Check Out Rise Riyo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rise Riyo.

Hi Rise, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
In February 2019, I was physically assaulted by a former male coworker. The amount of duress that I endured leading up to that event was beyond what anyone could have managed. I went on disability from my tech job because I simply couldn’t function under adverse conditions. The incident spun me into a very dark place. I became catatonic – emotionally, mentally, and physically. I was clinically diagnosed with PTSD, chronic insomnia with associated nightmares, agoraphobia, and severe anxiety. My family was deeply affected by it. My daughter was in elementary school at the time. She and my spouse didn’t know what to do and were quite frightened. I felt guilty, like I had failed at my career and now with my family. Then at the end of 2019, COVID-19 began to spread globally. The pandemic became just another stress factor affecting our family.

I spent a lot of time in my bedroom, afraid to go out of the house. Most of the time, I just mindlessly surfed the Internet. But one day, I came across an online article that discussed healing keloids with the use of essential oils. A keloid is a thick raised scar tissue quite common among women of African American and Asian-American descent. Being Asian descent, I happened to have one on my forehead and began dabbling with the suggestion of using tea tree essential oil. After a couple of weeks, the keloid was completely removed leaving no noticeable scar. I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter exclaimed out of the blue, “Mommy, your bump is gone!” From there, I began to read more about the practice of blending essential oils together that could be helpful for my panic attacks, anxiety, and chronic insomnia.

I found out about Aromahead Institute, a school in Montana which offered its self-paced, online Aromatherapy Certification Program. Hoping to see me come out of my mental shell, my husband encouraged me to enroll in the program. I dove deeply into the program and finished it within 3 months. Then, I and moved on to the Advanced Graduate Program, that covered more information about essential oils such as essential oil sensitivity and safety, the chemical constituents that were key in providing therapeutic benefits, and the growing literature of aromatherapy research studies in respected journals. Within six months, I had completed both programs and began mixing for myself, hoping to heal my emotional and mental pain.

Gradually, I began to mix essential oil blends for my family and, eventually, my friends. They encouraged me to keep mixing blends by selling them online. So, I pushed out a Wix website and signed up for a free Etsy account listing my small initial set of essential oil blends, salves, balms, and lotions. I didn’t really know what I was doing on the business side of things. But the lack of knowledge didn’t stop me. Aside from the positive purchases from supportive friends and family, it took about a week’s time before I finally had my first sale from a customer. That first sale made my day. It made me feel proud, worthy, and valued as a person and as an Etsy vendor of a woman-owned small shop.

Since then, it’s been about 3 years of working long hours while simultaneously working another full-time tech job. I’ve grown a lot running a woman-owned small business. I’m more resilient when dealing with difficult customers — and caustic personalities in the tech industry. Handcrafting essential oil blends contributed to my healing process; it helped me come out of my depression. Even now, I feel a sense of calmness when I sit at my workbench in the corner of our townhouse, mixing together various essential oils and, best of all, deeply breathing in the unique aroma coming together in the making of the blend.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most people do not understand or respect the craft of aromatherapy. Many think it’s just about scents. In like manner, I honestly didn’t know much until I learned more about it. Learning about aromatherapy involves covering a range of topics, such as an essential oil’s molecular components, mixing blends with safe essential oil dilution rates, and using certified organic and wild-crafted unadulterated essential oils, carrier oils, and butters from certified fair trade and sustainability-practicing vendors and small farms. All this information and more goes into the making of my blends, balms, and lotions available as self-care wellness products. Aromatherapy is slowly being given a seat at the table of complementary therapies, and rightfully so, because aromatherapy simply offers another beneficial option for a person’s holistic well-being. It’s a study and practice that I hope becomes integrated into the curriculum of pre-med, nursing, and mental health and clinical settings in the States.

Another issue is that the business is understaffed. As the sole proprietor of Fusion Essentials, I do everything involved in running the business. From outreach and marketing to posting on social media platforms to making the products and mailing them off to the customer. It’s just little ole me. When I was working a full-time job as a programmer, it was difficult to juggle a side gig. Running a business requires more than one person, but unfortunately, I do not have the budget to hire part-time or full-time staff.

A third issue is funding and expenses. Talking among vendors at Makers Markets and online vendors, I realized that many small businesses are struggling to make ends meet. In 2023, the amount of online visitors and sales went down by 40-50%. In-person sales were met with the same issue at Makers Markets and craft events in different local cities. I barely make enough sales to cover all of my expenses. I used to have a full-time job but was let go back in September 2023. So, that financial buffer is no longer available, and our household is a two-income household. I think inflation, the ongoing ramifications of the Covid pandemic, and current affairs are affecting businesses in general. However, it’s the small businesses that are continuing to be hit by these issues the most.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My education and career never went in a traditional, linear line. As an undergrad, I was initially a computer science major but almost ended up triple-majoring in applied mathematics, French literature, and women’s studies. Then, as a grad student, I received a Master’s in Feminist Liberation Theology and was hoping to pursue a PhD in religious iconography and feminist studies. But that plan didn’t work out. Eventually, I went back to Comp Sci and got another master’s in information technology. Yes, I know, over-achiever. LOL But I think I’ve always been curious about different subject areas. I recently took an assessment, kind of like a Myers-Brigg test, and one of the attributes that I was strong in was being a philomath, which is a person who loves to learn. I blame it on me being a Gemini. LOL. But seriously speaking, I do love to learn, and I love to share and encourage others to learn whatever interest they have.

So, learning about and practicing aromatherapy is yet another area of interest that I have. I think it fits well with me because the world of plants and the benefits of using plants are fascinating topics. From their subtle energy to their chemical constituents, plants are incredibly amazing and helpful in improving the lives of people, animals, and the environment. Without flora in the world, humans would simply cease to exist.

I recently graduated from a 12-week fellowship called ClimateBase Fellowship. Our curriculum covered everything about climate change and the climate industry, from law and regulations to infrastructure to current trends in transportation to sustainable farming and circular economies. It was an amazing fellowship. I learned so much more about the agricultural businesses, which made me think more about my small business. How do I make less of an impact when it comes to decreasing CO2 levels and the consumption of fossil fuels and its derivatives such as plastic? How can I, as an aromatherapist, make my small business in line with circular economies? So many more questions and fortunately, there is a network of fellows who share their ideas and knowledge with me. So, I look to finding ways of making my small business a responsible business that is practicing accountability given the current affairs.

I’m really proud to say that I’ve always used in my products certified organic, organically sustainable, and wild-crafted essential oils, carrier oils, and butter bought from non-MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) vendors. I recently began making shower steamers. So, the flowers I use in them are even certified organic and wild-crafted from small farms.

I’m currently involved in a project that came out of the fellowship that involves zero waste lifestyle, which is the practice of minimizing waste and single-use disposable materials. I’ve incorporated that practice into my small business by using reusable, repurposed, and recycled packaging materials. My friends will give me their packaging materials as well. I’ve made that one of my objectives for myself and my business: To become a zero-waste aromatherapist providing high-quality blends to clients.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
My goal for the next 5 years, if not 10 years, is to take the business up a level. More outreach and education of the benefits of aromatherapy as a complementary therapy, more marketing of the brand and current products of the business, more quality products offered to clients, more clients, which means more sales and, hopefully, less expenses, etc. The list is long. I’m hoping that the economy will stabilize so that very small businesses begin to thrive in a competitive market industry. To me, if it’s good for a small shop like Fusion Essentials to thrive, then the overall economy may be a healthy one and not stuck in high inflation and volatile industries that directly and even indirectly impact our small shops. But you never know what lies in the future with a new US presidential campaign and ceaseless, horrific wars going on. I mean, aromatherapy and other helpful complementary therapies exist to encourage people to self-care and improve their wellness and livelihood. So, having the current affairs unravel before our eyes is quite disturbing and incredibly tragic.

As far as any future changes, online forecasts have pointed out in their graphs that the outlook for the essential oils industry seems promising as it continues to grow. I think a lot more customers will realize that MLM aromatherapy companies are not as caring and genuine as they say they are. Of course, everyone wants to succeed so that we can live and thrive in life rather than struggle and, in the worst-case scenario, fail. But there are so many kind-hearted, knowledgeable, and encouraging aromatherapists out there running their small shops that it’s a shame to not have more successful ones which means allowing a livelihood for the owner and a local resource to help communities in need.

Pricing:

• $15.99 for 10ml roll-on bottles
• $23.99 for 30ml bottles
• $35 and up for Ageless 50 Skin Care Series
• $25 and up for balms, salves and lotion
• $10 and up for Shower Steamers

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fusionessentials.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fusion.essentials.llc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp-f9OEy-FK3pEkg5gjjQsw
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riseriyo/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FusionEssentia1
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/fusionessentialsllc/

Image Credits
Rise Riyo