We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tracy Marroquin . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tracy below.

Tracy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

When my husband Scott and I started Leanna Organics, a CBD Skincare and Wellness brand, in 2018, we thought having a website would bring in customers and sales but soon realized it would take more than a website. People needed to be aware of our business and products; we began doing local markets in our community every weekend for the first year and hit hard on social media, with Twitter being our most prominent platform. In late 2018 we opened a brick-and-mortar, but three months after opening, COVID hit, and we closed our shop for eight weeks. We partnered with others in the wellness industry, which kept us going during the pandemic closure. Once re-opened, we focused on local marketing by partnering with other small businesses and joining the Better Business Bureau, Westminster Sage, and the Westminster Chamber of Commerce. Scott, co-owner, took over local SEO, which helped with the turnaround in foot traffic. We are now number 1 on google maps for local search, and we continue to do local markets. We have faced many challenges; because our products are CBD infused, we’ve had difficulties with paid marketing on FaceBook and Instagram. We’ve also had issues with our payment processor/ merchant account; overall, the journey has not been easy, but we remain strong. We found other ways to market and bring awareness to our brand. As a business owner, mindset is everything; when you face challenges, you must remain strong and learn to adapt to your environment.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’ve always had a passion for natural beauty and wellness. I enjoyed making skincare products for family and friends. When my husband injured his back in 2017, I researched holistic ways to relieve his pain and came across CBD. I was impressed with the plant-based alternative and began to infuse CBD into my products. We launched Leanna Organics in 2018 and opened a brick-and-mortar shop later that year. Our products are hand-crafted daily in-house using organic and fresh ingredients. We focus on holistic wellness and skincare, with many products from pet treats, tinctures, foot creams, bath bombs, and face creams all infused with third-party tested hemp CBD. We are family-owned and operated and take pride in being a sustainable business. Leanna Organics is located in the orchard town center in Westminster, Colorado.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Three months after we opened our brick-and-mortar shop, we had to close due to COVID. We had plans to do a significant event in Texas, South by Southwest, to network and meet potential wholesales and customers. We had just gotten started in our wholesale reach out, and now we had to hold off due to closures. We couldn’t depend on wholesalers, our shop, and local events. We had to turn to social media; with Twitter having the more significant followers, we started to network and retweet with partners. On Instagram, we partnered with yoga instructors and others in the wellness industry to hit a larger audience. The support from social media kept us afloat during COVID.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new customers has been local markets. I genuinely enjoy doing local markets and meeting customers or potential customers. We particulate in our local farmer’s markets every Sunday and do two festivals a month. We always do a giveaway to acquire emails for our email marketing campaign at all events. Which always has a significant turnaround for the holiday months. Meeting customers face-to-face helps us relate better to our customers and brings value to our brand, and customers seem to be more loyal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leannaorganics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leannaorganics/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leannaorganics/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanna-organics-aa2b6b172/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/leannaorganics?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8NVsUSgUo0TLdup72p6NTA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/leanna-organics-westminster?osq=leanna+organics