Hi Lyndsey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been passionate about protecting our environment and wildlife since I was young. I’ve struggled greatly with applications on how to make this world a better place and how to inspire the change that is really needed now more than ever. Initially, Love, This Mother was offering tips via email to businesses on ways to service customers sustainably. The email included where to find wholesale eco-friendly items, whether the business wanted assistance with funding, and if there was anything “m.e. (mother earth)” could do to convince them to make changes. After often being left with silence, I realized to change the businesses. You had to first start with the consumer. So, I’ve stopped sending my “can I help you stop using plastic” emails and have now launched an eco-friendly, sustainable, zero-waste shop for consumers online called, you guessed it, Love This Mother. In my mind, we do not need everyone doing the zero-waste dance perfectly, but what we do need is some, if not most, of the 7.8 billion people on earth doing it pretty well. I definitely don’t want to promote a shaming culture, but I do want to continue sharing knowledge on how to keep moving in the right direction, and I want to continue offering zero-waste alternatives to our everyday landfill purchases. Keep in mind this is a business, yet Love This Mother’s motto is “A zero-waste sustainable lifestyle store asking you to please only buy what you need.” I don’t want people running to the shop and ditching all of their goods to the trash for a “zero-waste” life. If you can’t find a second-hand home for your item and it’s still in good condition, try to keep using what you have. If you’re ready to replace the item, try to gift it to someone in need, and then come and “see” me at lovethismmother.com. I don’t want to promote the appearance of zero-waste, and I definitely don’t suggest you rid your life of plastic by tossing it into the landfill. The look of zero-waste is not what I’m about. It’s the conscious day-to-day purchasing of the average consumer. If I can provide people with an accessible, affordable, convenient alternative that creates a brighter future for our planet, you better believe I’m on board.
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?
Due to Covid-19, the company I’ve worked with for over six years has been almost entirely put on pause. My hours and salary were greatly reduced, but fortunately, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to start Love This Mother, my passion project. Life’s been filled with long days, 28 hours a week at my medical education job, while also starting my own online business, which consumes another 30+ hours of my week. My workdays stretch from 9:00 am too, well often, it’s 12:15 am when I sign off. Going through the startup process during Covid-19 has also felt very isolating, and I’ve had limited opportunity to network and gain advice from people who would likely, in normal circumstances, be eager to help out an entrepreneur. Instead, it’s been long hours of me alone at my keyboard searching government websites, applying for licenses, setting up bank accounts, building websites, and making sure I have all my ducks in a row.
We’ve been impressed with Love This Mother, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Love This Mother was created for the growth and betterment of a like-minded community in San Diego, California. We are a zero-waste sustainable lifestyle store asking customers to please only buy what they need. We focus on products that are ethically sourced, fair trade, eco-friendly and sustainable. We purchase in bulk for zero-waste refilling and source from small-batch partners certifying their eco-friendly values. We believe that Mother Earth needs all the help she can get, so in addition to ensuring all products meet or protect her betterment, we also double down and donate a portion of profits to environmental protection organizations, including one tree being planted for every order processed on our site. We also promote local purchasing and offer discounted bicycle delivery services to 92107 and daily zip code deliveries to San Diego County to ensure efficiency and reduce waste. For any shipments outside of California, we purchase carbon offsets investing in projects that reduce carbon emissions. In the future, once we get through Covid-19, we will also be offering local community members opportunities to meet up at our pop-up shops where they can refill goods and live as zero-waste as possible.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I don’t feel I’ve ever been much of a risk-taker in my life. An adventurer, absolutely! I will never stop roaming and exploring, but financially I am risk-averse. I don’t like the idea of gambling my money, which is probably why it’s taken so much gut, will, and moral support to dig out my life savings and kick-start Love This Mother. I am completely and utterly passionate about sustainability and spreading positive change, so in the end, what has really convinced me that the risk is worth it, is that even if I lose money, I will have done something that has hopefully inspired others to live a more sustainable eco-friendly life. If I can fill the world with a few extra trees, better consumers, and a greener planet, I’ll call it a win-win and forget about the risk!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@lovethismother.com
- Website: www.Lovethismother.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovethismother/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovethismother/
