We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Stringfield a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

It happened after the second worst day of my life. I had a sudden life-threatening emergency; I was told that I had 24 hours left. When I went home, I was standing by the window. I looked down and saw my baby green beet tops. I was growing beets on my window sill and I thought, ‘they still aren’t ready yet.’ Then thought, ‘Well, there’s no point in waiting now’ so I went ahead and ate them. It only took half an hour to see a significant improvement. I was now hopeful and petrified because seed companies get rid of items all the time. Often they are lost forever, so I needed to learn how to save these seeds for myself, and other women who needed them. So I started a seed company.

One of my biggest struggles since, is work-life balance. It’s hard to remember, but if you die, there isn’t anything left. Your worries about the material things are gone, along with most of the people and activities that you think about on a daily basis. When I was dying I was in a horrible place where for once, after 16 yrs, I did not have a dog. I would have chosen to just spend my day with him. I remember thinking, I’m going to experience one more thing before I die.’ But, the only thing I wanted to do was go to Sweden. Of course, there was no time. After seeing improvement, I knew that I had found one of my purposes in life. I immediately threw myself into that. I spend nearly 18 hours a day for 2 weeks building my website. I’m happy that I’ve grown this so successfully, in 4 years.; But I regret to say, I still haven’t gone to Sweden. Prioritizing time has been something I’ve only recently gotten a good grasp on. Work-life balance is hard, for me, since it’s so much more than a business to me. It’s a part of me.

The biggest benefit I got from these events, and opening this company, has come from overcoming fears. It’s given me an added confidence, to just go after my career dreams. I don’t want to do just one thing, in this life. I have plans to scale my business this year, so I can work towards opening a second business in the coming years.

Stephanie, 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?

The word of my life is “levande”: It’s Swedish. It means “alive.” I don’t just mean “I’m still here,” but that every day, every moment that I can remember, I want to feel “alive.” Whenever I feel myself being held back, I remember that moment that never left me. I was just eating dinner one night, and an hour later I was being told the riot act by my doctor. It was quite traumatic. So, I’ve had a goal since that year, that I actively maintain in my life. If I recognize a fear, I try to get rid of it. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore, so it’s a waste of my life to hold on to any of those. I was told there was no cure. I can recognize how easily I could have not been here anymore, I apply the same thing to laziness. What a waste for me to let time pass me by. If I want something, I go get it. This helps me in business. The mindset of letting go of fear, means I can look for new opportunities. I don’t give stock to what others think. I’ve already beaten the odds in life. So, taking chances in business seems so small.

My seed company is originally a part of the Colorado Proud label. I started it with the intent of growing as many unique items as I could, to make a more secure, and flavorful food system. I particularly favor things that have gotten attention as having higher nutritional and medicinal properties.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

It’s a daily thing when you’re small. It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by a sudden drop in sales, especially me, since it’s so noticeable. My sales are seasonal, so I’m not analyzing this on a monthly basis. I have to pivot as soon as a trend breaks. Luckily, I have the knowledge and flexible mindset to put my ego aside and say “Well, that failed, let’s try this now.” I learned all the failings of being a business owner from my stubborn clients. The biggest enemy of every business is not the competition but the owner; They have the trapping of getting their livelihood, and especially ego, wrapped up in every decision.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I first started advertising during the pandemic. It was a leap of faith, because I had never done YouTube before. I am familiar with radio, however, I felt video told my story better as a new business. So, I began with a simple narration of who I was, and what my business stood for, and it wasn’t long before a sale came through. I was sitting at the computer, as a ding came through on my pc, and I wanted to celebrate. The best part was it began again the next day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heirloommountain.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heirloommountainseedswoman/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heirloommountain
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-s-624ab48b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqpeSqFv39UJyIJu7tmt5ww
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-s-624ab48b/ https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/heirloomseedswoman/

Image Credits
Stephanie Stringfield