Meet the Maker: Cindy Collins of Euphoric Herbals

Chloe Tate

If you haven’t heard of Euphoric Herbals then I am thrilled to introduce you. When I think of female entrepreneurs who are decidedly ambitious and willing to throw almost anything at the wall to see if it sticks, Cindy’s name is one of the first that pops into my head. Pair that ambition and willingness to innovate with a good business intuition and a solid work ethic and you’ll see why Cindy’s company is on the move!
World, meet Cindy Collins.  And buckle up, because this lady is going somewhere!

Cindy Collins of Euphoric Herbals

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LBC: What inspired you to take the leap as an entrepreneur?

Cindy: I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating and building things. It was after I got out of the military that I knew the only way I would have the autonomy I craved was going to come about through my own business. However, I never thought the products I created as a hobby would turn into a business, let alone at this capacity.

LBC: How would you describe what you create?

Cindy: At Euphoric Herbals, we create meaningful products for women and their families. Most of our products either were developed due to a personal need I had or my former doula clients had.

LBC: Where can we find your products?

Cindy: You can find them on our website and our growing list of retailers.

LBC: When you first got started, how did you envision your business would be defined?

Cindy: To be honest, when I first started I had no vision or thought about how my business would be defined. I was simply trying to fulfill a creative outlet while raising babies. My vision came later as my business grew, my team members grew and I grew along with it.

LBC: Walk us through a typical workday

Cindy: After I get my 3 boys off to school, I usually check email for any urgent issues that need to be addressed. My workdays are a bit different now than they were a few months ago that we recently opened the first herbal apothecary in our state. I bounce back and forth as needed between our manufacturing warehouse and the store to make sure the staff has what they need to complete their daily tasks. I personally attend meetings or schedule meetings, do administrative work, marketing, make sure supplies & materials are ordered and respond to a lot of emails.

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LBC: What are 3 things entrepreneurs should think through when they initially decide to start a business?

Cindy: 1.) That they have tested the market to see if there is a demand for their product/service. 2.) Would you create this product or offer this service even if you didn’t get paid because facts are you will have to work a few years without pay typically investing any profits back into your business before you collect a paycheck or salary. 3.) Can this be scaled beyond yourself? At some point, you might actually need to hire help either employees and/or contractors and possibly outsource areas of your business to continue to scale. By doing everything in your business, you limit growth and opportunity for yourself and others.

LBC: When you’re overwhelmed, what brings you back to focus?

Cindy: Remembering how much I’ve overcome to get to this moment. Sometimes you have to focus on just the immediate and urgent essential tasks that must get done today, or if not there will be negative consequences as a result.

LBC: Tell us about the best business decision you’ve made to date.

Cindy: Building a team. I’ve learned to work with a contract manufacturer, consultants, freelancers and have employees on my staff. It has forced me into a position of leadership and influence I never imagined. Having people on this journey with me makes all the difference.

LBC: Please share one misstep or obstacle from your business experience. How did you bounce back or overcome it?

Cindy: In 2017, we had a delay in our contract manufacturing of some of our best selling products that we use to make by hand. Our revenue dropped in half for about 3 months. We lost an estimated $60,000 in sales, seriously. I learned to run a business feast or famine. I learned how important it is to plan and project inventory and production of product, especially before you start offering wholesale. I learned that it’s always good to have back-up partners and vendors to work with. For a few weeks, while we waited on our product from our contract manufacturer we resorted to basics and temporarily made the product again by hand to get orders out to retain customers.

LBC: What are 3 essential resources in your business toolbox that you can’t do without?

Cindy: 

1. CraftyBase. It helped me nail down my COG, profit % and my overhead. It’s helps us track our production, materials and inventory.

2. Gusto. It takes care of payroll, taxes, and reporting new hires.

3. Deputy for employee scheduling & time clock. I create schedules eight weeks in advance for almost 10 employees in two locations.

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LBC: Imagine that we had a time machine. If we blasted ourselves forward a few years, where would we see your company?

Cindy: This could get very long because I visualize this often, however, I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible. Very soon I won’t be the only full-time employee. I foresee building a team with department leads, scaling manufacturing locally in a larger warehouse and buying and importing botanicals direct from farms. Developing wholesale and distribution relationships domestically and internationally for our product collection. In regards to our herbal apothecary, opening multiple locations in key cities (I have some in mind already of course).

LBC: How have your interactions with Lucky Break influenced your business?

Cindy: I learned a lot about good manufacturing practices, GMP, and how to implement them in my business. It came at the right time as we were preparing to move into a new warehouse, it really helped me up the bar for team members and myself. I’ve also learned loads about wholesale though Wholesale Matchmaker and simply watching a lot of Lela’s live videos. I can’t recommend Lucky Break enough to someone just starting out!

LBC: What benefits have you seen from taking classes, working with a mentor, and/or building community around your business?

Cindy: Being apart of online/offline classes & workshops has helped me grow as a business owner. Getting out my local community has allowed great opportunities to meet new people to learn from as well as encourage other business owners. Additionally, opening our first retail store has provided a great platform to translate an online store offline into the community, which can be quite challenging. It has afforded me the privilege to interact face-to-face with customers regularly and truly learns what it means to fall in love with your customers and not your product.

LBC: If you could hire someone to do just one thing that you loathe doing, what would it be?

Cindy: Cleaning, all day long.

LBC: Have you ever held an odd job or one you weren’t particularly fond of?

Cindy: Being in the military. I’m way too much of a free-spirit and rule breaker.

LBC: Your musical playlist is full of…

Cindy: 60’s & 70’s folk

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your talent with us. We absolutely love what you’re doing with Euphoric Herbals, and we look forward to all the wonderful things ahead for you and your company. We’re cheering you on!

About the Author

Chloe Tate

Once described as “relentlessly cheerful,” Chloe is a lover of all things colorful and practically every fruit known to man. She lives in Atlanta and divides her time between supporting Lucky Break clients, keeping shop at a local artisan market, and event planning for business conferences. She’s also working on the launch of her skincare line while finishing her degree in Organizational & Leadership Studies. True story: Chloe shares 50% of Lela’s DNA and is poised to inherit her obscenely large shoe collection.

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