We were lucky to catch up with Shay Koloff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

My success in entrepreneurship came from taking risk alone. I have never been afraid of taking the unknown leaps and when it came to business, many times it felt like I had no choice but to jump! Many lessons and rewards have come from doing so. I moved here to Colorado in 2020 and within those 3 years I have expanded my business more than I ever imagined all because I was never afraid to make decisions and take the risk to succeed!

Shay, 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?

I got into herbalism after many health issues and battles with my own journey to heal my ailments. A community garden that I began volunteering with, sparked my love for gardening and plant medicine. After years of taking my herbalism certification courses, we opened our store in 2022 called The Broom Circle Holistic Healing & Tea Room. As the only blacked own tea room and apothecary in the city we work hard to help people of color the most! We specialize in physician and spiritual healing and holistic approaches. Our products range from herbal tea, body care, candles, smoke blends, oils, and body sprays! Our offers meditation classes, healing circles, workshops, and many events focused around health & wellness. Inside of our store you’ll find Ochre Massage & Spa where Shamika Niski offers body massage and spa services. Our boutique style store supports other small business and holds a variety of over 10 local vendors of the community who sell their beautiful artworks, artisan and handmade items!

We solve the issue of customization and education when it comes to applying herbal remedies. Our customers receive free consultations and we offer custom blends of tea, tonics and smoke blends. Our company is different from most because we use no alcohol in our products that you ingest, so our tonics and tinctures are child & medication safe.

I am most proud of the growth and success of this business. We started in 2022 with so many obstacles and in 2023 we have received nominations for best of the springs!

What I want potential customers to know is that we work from the heart, our store is beyond a business it’s a safe space for any and all who seek haven to heal.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What’s helped me the most in building my reputation has been being authentic and clear about my mission! I’m always sharing my vision with others and networking! Connecting to customers who seek alternatives and those who need natural guidance has built my brand the most because we build a form of trust. I also went to many vendor events and met many people , which helped grow my customer base by sharing my story with others.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that you need money to be successful! I always thought I could never be a business owner or make my own living as an entrepreneur. I never had support, capital, or financing. Many times I felt discouraged and wanted to give up. But very slowly and steadily I built my way up a sustainable and regular income from an investment of my own time and money in building my business from scratch. We went from a small online jewelry business to a brick and mortar within 3 years! Anything is possible with determination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/TheBroomCircle
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebroomcircle
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebroomcircle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaykoloff
• Yelp: https://s.yelp.com/zcjR8EsrhJ
• Other: www.zenithmoonco.com

Image Credits
@Kelsey_Ray_Imagery @Lens N See by Lindsay