Going Organic with Laura Baum of Laura's Botanicals LLC

Hello and welcome to this episode of Conscious Design. I'm your host, Ian Peterman, and author of the Conscious Design book. And with me today, I have Laura Baum, founder of Laura's Botanicals, and she's on a mission to change health as we know it. Welcome to the show.

Oh, thank you so much. I'm so excited to be on the Conscious Design.

Yeah, so I'm, I'm really excited to talk to you. There's kind of 2 parts. First is you've launched your own brand, going through the whole sustainable and eco-friendly sourcing of ingredients, which is a journey, I know. And now you, you also help people go through that journey as well. So first, I'd love for you to share your story, how How did you get into deciding you wanted to launch a brand and going through that process? It's, it's a, it's a process.

Yeah, it is. It is. It's an evolving process, right? As we know, as more information comes out and we get better and better at sustainability, right? Then it's like, it's just changing the bar. The bar gets higher and higher, which is like really, um, one of the great things I love about having a business is that I get to roll with those changes. I get to be a voice within those changes. So thank you for giving me a little platform here to talk about what that feels like because it's been a whirlwind and at times a tornado, but at other times a really calm, really nice, relaxed place. And that's what I'm just always trying to find, that balance in my business, work life, and why it is that I'm doing what I'm doing with my mission to change health as we know it. So yeah, it's been pretty much that. I knew that when I started my product-based brand with a health product in mind, you know, I was talking about non-toxic skincare, thinking about skincare as a part of conjunction of a larger health plan, not just thinking about it as cosmetic, I knew that sourcing was gonna be of utmost imperative value. And of course, through the lens of herbalism, which is my niche specialty in lifestyle medicine approach, that connecting with plants on a personal level has such wonderful resounding qualities in our life and that I want to grow my own plants and connect to other growers in my area. So it just all kind of started happening in that component, in that capacity really of connecting other people to plants, having conversations about plants, and then what can we do with them once we grew them? And I knew that I never just wanted to create a product, I wanted to be an experience that, you know, people were coming closer to their health on a daily— in a daily habit.

Hmm. That makes sense. And like, there's a lot that goes into, especially— I've worked in a few products in the skincare world. And when you try— when you go towards the, I want to be organic, then there's, you know, organic, there's biodiverse, there's— there's become so many So many layers that if you don't get into it, you don't realize just how much you can do with that and how delicate the supply chain is. Right. It's a crop. So, right, there's a lot of variability there. And now you have to make sure it's organic. You have to make sure it's— especially you want to go certified organic. That's a whole other level of going through.

Right. Yeah, we're at a very delicate time. So many companies who have achieved certain satisfaction, not just in the consumer's minds of is this environmentally friendly, but really meeting their own discipline, you know, accordance to laws and things like B Corp, you know, things that are really going to greatly benefit people as a whole. So it's just great to see herbalists at the core of a lot of these conversations and that people are seeing them as a as their own entities in the conversation on sustainability.

Yeah, it's a fascinating topic. My wife is an herbalist as well, so I get a peek into it and there's a lot, there's a lot. I will not become one. It's not too much for me.

Yeah, we're great people and we're getting more and more powerful with CEOs of really awesome companies. I love Ross out in Boulder, Colorado, and there's Traditional Medicinals. It was founded partially by an herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar, that sold purslane several million dollars a few years ago. So we're really making headway. And I think what makes us so unique is our connection to the resources directly and thinking about people as not just people who are using products and wait and using and throwing away, but really being part of that experience of understanding the relationship with the earth and why those things matter when we consume a product.

Right. Well, let's unpack that. So one of the things you said is You create not just, you know, it's not just a product, it's an experience. So can you dive a little bit into what does that mean for you and how do you go about taking what could just be a product, right? And turning it into an experience that does more than just, here's a thing, use it.

Yeah. And that comes to the root of kind of how I've been shaping my business too, about sustainability. Like how could I bring sustainability into my production as much as possible. And for me, it comes to that, like, you know, less is more. Um, and really thinking on a large— over the year, like, what, what do I really want my products to get in front of? Where will it do the most impact? How do I want these products to serve? Answering those kinds of questions about personal development in my business before, um, I start selling is really vital for me every year to really analyze, um, that. Because if I do that self-exploration, then what inevitably happens is all the sales mechanisms and all the marketing becomes very clear. It's like, you know, you know exactly what court you're playing the ball in.

Right. Well, that's— yeah, I feel like that's important. Most businesses should do that. It would make it far easier to market a product if you have that in mind. Now, you've launched Launch your products, you have, you know, your brand, your own product brand that's going, um, now you help people with their own journey and talk a little bit about what, what you do and how, how you help people through that.

Yeah, that's how I help people. I help people with that self-discovery, their brand journey discovery. And really, that's the, that's the key. It really unlocks everything because otherwise we're just producing to sell at a large Large scale rate. It's a it's a numbers thing where if I the traditional trajectory, you know, I produce products, I have them sitting, and then I sell them, or I'm producing the products every week and then selling them at a market directly. And just who shows up, I sell, I sell to. Rather, what I'm saying is we develop a sense of mission, a sense of brand identity first, and then your customer profile becomes very clear as to who you should be talking to. But also, what is the end? Goal? What is the mission involved? And what are the relationships that we should develop and nourish so that our products can really go in front of people and really make a lasting impact on their health or on their mind, their spirituality? So whenever we engage in holistic products, those types of questions, in my view, should always be answered so that we can best serve with our products, not just the products being used and thrown away, which would of course change a lot of things, right, with the amount of products that we purchase and buy, um, but also, um, a level of integrity and a level of relationship that can make lasting impact. So people come back to us and buy again or connect with us in different ways like courses or workshops. So that's what I help people do. I help people with just those initial stages of developing their philosophical pillars and what their brand is going to try to do in this world.

Got it. Yeah, mission-driven brands are more successful in what I've seen, is far more. And that's something that we try to tell people is—

Yeah, more successful and more connected. You're where everybody participates in something, even if they don't buy, they can follow you on your social media, they can tell people about it. So coming at it from a lens of opportunity to help the world rather than just utilizing a product, it just feeds back to our personal values, you know, and why people buy. You know, they're not buying the plastic bottle. You know, there's a lot of decision-making that comes into play, right? So more people on intentionality that saves the planet means more people are saving the planet.

Yeah, which is, which is good. We need that. And are you— yeah, do you, as you're going through this, you know, sustainability is something that you think about? Is that— how does that factor in, and how do you kind of show that in your business and connect that to your products and to everything? Because there's one thing to be like, yeah, we're sustainable, right? It's easy to say. But it's not— you got to show it in a way. So how do you approach bridging that gap between, I am, but I got to show you and really kind of connect, bridge that for your customers to see that?

Yeah, I mean, sometimes I'll schedule pop-ups and I won't bring any products at all. I'll bring a demo of how they can easily do the product at home, but I'll give them a little understanding of the differences between a product that will last a few weeks or a product that lasts a couple of days. You know, and let them make those kinds of decisions about, you know, what— why it is that they're engaging in that type of skincare altogether, or, you know, what potential alternatives that they can start to develop and explore using plants that they're growing in their own backyard. So that is true sustainability, in my view, is them growing their own plants and knowing the journey that can be taken by doing so. And the, you know, it's a vitalist type of component, which is very unique to herbalism. It's what makes us unique to other healthcare modalities that we're saying, you know, go and grow the turmeric, process it yourself, make pickles like your grandparents used to do, start a ferment, right? It's kind of like a bold statement. It used to put us in such a box of like, yo, that's very old-fashioned. But now people are like, oh yeah, products that are coming in capsules at CVS cost way too much for my lifestyle, but she's telling me that I can just put a few cabbage leaves in a container And do what? That sense of exploration. And that's why we're seeing so many young people coming around and trying these things. And it's really, um, really an exciting time to see the youth getting on board with some of these concepts.

Yeah. So you feel like it's, it's starting to, well, or has moved out of this, uh, it's kind of, kind of a weird, like, grandma did it, nobody else, nobody else does it. And now it's shifting into more of, well, you can, you can do it too, and it makes sense. And from a sustainability standpoint, it makes, makes a lot more sense for you to grow your own something and use it rather than shipping it from, you know, 3 states away.

Yeah, so my job is just to help people kind of remove those barriers and see exactly what they're doing and how specific they want to get. Because, you know, we all have, we all have a role to play, right? It's, it's big to say we have these big things, and it can get very overwhelming. But when we're on a very specific mission, and we're aligning the steps, starting and working backwards, and kind of reverse engineering kind of way, we actually can make quite a bit of difference.

Right now, what are Kind of when you're, when you're walking somebody through this process, right, there's, there's a lot of things. There's— you can get overwhelmed in the number of things that you possibly could do. Is, is there any specific things that you really start out with? You know, I know initially you're helping figure out, okay, why, right? Figure out your why. Why are you doing this? What is, what is your actual goal? And then from there, is there any kind of a typical step that you take that most people need, or is it— does it become very custom at that point?

Well, every individual gets the same template, same journey. Um, and of course there's just, um, unique questions that come out in the coaching experience. So I coach individual business owners and I have a group program. So the group program is where they get my course, which is a system just to uncover their impact and to really realize their unique power and their unique voice that they can start talking through when it comes to talking about their service and their products and how both of those things can work out quite well together. And then with my individual coaching, it's just the same thing, but a little bit more, yes, customized. And we start with a really awesome exploration of self. Because that's where it all comes from.

Right. Yeah, that is, that is how we do things. You've mentioned impact a couple times, and that's, that's something that's really, really big for me. It's something I put in the book and I talk about a lot because we're— at least for me, I feel like we're not all aware how much of an impact we actually can have. And when you sit down I mean, when I walk, walk through doing a product, you sit down and you actually have the conversation of what are all the impacts a single product can have. It gets really long. It's a very long list. So how— I'm curious how you walk through and talk and navigate around impact and, and kind of what that means for you in this process.

Yeah. I mean, well, for me, you know, starting a business was like, you know, I thought, you know, I'll just create a product and I sell it, which is true, but then there's this mindset component and the growth into a CEO, like that kind of development really is like working and navigating different stages. And it's really helpful to have someone along with you to guide you through what that felt like when they experienced it. But also just to be there as kind of a reflect person to, you know, help them like assess their behaviors and see what they're doing and what's going on. So So, you know, making sure that the water's not murky in that self-discovery phase is something that working with a coach like myself can really help do, because it helps anchor you and root you into what it is you're trying to do on the long term rather than just the short term, which I've seen a lot of product-based businesses and they're just seeing what's in front of them. They're kind of, there's blocks that come up, unable to move And those kinds of blocks need to be kind of resolved and pushed through in order to feel better about your business, which is a really big deal because I don't think any of us got into business to feel stressed out. I think we got into business to feel a liberation, to feel freedom, which there— it is there. It is there, but it does require a lot of mindset mastery and a lot of support.

Yeah, it's definitely, definitely a reality for all— for business people. Yeah, we definitely didn't start out with stress, as that wasn't the goal. Nobody, nobody sets out with that.

No.

I'm, I'm curious, when you're building out your brand, your own, own products, and you're looking at kind of the sustainability side and and the impact of things and how to do that. What were some key areas? Obviously the ingredients themselves were, and that's like the easy, everybody thinks about the material or the ingredient, like make sure that that's good. But what other areas were you looking at and going, how, you know, what could I do? And kind of what steps were you able to take to make other parts green and sustainable as well?

Yeah, well, when it comes to product making, like I said earlier, you can either really make a lot of the products and then sell, which requires a space to hold the products and a whole layer of things.

Right.

The other component is like not creating products at all and just starting conversations, really niche conversations with folks, and then developing the products based on those conversations. And that's actually the route that I took, although I did create a line of a few products that I don't keep in stock. I just make them and run campaigns throughout the year and strategically put my products in front of the right customer at the right time.

Got it. So you follow kind of a— would that be a— is it more of a just-in-time or do you like pre-sell? Those are 2.

Yeah, I do a little bit of both. I do a little bit of both. And yeah, and Yeah, I'm definitely like scaling back on doing in-person pop-ups because I just don't require that and that's not energetically where I wanna go with my business. It's, yeah, I'm really allowing my time to enjoy the products myself too and really see and work with them and test with them because I am an herbalist and see how they're really helping is again part of that larger story narrative that and belief that, um, in manifestation, that the products are going to be in the right places at the right time. I try to plant the seeds in the right places, and then they eventually do, uh, do bloom. And they bloom really well with a higher percentage of sales because it's more curated and more targeted niche audience to what I'm trying to do. Um, it's like, you know, it's, it's bro marketing if you're going to market after market and putting yourself in front of cold traffic extremes versus a more feminine, more guided marketing approach where you are allowing these conversations to naturally happen in a way that feels really intentional, again, with your mission. So most people really know what they want their products to do, but they end up getting really bogged down by the details of the short-term goals. So they just need someone to help strategize, help Navigate and guide them through strategically, usually within a 90-day or 120-day thing. And that's why my program is only 120 days, because I— we're reaching goals together. I'm telling people, I'm not working, I'm not working for your company, we're working with you in order to really kind of make those spaces less murky and to make where you're going very clear.

Hey, it's Ian here. So glad you're enjoying this episode of Conscious Design. If you want the full scoop on Conscious Design, what it is, How we do it, how you can do it, then check out our book. We wrote it so creative entrepreneurs like you can code social and environmental responsibility right into your brand's DNA. You can download the first chapter for free. Link is in the description. Enjoy the rest of the episode. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Obviously, you're, you're a great resource for people who are starting something similar to what, to what you've done. I'm curious what What resources did you find? Did you have a coach? Did you kind of— how did you get through the same stuff that you're helping people with now?

Yeah, coaching. I invested in coaching. And I was a bootleg startup. And at the same point, I feel like I'm still a startup now. I mean, right there, that space of knowing when you're a startup and when you stop being a startup is like, you know, a very it's a very unclear place. And so by more people doing what I'm doing, we're gonna help businesses never have to go through that, what we had to go through, which was feeling like we're going into the Wild West when it comes to starting a business. Because I think a lot of people would consider startups between like, you know, a certain amount of money. And so we can answer it that way. And there's a big difference between being a 5-figure business and a 6-figure business, let me tell you.

Yes. Yes. There's new, new challenges, a lot of work. And then, and then it's a whole new level. A lot of new.

So how do you go, how do you navigate new? So that's why coaching is great because you have somebody there to help you with accountability and support. In my piece, what I do is help them with vision, vision and belief that what they're doing means something and helping them shape their productivity around that vision. Most people just don't have, they don't feel like that's a priority. But what I've learned is that that was absolutely the maximum priority for me. Out of my coaching experience, the most I got was the mindset shifting from thinking I had to do something to a state of abundance, because that's really put me into a more sophisticated place. And that sophisticated vision means you can sell at a higher sophisticated price.

Amazing. Well, it sounds very helpful. Very, very helpful.

It is. And again, the challenges around money and things like that— I, I would like to see money not be seen as such an evil item within the sustainability conversation. It's not my main, um, focus though. I'm really more focused on health. And I feel like an aspect of that, um, mindset of thinking that money is evil is an unhealthy situation. Um, it's one that we're all all challenged with, no judgment. But, you know, money for me has equaled opportunity to expand my mission. And having resources means more people can be impacted by my mission. So it's just a personal thing that I have been in a situation where I've been absolutely without what I needed. But there are ways to kind of like move and the flow and the momentum back into the way that you want to go. And And really most of the work is just seeing when those opportunities are coming in and really celebrating those wins.

Yeah, well, I think, I think it's a very important part, right, is that there are a lot of, especially on the nonprofit or let's be super sustainable, there has, there has been and still are people who are very, oh well, we clearly can't make money at this, so we're just gonna sit, sit here. And that's definitely something that I would like to see shift too is like, well, no, let's be sustainable and profitable because that's how we keep doing it more and more. We need to have that and we'll have a bigger impact. Like you said, if you're— if you have the resources, you can make a larger impact. And we need people that are making positive impact to have more resources so they can make more of it.

Yeah.

I'd love to touch on, you know, one of the things you talked about is you're on a mission to change healthcare as we know it. I'd love for you to expand a little bit on that and share what— where you'd like it to go and kind of what, what do you mean by that and where— what's—

Well, I think the assumption, based on the people I've had conversations with, which, you know, have been a few thousand people at this point, on that specific area of what, what do you think healthcare is like? And healthcare is, for many people, just what they believe is the primary healthcare physician, their, their doctor. And even that has changed in the last 20 years quite dramatically, because many people don't have the same physician year after year because of the nature of insurance. So what's happening is that long-term data is becoming so skewed by who has insurance when, right? Because there's no long-term data ability, really, when you can't see the same patient year after year after year. And we know that lifestyle diseases make up the majority of deaths worldwide. And lifestyle diseases are defined as diseases that are really— their outcomes and their progression is completely dependent on lifestyle factors. So not just hereditary. 20% of diseases are hereditary influenced, but lifestyle diseases are like, you know, diabetes and heart disease that we really can change by just simplifying our lives, lowering our stress, lowering our inflammation with good foods, good exercise, good hydration, and proper sunlight. You know, these are basic fundamentals that we are intentionally or not intentionally shifting our behaviors to no longer allow, and they're in turn creating disease progression. So really, we are at a really important time in human history where we need to check in and ensure that we're not moving towards a burnout phase, like quite literally, but in a phase where we are still progressing as humanity in a healthy container. So that's why—

Yeah.

Yeah, that's what I'm doing. I'm building a network of health practitioners who also wanna build access to health, not because we're gonna just open the doors and let everybody in, but because we're going to create sustainable systems in our businesses where people will get really good health-based outcomes by working with us. And we're going to be healthy too, because our businesses are structured in a sustainable way.

Yes. Yeah, I think we're past the point where if you're not sustainable, then you're doing it wrong. And we all know it and consumers know it. Which, like, the average person is going to pick a more sustainable brand, especially if you can be price competitive. Like, it becomes, it becomes such a no-brainer at this point.

Yeah, like I said, multiple tiers of opportunity, multiple levels of access where they're not— it's not— if they don't buy, if they don't get the product, it's okay. You know, give them other places that they can join in. We see that with businesses like Thrive Market, right? It's so brilliant how these things are playing out where There's other opportunities for people to participate in the mission, and it might never result in buying a physical product, but that's okay because they're going to create something. Every person is valued. And when we see value at the core of productivity, really, that's, I think, a really big change for consumerism as a whole. We see it happening. It's a very exciting time right now to see those kinds of things taking, taking root.

Yeah, a lot has changed just in the last, you know, 5 years. It's been a lot of change. And yeah, well, you mentioned there's change, changing, like everybody is valuable and looking at things through a different lens. I just interviewed someone and we were talking about basically his proposition. Well, the solution is really to change to a life-affirming-based measurement of success rather than like GDP or, you know, the dollar amount put out.

Right.

And I think that that aligns pretty well with what you're saying is that like, it's okay, we don't have to measure, or even when you're talking about a mission, measuring it not by, well, is anybody buying the product? But well, no, how are people engaging in the mission? How are And I love that you're thinking about it in this tiered way because everybody starts at a different point, right? There's nobody to start— we don't all start at the same starting line on really anything. There's no way to do that. And so—

Yeah, one of my interviewing— one of my interviewers yesterday, one of my guests yesterday on my health web show, you know, she's starting a business at 70 years old.

Amazing.

So, I mean, and she feels great about it. Like, she's so excited. She's more excited now than she was when she was 30, she said. So it's like, you know, it's a great time to start something and, and, um, and get people feeling like they've got something that they can do with you. It's just, it's just fun. Um, and that's what I've been kind of just talking about. Like, hey, social media is fun. Let's do it. Let's get fun about it. And I get the looks of aghast, like, what are you— what is she talking about? No, I have to do this number of things and this number of reels. I have to dance on TikTok. I'm like, no. No, you don't. Not at all. But if you want to, that's okay. You can. Right.

Well, I think one of the greatest things I've been— I've heard about, you know, the social media, because it does— if you get— you can get super deep into like, well, here's my schedule. And I'm spending 20 hours a week doing it. And one of the best things anybody ever has ever said is, well, just be authentic you. Like, the whole point is to just be you. And if people watch— It's the way of life. If 3 people watch you, great. Those were the right 3 people. Like, you don't— millions and millions. And then they— I've seen, I've seen people show like, well, here's the social media accounts of 7, 8-figure businesses that have like 100 followers. They're not right there. That doesn't— it doesn't even actually equal money. Like, that's not an equals thing. It doesn't automatically make you a millionaire if you have 100 million followers on social media. It just doesn't work that way.

So I think people want the path of least resistance to what they think is the optimal situation when starting your own business. But the thing is, that's based on what kind of value, you know? If the value is you know, extreme wealth, we still have to determine what it is that that looks like for yourself. So when you said, what, you know, who are you, be your authentic self, who is that? How do you define that for yourself?

Right.

And where and what will really get you to that thing? Because it's not always going to be what you think it is.

There's lots of ways, lots of solutions to get into your Yeah, well, I think that's a great point too that you just said is like your measurement of success is likely not my measurement of success. We all have different levels of what success or even wealth means.

Right.

And so, yeah, one size fits all is not a thing. So yeah, going back to the tiered approach, like I think that's really key of thinking through that. Because it's, it helps you to really connect with people at different points in their journey and still have them be able to participate. And, you know, eventually, yeah, they may buy a product or join a class or whatever, but really being able to further the mission is, is being as inclusive as possible, which means sometimes it just means somebody shares something or Does some other thing besides a financial commitment to your, your personal business.

So, and they probably will end up doing that once they really build trust and connection with the brand. And I think some people who might hear this might be like, that sounds actually pretty broad. Like, I think that sounds like a platform that's talking to many different kinds of generations and kinds of people. It can be super specific, just different tasks for that specific group within that forum.

Right.

So it can be as broad as you need it to be. But I would say do that carefully so that you're not overwhelming yourself with too many types of activities. And it depends on the size of the team and what you're able to conquer together. Where a lot of startups and small businesses are just one person. And so for there, it's— for me, it was no, the product line has to be decreased. The number of items produced have to be decreased for my own sanity, but also for the ability for the— again, the materials. To really match the energy that I wanted to do with my product line. You know, really paying attention to, you know, where the item materials are going to come from and caring. Honestly, caring.

What a novel concept, caring like that. It's— and it feels like it should be common knowledge, but it's not always the place that we come from. I really quick want to point out and just maybe touch on a little bit, you mentioned actually decreasing your products in order to grow, and that's very counterintuitive, right? Most people are like, add more products, that's how you grow.

Yeah.

But it's not. So I love that you said that as someone who runs a product-based, like you've gone through that process and Yeah, it's good to be objective.

It's good to be objective. And I know numbers really hit points. My, you know, when I had a larger product line of 30 products, my average customer sale was like $13, $15. And this is when I was before doing services and things like that. Now with a smaller product line and a more refined ecosystem of offers, including services and workshops, my average cost per customer went up to $325 per person.

Amazing.

So the sophistication development is what I'm talking about, being able to create refined offers. When we're selling small items, and we're only going to be attracting small ticketed people. But when we start creating a refined ecosystem of offers, then we're attracting sophisticated, refined types. It's like, you know, going to Walmart or going to Gucci. That's how one of my coaches would have said it, you know, there's, there's a customer for everybody. And I think equaling that kind of refinement to one type of community is, of course, part of the battle. It's like, well, they get that, I get this. But I think everybody can get everything they want. But it's coming from a mindset approach and personal development. Again, personal development. You can do this. You can do something.

Right, right. You can. Well, before we, before we wrap up, Are there any other things you wanna share, resources that people listening to this can take a look at?

Well, yeah, if anybody resonates with that decision of, yeah, I think I wanna evolve my brand to a place where I can get people who see me at this like kind of a larger industry level, changing my visibility because I am a thought leader. and I want to grow health specifically and health, a health business specifically, then, um, I do have a wonderful Facebook group community, um, that you can do that and we can share that. And, um, also feel free to email me at my email address, which I can also provide, um, because I can put you on my newsletter, which is super juicy right now. We drop gold there, as well as information about our web show, which we do weekly in the Facebook group.

Fantastic. And we'll have, we'll have links for that in the description for everyone.

Yay. Thank you so much.

Of course. Well, this has been wonderful chatting with you, talking about your journey, what you do. I'm very excited that you are doing this for people. So I, yeah, this has been great. I really appreciate your time.

Thank you so much, Ian.

All right. Thanks, Laura.