We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tracy Starr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tracy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
While growing up, my family, like a lot of others, used plants and herbs to create homemade herbal extractions as a cure-all to treat illnesses and ailments we had whenever possible. We all had that grandmother or great aunt we could call on to get an herbal recipe to cure that suspicious cough or stomachache when feeling sick or under the weather. At a very young age I developed a curiosity about the contents of those concoctions, and since have always had an interest in plants and herbs, and the natural healing properties they contain that grow all around us. Yes, that’s where it all started but it would be many years before becoming a “real” herbalist was something I would consider or strive to become. My personal interest in herbalism and the healing properties in plants led me on a path, where for years, I collected and read lots of books on plants, herbs, and the healing and therapeutic properties they contain. I visited herb markets and stores in the community to learn how to identify and use herb and plant extractions properly, collected literature detailing the description and use of plants and herbs from other regions, learned how to grow and care for some of my own herbs, took several masters classes on herbalism, and talked with folks in the community who offered valuable information about age old traditions, uses and dangers of some plant medicines. Through my research I learned about a very impactful figure in the field of herbal medicine, self-proclaimed herbalist Dr. Sebi. Dr Sebi spoke extensively on the benefits of using plant material as well as sea moss, among other effective methods of treating conditions and ailments with his plant extractions and formulations. After doing more in-depth research on Dr. Sebi and his theories and methods, my interest in plants and herbs went into overdrive and my passion for creating my own formulas and learning about natural healing methods was born.
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?
Through those discoveries, the passion I had for working with plants and natural herbs was realized, but the idea to start Day28 Wellness Co didn’t come until several years later. I, like a lot of people who lost their jobs due to circumstances brought on by the pandemic of 2020 or some other, found myself in a position where I had to decide what I was going to do for work after losing my job as an Accounting Associate. After some time and stressful days, new opportunities did come, but I was at a major crossroad in my life and it was time for me to decide if I was going to accept a job offer or create a space in the marketplace where I could become self-employed by creating my own products. After a lot of consideration, I made a decision to replace fear and self-doubt with the determination to build a credible wellness business offering helpful quality products, so I got to work on a business plan and here we are. I have so many ideas and plans for this business and have set goals high for Day28 Wellness Co. I plan to make my mark in the field of herbalism by creating my own line of great tasting premium wellness products made from high quality organic herbs, and plant material in products like our pure and herb infused sea moss gels, sea moss infused lemonade blends, elderberry syrups, and herbal tinctures and teas! Yes, that’s my specialty; blending safe, effective formulations and creating products that make it easier to get the added health benefit that natural herbs and plant extractions can provide.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Getting new customers to try our products was difficult initially because a lot of potential customers we interacted with had no knowledge of sea moss or its benefits. Even though natural superfoods like sea moss have been widely used and talked about, a lot of customers who expressed interest in the products I was creating were unsure of what they were and had never heard of some of the ingredients used to make them. This led me to spend a huge portion of the small budget available, to provide free samples and literature to familiarize potential customers with the products I was making and the healing benefits they promote. To spread the word in my community about the products I was creating I used social media platforms and creative content highlighting my homemade wellness offerings as an introduction to my brand of wellness products. Learning to use social media for business promotion was quite challenging for me early on because I had limited knowledge of how to navigate through the platforms. When I learned how to use the tools available on the apps, I launched Day28 Wellness Co Inc. online and expected the flood gates to open up with an endless flow of buying customers…….needless to say, it didn’t happen that way. I found the platforms to be complicated and ineffective when I wasn’t consistent with posting content about the products, ingredients and benefits they may provide. Once I got on a posting schedule, the social media accounts began to see an increase in inquiries about our products. Online traffic increased on the site and inquiries started to pick up! There are so many amazing apps and tools available online that make it easier to put out professional looking content and attract customers to your brand and products. It has been a tremendous asset to my marketing strategy and helps to expand the brand with every post. The online market is an amazing space to display your business ideals with endless opportunity to spread the word about your business. Potential to reach a new customer base is unlimited and a marketing content creators dream!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Participating in community events, pop up shops and small business markets in the Kansas City area has also helped to build a small following of support for Day28 Wellness Co LLC and has allowed us to reach new customers here in my hometown where the vision for this wellness endeavor was birthed. I have big aspirations for this small wellness company and am very proud to represent KC with this premium brand. So far, the journey to create and brand Day28 Wellness has been filled with lots of good experiences and twice as many lessons. I’ve definitely felt the stresses of starting this business alone, along with the pressure that comes with making sure I produce quality products using safe methods and practices. The support I have received while turning the vision for the Day28 Wellness brand into a reality has made all the difference in the world and has helped me to achieve the growth it’s been able to gain up until this point. The help and support from family and close friends has been unmatched and amazing.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Day28wellness.com
- Instagram: @day28wellness
- Facebook: @day28 wellness