Q – 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.
We are a family-run company based in central Ohio. CBD Health Collection was founded by Rick, Ashley, and Jon – between the 3 of them have more than 40 years in the traditional pharmaceutical industry. That experience in traditional pharmaceuticals convinced the trio that there must be a better and more natural approach to health. CBD Health Collection was founded to bring a natural and holistic approach to overall health without the side effects that often come along with pharmaceutical products.
Q – Kindly give us a brief description of yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ashley was a rower for the US National team and won 3 NCAA championships for Ohio State Women’s Rowing. After working in the pharmaceutical industry out of college, she looked for a more holistic approach to health and started CBD Health Collection along with her brother, Jon, and father, Rick. Ashley enjoys training for long-distance triathlons and uses CBD products regularly to deal with the aches and pains that come along with training.
Q – What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
The idea for CBD Health Collection came about in 2017 after seeing great success with co-owner, Jon’s dog. He had an aging Pitbull at the time and tried giving her CBD to help with her mobility as she aged. After a week, the results were very noticeable – she went from living a very sedentary life to being able to do things like go up and down stairs, and jump on the couch.
We wanted to try CBD for ourselves, but had no idea what to look for in a product and didn’t know how to tell which CBD was a quality product to consume. Utilizing our combined pharmaceutical experience, we built CBD Health Collection to be the trusted source of CBD products. We have a medical director and a clinical advisory board comprised of MDs, Pharm Ds, NDs, PhDs, and DCS to help formulate our own proprietary formulas targeting specific health concerns.
Q – What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Stay focused on what you can control, be patient, and be flexible. While it is important to work hard, it is even more important to work smart.
Q – What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Humility – be willing to accept when you are wrong or need to make a change in direction for your business.
Determination – things do not always go your way but stay the course and things usually shake out in the end.
Positivity – it can be an uphill battle but believe in yourself and your product/service.
Q – How many hours do you work a day on average?
Around 40 – I try and have balance and not bring too much work home. It isn’t always possible but it is about balance.
Q – To what do you most attribute your success?
My parents demonstrated a great work ethic my entire life.
Q – How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Word of mouth and sampling products have been invaluable to us. We try and collect reviews and success stories as often as we can. We also regularly give out free samples of products because they very often convert to sales. We strongly believe in letting our product speak for itself, which is why we are confident in handing out samples and having a 100% money-back guarantee – we believe strongly in our product and the results they produce.
Q – 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 are a 100% self-funded company.
Q – What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Working hard each day but also being able to step away each day. Also, align yourself with the right people who share your same goals.
Q – Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
I see us growing CBD Health Collection and our other line to being a largely recognizable name, especially in the medical professional space.
Q – Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
I admire Elon Musk. I value how Elon is always pushing the envelope and really leading the way in innovation in multiple sectors.
Q – How important have good employees been to your success?
In general, working with good people is vital to business success.
Q – How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
If it is truly a good idea I would hope that I would never give up. However, I do re-evaluate often to confirm that the idea is solid or if it needs some adjustment along the way.
Q – What motivates you?
Being able to have time that is my own and supports a flexible lifestyle while being able to provide for my family.
Q – What are your ideals?
Being a person of integrity, hard work, and caring for others around me.
Q – How do you generate new ideas?
Brainstorming with others helps me tremendously. I don’t feel that I am particularly creative on my own but discussions with others, including others outside of our company, help me gain a better perspective.
Q – How do you define success?
If you can look back at your life when you are 80 and are happy with yourself, the people you have around you, and the way your life turned out – then I think you are successful.
Q – How do you build a successful customer base?
I believe really caring for the customer’s outcome will naturally lead to success. At the end of the day, to be able to help others is really the greatest gift. The success stories we have heard are truly incredible and help make the hard days not as hard. It all comes with having a product that you believe can help others.
Q – What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
The freedom it allows is really great. Being able to generally dictate my day, who we work with, and the overall direction of the company is a true gift. There are downsides to freedom but I think the upside it allows far outweighs the bad.
Q – What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Those happen nearly every day. It is so gratifying to have customers come to our shop and rave about how our product has helped them overcome a health challenge that has negatively impacted their life for years. It feels great to really connect with those whom we help.
Q – What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
They are different routes to take for different people. I don’t believe either route is better or worse. Generally, I think entrepreneurs tend to be more on-the-go type of people.
Q – What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
We create a culture of trust and goodwill with each other internally, with outside vendors, and with our customers. We want those same values to come through in our products to our customers.
Q – In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Hectic but in a good way.