REAL LIFE ROSIE

http://www.miorae.com/

Tell us about you: I was born and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC where 25 percent of all households live below the poverty level. In my neighborhood, more than 50 percent of all residents live below the poverty line, nearly three times higher than the national average of 14.3 percent. I was one of 40 students that graduated from my neighborhood high school. Statistically, I had a higher likelihood of getting pregnant, dropping out of school, and resorting to drugs, violence, and crime than my peers in neighboring communities.

I am first generation, both on my mother’s American side and father’s immigrant side of the family to graduate from college. Today, I still continue to be the pioneer in my family, breaking past barriers and challenging conventional norms.

At just 24 years old, I combined my passion for allergy prevention with a decade-plus of vegan practice into a role formulating and creating specialty natural personal care products.

My natural cosmetic company, Miorae Naturals, produces and manufactures 100% natural and organic, unadulterated, alcohol-free beauty care solutions for health-oriented individuals, and people with chemical sensitivities.

As a holistic health expert and entrepreneur, I have unique experiences in health and leadership from both sides of the table. I currently hold a position with the National Committee for Quality Assurance and have held positions across sectors with such companies as the New York State Department of Health, Center for Public health Continuing Education, and the Magic Johnson Foundation. As an adventurist, I have stood at the southern most tip of the United States, been on top of one of the tallest mountains in the world, and have championed hikes that are said to only be capable by a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

The academic expertise that I bring to my company includes a Masters of Public Health in Health Policy & Management from the State University of New York at Albany, and a B.S. in Human Development from the State University of New York at Binghamton. I recently became author of “The No Nonsense Guide to Understanding Fragrance” a how-to book on understanding the difference between natural and synthetically fragranced products and their residual effects.

In the future, I intend to take my company, Miorae Naturals LLC, to new heights, increasing our scope and reach to an international audience while simultaneously providing funds to support youth empowerment and eco-sustainability projects. As Founder and CEO of Miorae Naturals LLC, I manage customer relations; social media, and the supply chain; handle P&L responsibilities; telecommute; and, use statistics, modeling, and economics to closely monitor operations and support the growth of and develop new business.

What inspires you? I am inspired by the idea of overcoming great adversity; going against the grain and embarking on a path that so few travel; knowing that I can be bigger and better than my own personal objections as well as those external objections that are cast by societal norms and values.

Do you have a favorite quote? Commitment is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

What are the most pressing issues facing women today? Although the rate of women starting businesses and becoming entrepreneurs is increasing, they still face common challenges that are inherent in the business arena such as dual career-family pressures, gender discrimination and stereo-typing, and lack of equal opportunities in certain industries. These challenges are indeed rampant, but can be contested and neutralized by the unity and power of collective thought and action of women.

What are the biggest keys to your success? I never give up or make excuses. I am an incessant planner and I make it a priority to take action on these plans. I have yet to master the art of time management, even with my strong planning skills. So, sleep deprivation often comes along with the territory of working full-time as an employee while being self-employed part-time. My long term vision, patience, and endurance are at the epicenter of my motivation to succeed. This is what differentiates a successful woman in business from one that seeks immediate and temporary gratification.

What are the biggest keys to the advancement or success of women? I believe one of the biggest keys to the advancement and success of women is women providing mentorship to other women and creating opportunities for us to succeed. This idea is parallel to the lifting as we climb notion.

Where did the inspiration for your business come from? Miorae Naturals is inspired by my life long struggle to find safe, healthy, and affordable beauty care alternatives for my unique skin sensitivities. As a child, I spent every cent I earned on flowers. Every time my mother or father would give me money, I would always ask my mom to take me to a little flower shop that was a few blocks away from our house. My mom always joked about how she always felt like she was stepping into a funeral home every time she came home because I would adorn the house with flowers every chance I would get! I was enchanted by the scent the natural aromas that these plants provided, and wished I could wear its essence wherever I went, but this was only possible through perfumes and cosmetics – which are, unfortunately, typically not composed of purely natural ingredients. This fact posed a significant challenge for me as I was diagnosed with various atopic conditions and a respiratory illness in my early childhood.

As a person suffering from multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), it is difficult for me to find personal care products that don’t trigger an allergic reaction, and; although there are more options that are available today, they are either not attractive, cost effective, or effective in mitigating the some of the most common skin problems. Trust me, I know. Thousands of dollars, products, and dozens of skin and respiratory reactions later, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own products!

This journey is not easy, but the discipline, responsibility, and research habits that I learned through my decade-plus of vegan practice keeps me focused and encourages me to always investigate further to ensure that I am creating the best solution possible.

Where is your product sold (if applicable)? We are currently in our testing and vetting phase where miniature versions of our products will be available through street markets and local venues. This information is provided to consumers that visit our website and confirm subscription to our email list.

What advice do you have for a woman who is considering starting a business? Focus and persistence is key. As an aspiring business owner, she will have to be okay with making last minute adjustments and adopt the ability to infinitely adjust to various circumstances and situations for the sake of sustaining her business. I would also advise aspiring women business owners to dedicate time to composing a thorough business plan that entails specific, measurable goals. Lastly, I advise women to give themselves enough time to learn the industry that they are interested in starting their business in and develop their plans from a systems and operational perspective rather than one that is simply touting a “new” product or service.

What are the biggest hurdles you’ve faced in starting or growing your business? How did you overcome these? Starting and growing a business presents its own unique set of challenges and they result from a number of factors. For us, these challenges included gaining appropriate access to capital and human resources. Although access to capital remains an ongoing challenge as we are still a relatively new business, we were able to gain funding through a city-wide business plan and pitch competition that helped to partially fund our start-up. Identifying the right people with the right skills that would help to fill a need is also a challenge we are often confronted with as a small start-up. Our current solution is to outsource certain tasks that require professionals with specialized skills. One personal hurdle that I found myself recently overcoming is blocking out external expectations and opinions from those that are not actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. Many people – whether it be friends, family, and mentors – may have opinions about and try to influence the direction of your business, which may ultimately result in the creation of added stress that would have otherwise been lessened if we keep calm and stay focused on the vision of the company.