Anniversaries are a time to remember and reflect, which I always find helpful. This year as we approach the 5th Anniversary of 180 Pure and look to the future, I’m clearer than I’ve ever been about the road ahead. And, I couldn’t be more excited to share some of it with you!
Here are 5 learnings, things to be proud of, and advances for the future:
THC-Free
When we began, the landscape of CBD looked very different than what it does today. In the first year or two of our Illinois store, we did so much talking and educating and sharing about CBD, and hemp with our customers and greater community. We literally were educators; we held classes, went to doctor’s offices, and taught in libraries out in communities. People needed trusted information, and we offered it. All of those conversations served us very well. It showed us what the gaps were in the industry and helped us ultimately see the needs of customers. We had 10,000 conversations that helped us curate our first lineup of products.
I am still so proud of our products. And, prouder still that we’ve remained true to our original calling of being 100% THC-Free in the hemp space. Many companies that we began with are no longer around – or have shifted to carry sketchy products as a money grab. We believe we made the right call, for all the right reasons, from the start regarding THC. We still remain a firm believer in clean, plant-based products – without any THC. We believe to our core that this is the very best way to receive the benefits from the hemp plant, we will remain true to this value – and we believe we’re trusted more by our customers for it.
Source, Curate, Formulate.
Oh, this one has been quite a rose this year. (Something beautiful, with some thorns) We have always taken pride that as a small company, from the beginning we would Source, Curate & Formulate. What does that mean, really? We curate a lineup of products based on our customers needs. And, it’s part of why we love talking with our customers. We source our products from the best manufacturers out there. They don’t all come from the same place, we in fact look for the very best manufacturers of a single format, with a trusted reputation and longevity. And finally, we formulate. When we can’t find a specialty manufacturer or exactly what we’re looking for in a product, we work with a manufacturer to formulate it. This has been an incredible win for 180 Pure.
This year, we ran into some gaps with product availability. In short, our demand for a few products rose sharply, and simultaneously our timeline to get our custom gummies was longer than it’s ever been. It created an 8 week gap in a beloved product being out of stock. (It’s back now!) But, because of this painful experience – we’ve changed how we forecast, and how much product we keep on hand, and feel confident in our new plan that we won’t have this problem again. It will take us another couple months to transition all our products into this model – but we’ll get there this year.
Moving to a Wellness brand.
Over the next few months we have some very exciting things coming to 180 Pure. The biggest news, is that we’re transitioning to also carry non-hemp based supplements! This is probably the biggest shift we’ve made, and we’re thrilled. This year we’ll launch 2-3 new dietary supplements, and they are incredible!
We can’t wait to share these new product with you – you’re going to love them! First one set to launch in October, second in November. Be sure to stay connected with us so you’ll be the first to know.
A New Website
We’re thrilled to roll out a new website in the next couple weeks! We’ve grown, and it was time for a refresh on our site. We’ll be hosting more blogs and educational pieces – and hopefully give our customers a better, more elevate experience on our site. Easier to find things, faster – and with a Subscription program that’s easier for our customers to manage.
Grateful for our Customers.
It’s a challenge being a small business and often going toe to toe with big brands. We seem to bump into the same meaningful problems over and over. We lack funding because we’re either unproven, or not yet big to be interesting. We have limited power because we don’t (yet) have either the social following, or annual revenue, or relational connections to leverage. So, as I’ve found year after year – there’s just nothing better than growing organically. I used to hate the word ‘organic’ growth, but have come to peace with it…as it’s simply been helpful in the first stage of business. Slow and steady growth, incremental change – makes for easier directional changes and course corrections. Organic growth means we have to count on our customers loving our products, telling their friends and them all coming back to make a purchase. In turn, that requires we stay sharp on the service we provide, and the products we offer.
THANK YOU for being part of our story, for sharing yours with us – and for trusting us with your wellness. We’re celebrating by throwing our Annual 40% Off Anniversary Sale, in store and online. Hope to see you there!
XO – Sandra
