Tony skinner 00:01
Hi, and welcome to the podcast channel for podcast my business and content made easy. And welcome to World vegan day and world vegan month. So our theme for this month is vegan. And we’re going to start off straight away with getting some definitions and what vegan actually represents. And today we have Aida from sassyorganics.com.au today, how could you not like that name. Good morning, Aida.
Aida 00:32
Good morning, Tony. And thank you so much for having me. I really, really appreciate Thank you.
Tony skinner 00:37
So sassy. What a great name. Nobody had that nobody thought of that before.
Aida 00:44
No, well, I guess no. And I thought it was really catchy. So I thought Look, why not? We had my husband and I had another business called sassy furniture design. So I thought Sassy organics was a really nice extension of that when we thought about starting an online store back in 2016. So I hope it’s a it’s a nice and easy named.
Tony skinner 01:12
I love it. That’s it, that’s what attracted me straightaway was the name, you got to have a good name. And yeah, it helps. Absolutely. Now you were nice enough to offer to help out with a definition of vegan. So can you please help us to understand because we do of course all come across pescatarians
Aida 01:37
Yes, look vegan, by definition and it’s basically defined by Vegan Society in the UK, but it’s been defined as a as a philosophy or a way of living which seeks to exclude to an extent as far as possible and practicable all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purposes.
Aida 02:03
So, the definition it says as practicable, as possible. We we look at whether we buy products, or we look at entertainment industry, so wherever possible, we seek to exclude products or avoid entertainment, for example, which seek to exploit animals, Thats it in a nutshell,
Tony skinner 02:35
Okay, so, if I go into a restaurant and or cooking at home and wow It’s so hard to cook at home for Vegans. Thankfully, we’ve got things like stuffed capsicum with wild rice and whatever, they can save us at times. But if we’re out in a restaurant, and we’re ordering different things, when someone says I’m a vegetarian someone says im a vegan, what would what’s the difference between the two?
Aida 03:10
Vegetarian basically ease and I do have family members that are vegetarian, but basically vegetarian includes dairy products, it includes eggs and things like that we as vegans will avoid any animal byproducts, so no egg, no, no milk, basically no dairy, no butter. So it seeks to exclude all products that are animal derived.
Tony skinner 03:44
Well, I guess that’s gonna make it a challenge. But, you know, that’s fair enough too
03:49
It’s challenging. Initially, I think, look, I’ve been vegetarian for gosh, over 22 years now. So a long time. So transitioning from vegetarian to veganism hasn’t been too bad actually, at all. But it can be quite challenging initially for somebody that’s just, you know, looking to, you know, explore veganism. And there are really good websites out there that people can follow and get more information in their 30 day challenges and things like that, that you can do and you get supported throughout the process.
Aida 04:28
You’ll get guided in terms of you know, if you’re looking to replace, you know, meat or protein, what, you know, substitutes you can get and where you can get them from and things like that, once you sort of go through that process initially. It really is easy becomes like second nature. Even as in my own family, my parents, you know, who have grown up eating meat. They have gone through that process and even my mom says, Look, you know, I just feel like it’s natural now. Like I’ve been, you know, begging, you know, for a very long time because is that she’s gone through the process of, you know, replacing a with b and you know, she’s okay now so it is challenging initially, but once you they don’t you just don’t look back
Tony skinner 05:16
Fair enough. That’s where you came from with your range of products on sassy organics, vegan and cruelty free. Some supplements and cosmetics and a whole range even for the house. But you have your own journey as well.
05:38
Yes, look, I for me personally, the reason why I started Sassy back in 2016. So all the way through my teens sort of ease and you know, a bit later as well, I’ve experienced all sorts of health issues, mainly to do with hormone imbalance and endometriosis and which is really, really common for females. So it’s been challenged,
Aida 06:07
it’s been very challenging for me and been going from, you know, one specialist to another. And, you know, the problem actually never got resolved. And I sort of started looking into chemicals and the impact that the chemicals are having on our, you know, bodies and things like that. So I’ve decided to give it a go and just remove all toxins from my life, which was back in 2015, roughly.
Tony skinner 06:38
And I’ve never really looked back, I just have not had issues ever since. And that’s when I’ve decided that I’ve always loved natural and organic products and always love sort of healthy lifestyle. So I thought Look, why not turn my hobby basically into a business and really love what I do, everyday which has been my mission since 2016. Since the start of Ceci organics basically. So just educating others about dangers of chemicals, and you know what you can do you know, it even for example, I think people think that organic products are quite expensive but it doesn’t have to be doesn’t really have to be you know, switching to organic and natural products doesn’t have to be that much more costly. Both so much. So much better for your health.
Tony skinner 07:40
Yeah, youbve got a whole range here. And I was surprised that even with suntan lotion, you got the Cancer Council, selling suntan lotion, and all those little micro things that, it’s so difficult for us to understand. And you got something as credible as the Cancer Council recommending and selling those products that are not very good for you.
Aida 08:07
Yes, for example, always think about sunscreen, for example, you meant to be putting sunscreen on and I would highly recommend, I use sunscreen every day. So I would definitely recommend sunscreen every day. But if you are putting sunscreen on that is full of chemicals. That is not great, either. Because, while you might be protecting your skin from the sunrays, you are loading your body with toxins, which is kind of defeats the purpose. So, that’s why I’ve have been on this mission to get the products that are just good for the environment, good for your body that are healthy, that don’t have an impact on your body or will make you sick, long term especially. And of course with that, we don’t stock any products that have been tested on animals as well, which is probably one of the main, you know, the most important things when I that I consider when I am getting new products.
Tony skinner 09:18
Yep. So I have seen as testing and in this testing, and there’s yeah has been very cruel a lot of what has happened over the years. But even things like for the home, I wouldn’t have thought of vegan and cruelty free for the home.
Aida 09:37
Yes. In terms of the home products, it’s it may not necessarily mean that product will have animal sort of ingredients, but it’s the fact that they have not been tested on animals. We know for example that a lot of supermarket brands and I’m not really going to go into them but I’ll A lot of them do test on animals. And it’s not something that I could ever, I could never buy a product that has been tested on animals. There’s some areas a little bit gray as well and a little bit can be a bit tricky because sometimes you may see an Australian product that says, not tested on animals, but ultimately the same company will export, for example, to China, where there is mandatory animal testing. So, you know, it can be a little bit misleading as well. You know, as a consumer, you can be buying something here thinking, Well, you know, great, you know, it hasn’t been tested on animals when, ultimately, it has been just done. Not not in this country, but by the same company. It is.
Tony skinner 10:52
Yeah exactly. So it does make it tricky. Now talking about animals are singing natural deodorant for men, because we’re animals. Yes. Of course. Now, I believe that people don’t know me, well, I am sensitive under my armpits. And I’ve tried so many things over the years. I remember they used to be bags with crystals in them, I don’t know what that was supposed to do. What he’s supposed to put them on the the bathroom vanity and hope that it worked or something like that were never very good and other things as well. It’s very difficult because aluminium free, aluminium does help.
Aida 11:44
Aluminium does help. But Alternatively, a lot of deodorants natural deodorants, these days are developed with bicarb instead, because bicarb will actually minimize the bacteria that’s contained other you know, under your armpit, basically, which is what causes the smell, not the speeding itself. So if you sweating that’s fine. But it’s the bacteria that actually causes the causes the odor. So Bicarb neutralize that odor. But having said that, if you are sensitive, that may be a bit of an issue, and it may continue to cause irritation. But we do have a lot of, we actually have the entire set of like small section of bicarb, free deodorant, and deodorant that are suitable for those that have sensitive armpits, which is really, really not uncommon, hence why we’ve dedicated the entire section to, those that are really sensitive to to either by a carb or aluminum or just overall deodorants. And I’d be happy to share some of those recommendations with you.
Tony skinner 13:03
Thank you. Okay, so there’s a couple here that one I saw here, black chicken remedies, Zillow deodorant page, and I thought, Wow, is it real black chickens? Or am I just getting confused?
Aida 13:18
No, it’s the name. The name is a little bit confusing, but it’s definitely the entire range is vegan. So they originally they were actually the you know, I’m not sure if you ever use deodorant and paste, but there were the original company who created the first do your own pace in Australia, basically. So the axilla won the original and then obviously, because a lot of people were trying it and you know, they there were a lot of in there was a group of people that was experienced, was experiencing sensitivity. So they have developed the barrier booster one which is suitable for sensitive skin. So we’re more than happy happily recommend that. For anyone that has sensitive skin.
Tony skinner 14:10
Well, that’s cool. So is it the aluminium that people are normally reacting to? Or that something else in the traditional ones that people react?
Aida 14:19
In the traditional it most likely the aluminum? Or, alternatively, when it comes to natural one, it’s the bicarb that’s causing the sensitivity.
Tony skinner 14:29
That’s very, very interesting. Sorry, what on your business journey? And we know we’ve all been through a lot of difficulties the last couple of years. So yeah, how’s that gone for you?
Aida 14:43
This journey has been absolutely beautiful. I loved every aspect of it. There are things when I look back now, five years ago that I obviously could have done differently and you learn as you Go. For me personally, I knew that it was going to be a long journey. So I was really comfortable, I guess, in this seat. So I knew, you know, starting a business is, it takes a lot of commitment and a lot of work. I knew that it wasn’t going to be an overnight success. And I think people sometimes think, I’ll just start an online business, or I’ll start a business I’ll see success overnight, orin six months, and yeah, it just doesn’t work like that. And there can be a lot of disappointments even along the way, I’ve had friends who have thought a business and you know, within 12 months, it’s like, oh, this is too hard. And I’m like,
Aida 15:49
Well, you really have to be in it for you know, for for a long run. And, you know, if you think about, you know, starting a business, think about the next five years, I’m just gonna have to work Monday to Sunday to make this happen, and there is a lot of sacrifice that’s involved, like my husband, and I haven’t had a holiday holiday up until last year. So you know, five years of no holiday at all every dollar that has been made has gone back into the business. So if you’ve got that mindset to go, this is what I want to do. This is what I really want to do. And this is where I want to be in five years,with that mentality, you can do well, but yeah, I don’t I don’t know that there are really short shortcuts have certainly hasn’t haven’t come across anyone that has been able to successfully launched and, you know, have a successful business overnight, or, you know, even you know, within 12 months,
Tony skinner 16:45
yeah, it does take many years. And that’s probably why most businesses or a huge number of businesses fail within the first two years. Because business owners don’t think it’s 95. Yeah, they don’t realize the amount of time and commitment, and they get frustrated that I have the revenue. So the biggest tip that I’ve come across, and most business owners have said on the show is, you know, be patient have plenty in reserve before you start up. And don’t expect to making a lot of money straightaway.
Aida 17:21
Absolutely. I wish I learned that tip about having some money in reserve. I certainly didn’t have any. Yeah. It’s, it’s been it’s been, as I said, a beautiful journey. And I definitely think you know, if you pick something that you really love, which is, you know, for me, this is like an ultimate dream, like, honestly, even after five years, you know, every day that I sit in front of this computer, I feel like I’m on holiday like and I could work, you know, 1214 16 hours a day. And I just love it, I really do. And like when you when you do something that you love, it doesn’t feel like work. That’s why you, you know, you’d be prepared to put in a lot more work, you know, and love into it. But if you just do it, you know, because you want to make some money. I think that, yeah, eventually you get really tired and frustrated. And you know, if you’re not seeing it, seeing the results, when you expected it can be really, really difficult. So, you know, for me, number one would be you know, my number one recommendation would be pick something that you love, because you know, you’re gonna be in it for a long time, and you’re gonna be spending a lot of hours. So you might as well just do something that you absolutely
Tony skinner 18:33
love. Right. All right. Well, thank you so much for that. So let’s Aida from sassy organics.com.au. And, yeah, excuse me. Thank you very much for your time.
Aida 18:47
Thank you, Tony. I really really appreciate it. Thanks for having me on.
Tony skinner 18:52
