Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Apollo is a wellness company focused on providing clean, natural, and organic products to help everyone cut through the challenges of life by being less anxious, sleeping better, and giving their body the fuel it needs to perform at its best. Right now we’re focused on ingestible and topical hemp products but hope to expand in the future. Our company is founded and based in New York City and has a presence in the SF Bay Area as well.
Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
I’m a natural born entrepreneur whose beliefs and business thesis have always been to build for the average person. I believe our purpose and impact are measured by how we help others and I’m always in search of how I can do more of this.
What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
I was inspired to start Apollo when I went to buy hemp-based products and realized there is just no standard for quality in ingredients, packaging, or anything. Because the industry was so nascent, there were no regulatory requirements or governing bodies in charge of making sure people weren’t selling “snake oil” – so we decided to take things into our own hands and build products made with the highest quality from sourcing the plants to packaging and shipping the products to our customer’s doorsteps.
What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
1. Helping others always pays off in the long run.
2. Don’t sacrifice on quality – consumers will know.
3. Work with people you like! It makes your job fun and rewarding every single day.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? There are many but my top 3 are:
1. Having the grit to not give up.
2. Understanding gaps in the market and which solutions can fill them.
3. Ability to attract elite talent to work with you.
How many hours do you work a day on average?
I usually work 9-10 hours per day, but it’s important to listen to your body. Sometimes I will be burnt out and take the day off to just relax, play golf, or hang out with my dog at the beach.
To what do you most attribute your success?
Probably just not giving up – in this business it’s hard to get your footing because of how new everything is. I really wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and that helped me a lot.
How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Our most effective marketing has been through word of mouth (our customers LOVE Apollo), creating original content, and educating our customers on the benefits of what we do!
Where did your organization’s funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
We self-funded and bootstrapped this thing all the way!
What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
The jury is still out on this, I’m only 32 years old 🙂
Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
I hope to have Apollo in every household in America or at least have them know who we are. Our products are built with quality and family in mind so we sure hope we can achieve this.
How important have good employees been to your success?
Incredibly important; people who work with a purpose and goal are infinitely more effective! We’re like family here and love everything we do.
How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
I think it’s important to be creative and try new things, but also know when to cut your losses. You want to compound on winning strategies, not losing ones!
How do you generate new ideas?
Speak to smart people, bounce ideas off more experienced experts, and ask for feedback!
How do you define success?
I would say just being happy on a day-to-day basis is good enough for me. At the end of the day, that’s all we really have!
How do you build a successful customer base?
Building a loyal customer base comes with putting them first, building with quality in mind, and paying close attention to detail!
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
I could never go back to working a 9-5 because being an entrepreneur lets me have the ultimate impact on what I do every day. Every decision I make materially affects the outcome and performance of my business.
What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
How did you decide on the location for your business?
We based the business where we live and work! I spend my time between NYC and SF so that’s where Apollo is based.
Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Absolutely not; there are common traits that successful people have but every company’s path is different and unique. If there was a formula then everyone would be doing it.
If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Michael Jordan, because he’s the GOAT in terms of grit, toughness, and competitiveness.
Business Info:
Business Name: Apollo Essentials
Contact Name: Dara Rahimzadeh
Business Phone: +1 (650) 906-7941
Email: hello@apolloessentials.us
Website: https://apolloessentials.us/