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Tell us about your company.
Fog & Tree captures the essence of California. Our fine fragrances and luxury personal care products are formulated with clean ingredients and infused with exotic California botanicals and calming Cannabis Terpenes to transport your mind, body and spirit.
Now let's get a little personal... tell us about yourself.
I am a mother, serial entrepreneur, and Cannabis advocate who lives in Northern California. I am a creative at heart and have always enjoyed working with sensorial products like bourbon, wine, and weed. Because of this, the world of Terpenes fascinates me.
What inspired you to start your business?
I have been in Cannabis marketing since 2015 and have a deep appreciation for the plant and all its parts. In 2018, after the signing of the Hemp Farm Bill Act, I decided to launch a broad-market Cannabis brand of my own and that’s how Fog & Tree was born.
Do you think being a female Founder has affected your journey? If so, how?
Absolutely. Being a female founder has definitely made it more difficult to fundraise. Investments in women-led companies in 2020 were the worst since 2017 and I have found that as a female, my brand requires a lot more traction just to get my foot into the investor's door than it would for a man. We also speak a different language so I have spent a lot of time learning how to speak to investors as a man would.
When it is hard, what keeps you going?
My family. It's important for me to show my son that women can not only be amazing Mom's but we can work hard and be incredibly successful too. My husband is my pillar of strength and my biggest supporter. Without my family I don't think I would have gotten this far.
Can you share 3 tips (advice) for other female entrepreneurs?1.
1. Cash is king. Know your financials and manage your burn rate closely.
2. Don't get too caught up in fundraising early on. Focus on traction because displaying good traction will make it easier to fundraise down the road or you may not even need to fundraise at all.
3. Don't feel like you need to have the best branding, best website, best collateral, most product offerings, etc. Focus on developing a minimal viable product and spend time testing the market.
Do you have a female role model, life, or spiritual coach? Please tell us about her and why.
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road so I try to surround myself with mentors both male and female to provide me with new perspectives and words of encouragement. Mindy Yang, the Perfumarie Founder, has provided some really great brand insights and has been a big cheerleader of ours.
My role model has to be Susan Black of EO Products. She founded her brand with her husband in the '90s and without any investment capital, has grown it to $60m in annual revenue. That's pretty impressive.
What's a day in your life is like?
Crazy. With COVID, my husband and I both work from home with our 5-year-old son so I spend a lot of time working during evenings and weekends hours. I wouldn't trade this time together for the world though and luckily being an entrepreneur gives me the flexibility to spend quality time with my son.
Can you share one of your favorite scent memories with us?
My father used to smoke a pipe when I was little. It would permeate the house and when I hugged him I would smell it in his warm plaid flannel shirt. Now every time I smell fresh, spicy tobacco notes I can't help but think of him.
What are some of your hobbies?
As a full-time Mom running a startup I don't have too much time for hobbies but I always try to squeeze in yoga whenever I can. Not only does it help to keep me fit but it's a great way to mentally decompress.
What are your favorite books?
The Lean Startup and Building a Brand Story.
What are you listening to now?
This week in startups with Jason Calacanis, he's so good and of course, Joyce Gerber on the Canna Mom show.
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