We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Ekene a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mary, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
I had a woman who came to see that had an ailment. She explained to me she tried everything and she was needing something for the pain. She shared with me that someone referred her to me and told her my products are really great. I explained to the woman that I am not a doctor, but a holistic practitioner. I told her I focus on the mind, body and soul. She shared that she had a certain type of disease that I want to keep confidential and I told her I could help her. I made her a tea and within two years of her doing business, that ailment has subsided. She told me she could not believe, and it was through my products that made her believe in holistic health and wellness. Her testimony truly made my day, and it was a beautiful journey to watch.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After the birth of my second daughter, I gained over sixty pounds, and I was ready to get back into shape. In the past, I was so used to taking diet pills and trying to lose weight the unhealthy way that I knew it was time for a change. In an attempt to figure out what was best for me, I came up with a divine idea. That’s when I formulated my detoxification and cleansing product, the LIVOL LIVER CLEANSE. Over time, I’ve developed several more products you can trust to help you live a HEALTHY, HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE through my business. It has a blessing to me and others ever since.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
COVID-19 was very challenging on my business. I knew I had to think of new marketing concepts to still bring revenue to the business. I did curb side service at my store and stressed the importance of being healthy in a time like this. I recall when business had slowed down and there were moments, I was unsure of how I was going to make ends meet financially in my business. But I remembered that the challenges I was going through were temporary and I had to continue to market, strategize, and advertise my business. The idea of giving up was never an option for me especially when I saw so many businesses closing down or going into bankruptcy.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I engage with my customers through social media by making videos, doing raffles, having giveaways etc. I make sure I relate with my clientele by showing them I am relatable by sharing my own personal stories with my health etc. I do ads, join vendor events, advertise using my logo and making my presence known by people recognizing my logo. I believe when you start a business, you must market yourself first. People buy from people they like and can relate to. Then I believe once a person has sold themselves, now the product can itself through word of mouth etc. In my business I would post about my experiences, what I liked, who I was in the community and soon after people started growing curious about who I was. I am huge on community involvement, and I give back by educating people about health and wellness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.livolherbalnutrition,com
- Instagram: Livol Herbal Nutrition
- Facebook: Livol Herbal & Cleansing Store
- Yelp: Livol Herbal & Cleansing Store
