yourself can be quite liberating, but is also scary — controlling your own time and destiny is very enticing, but it is a double edged sword. In the five years that I have had my own ventures, I have experienced my share of navigating those positives and negatives, and surely will continue to do so. But thus far, the positives have well outweighed the challenges. I have definitely had moments, especially during times of difficulty, that I have thought to myself, perhaps it would be a lot easier to give this up and go back to a traditional 9-5, but then I remember a few things:

-I love what I do and who I am when I’m doing it.
-I have the incredible privilege of sharing my passions with my community and there’s nothing quite like the joy that brings.
-I am making a positive difference, no matter how small.

These feelings can apply to any job or even a hobby, whether you work for yourself or someone else, but I think the most important thing is to strive for them.

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

From a very young age I found a passion for cooking, but it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I began exploring the worlds of wellness and sustainability. My first career path was in the hotel industry, mostly sales, and eventually event and catering management — which was adjacent to something culinary, but not as direct as I would have liked. Without a technical background in the culinary world, I didn’t feel very empowered to attempt a career in food, but I knew that I needed to try something different.

In 2018 I took a big leap and started Santosha Nutrition, a business focused on plant-based nutrition and food. After attending multiple programs for plant-based health and wellness I began offering coaching services for people looking to add more plants to their diet, but to my delight, the business quickly evolved into a culinary venture. As my interest in food sustainability grew within my personal routines, I began implementing these ideas into my business practices at Santosha and that is where I found my community. Santosha now focuses on providing education to the community about being a positive part of our local food systems through farm to table experiences, cooking classes and conscious catering. In 2020 I published my first cookbook, Kitchen Contentment, containing over 50 plant-based, seasonal recipes. Even after five years I am in awe of the incredible support I continue to receive and the joy that this work brings to my life.

In 2021, with the support of a few other local ecopreneurs searching for support, I founded Sustainability is Sexy (SIS), a 501c3 non profit providing connection between the community and sustainable resources. I am constantly inspired by the amazing work being done by individuals and organizations in San Diego and around the world to find solutions to the climate crisis and Sustainability is Sexy is platform for myself and others to learn and share this work while driving innovation and collaboration. You can find episodes of our podcast, Sustainability is Sexy the Podcast, on our website, or wherever you like to listen, for inspiring stories from the sustainability community. SIS also has an education program which offers in person and virtual webinar/lunch and learn services for companies and communities. Our zero waste event consulting services provide organizers, venues, vendors and attendees with tangible diversion strategies to lower event waste and keep it out of our landfills. Our organization is small, but mighty, and we are growing fast. If you would like to support Sustainability is Sexy’s efforts, please visit our website for donation and volunteer opportunities.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

For both of my organizations, Santosha Nutrition and Sustainability is Sexy, the strategy has always been one of authenticity. As a small business owner and non-profit founder, both started without investors or capital, I have relied upon community support, word of mouth and honest work to build customers and following. I think the most important piece of this, for me, has been honesty with myself and with my clients. This means also being honest with myself and others about my time and energy, which has been the most difficult part of the last five years. I am incredibly passionate about the work I am doing with both organizations, which means that I am willing to work 24 hours a day to achieve my goals. But I learned the hard way that this can lead to failure — mental, physical and emotional. It is difficult to separate work and life when your work is something you are building straight from your soul. I have worked, and will continue to work, towards achieving a work-life balance AND growing my businesses in a sustainable way. The biggest lesson so far is that by finding balance for myself, my businesses are growing more steadily, and my reach is more solid, and I’m not having to kill myself to do it. And I could not do this without the support of my team, family and community — learning to ask for help and accept it with immense gratitude, I can grow my business through collaboration, which is more meaningful and successful than anything I can achieve alone.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The best advice I can give for social media, is that it is not the most important thing when building a business. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, it can be a successful strategy, but personally I realized that the time I was dedicating to my social platforms in the early days of starting a business was likely detracting from building a solid foundation in the real world, and that focusing on community collaboration is where I have found success. Now I post to social media when I have something I want to share and because it’s something I enjoy; not because I am looking for likes or to increase my following. If it happens, it happens, and if not, I have a concrete and ever-growing network within my local community to grow with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.santoshanutrition.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/santoshanutrition
• Facebook: facebook.com/santoshanutrition
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/santoshanutrition/
• Other: www.sustainabilityissexy.org instagram.com/sustainabilityissexy

Image Credits
Chaselife Photography, Erik Baldwin Studio Luniste Romi Rossel Media