Latest news with #EssentialOils
Forbes
20-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How The Best Entrepreneurs Know When To Go All In And When To Let Go
BlueFlower Founder Gazelle Hashemian Testing Her Essential Oils Entrepreneurship lessons often emphasize passion, planning, execution, and persistence. One lesson rarely covered in MBA textbooks is the art of timing—knowing when to pivot, take a risk, or gracefully exit. But how do you know? It's not just about spreadsheets or strategy. Sometimes, it comes down to something less tangible: intuition informed by experience. Entrepreneurial intuition isn't luck—it's pattern recognition, accumulated lessons, and instinct about timing. For Gazelle Hashemian, this has been a guiding principle throughout her 25-year career. After moving from corporate leadership into small business ownership, she's founded or co-founded four ventures, each with its own path. Three came full circle—launch, growth, and a consciously timed transition. Gazelle Hashemian Delivers the Commencement Address to the George Washington University School of ... More Engineering Trusting Intuition in Business Decisions Entrepreneurs are often told to follow the data, stick to the business plan, and stay disciplined. But some of the most important decisions don't come from spreadsheets—they come from something harder to quantify: intuition. Gazelle spent the last 25 years starting, scaling, and transitioning multiple ventures. Each business had its own trajectory. And in each case, the toughest calls—when to keep going, when to pivot, when to sell, and when to step away—weren't decisions she could outsource to financial models or advisers. They required a deep sense of timing that blended logic with instinct. Paragon Technology Group, an IT government contracting firm, was her first company, co-founded with her husband, Sassan Kimiavi. They bootstrapped the business from the ground up, scaling it to $42 million in annual revenue over 11 years. There were challenging early moments, including risking personal savings to make payroll. But through hard work and a clear plan, the company grew consistently. BlueFlower Founder Gazelle Hashemian Surrounded By Colleagues Holding Her Essential Oils Eventually, they sold Paragon to a private equity group—not just because of profit margins, but because of a mix of business goals, personal life considerations, and a gut-level awareness that it was the right time. No model or MBA course could have predicted that moment—it required an intuitive sense of timing sharpened by lived experience. She then co-founded Project Turquoise with four close friends in response to the global refugee crisis. After reaching their fundraising target, they decided to merge with another nonprofit—not because they hit operational walls, but because it aligned better with the evolution of their mission, time, and capacity. BlueFlower grew out of a personal health journey. After struggling with GI issues for years, she found relief through essential oils and was struck by the lack of high-quality options in the market. She set a three-year timeline to fill that gap, selling through spas, pharmacies, and boutiques. Despite receiving offers to invest or acquire, when the company didn't meet the internal benchmarks she had set, she made the difficult but empowered decision to wind down production. That too was intuition-based, informed by experience. BlueFlower didn't scale as she had hoped, but it served its purpose—as both a personal journey and a professional learning experience. Her latest venture, BluJuniper, was launched in 2021 when she felt drawn back to professional services. Unlike product-based businesses, government contracting has a much longer sales cycle. But she's committed to the long game. When BluJuniper reaches its next inflection point, she'll trust her instincts again. Each chapter of her entrepreneurial life has been deeply personal. These ventures weren't just businesses—they were reflections of different stages of her life, values, and the risks she was willing to take. Some chapters closed earlier than expected, and others continue to evolve. Her message to other entrepreneurs: Success isn't just about revenue, EBITDA, or headline-making exits. Sometimes success is knowing when to let go, pivot, or evolve. Sara Blakely throws the first pitch before the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals baseball ... More game, Aug. 24, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) These kinds of calls aren't unusual—and they aren't limited to small businesses. Some of the most iconic leaders in business history have relied on the same blend of instinct and timing. From startups to billion-dollar brands, entrepreneurs often face moments when no amount of data can provide the answer. In my book Raising an Entrepreneur, I show how people who succeed are often willing to take risks because they're not afraid to fail. They understand that failure is part of learning and growing. They extract lessons, apply them forward, and keep building. Sara Blakely and Howard Schultz are two powerful examples of what it looks like when intuition drives risky game-changing business decisions. When Sara Blakely launched Spanx, she trusted her gut that women wanted more comfortable underwear. That intuition built a billion-dollar brand. She faced countless barriers—no retail experience, no investors backing her, and rejection from dozens of manufacturers. But she persisted because of a gut feeling that women needed this. She famously started Spanx with $5,000 in savings and kept the idea secret for over a year, because she was worried that if she told people, they would discourage her. WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Sara Blakely speaks during National Women's History Museum's Women Making ... More History Awards Gala at The Anthem on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo byfor National Women's History Museum) She says, 'Your inner voice is your most powerful tool. A lot of people ask me how I'm able to rely on that feeling so strongly, and I think it comes from confidence and practice. It's a muscle that everyone has and has to be exercised to get stronger. Recognize when people are telling you to do one thing but your inner voice is telling you something else. Take a leap of faith and do what your gut tells you. It won't steer you wrong." NEW YORK - APRIL 08: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Unveils a replica of the original Seattle ... More Starbucks in Manhattan's Bryant Park. (Photo by) Howard Schultz faced similar skepticism when he pushed Starbucks beyond selling coffee beans into the cafe experience. Many investors and even the original Starbucks owners resisted the idea. But Schultz followed his gut, believing Americans were ready for a European-style coffeehouse culture. That instinct came after a visit to Milan, where he saw how Italians gathered daily in cafes and it created community. No market research supported the idea at the time. His intuition transformed Starbucks from a regional retailer into a global brand. He explained, 'I was sent to Italy on a trip for Starbucks and came back with this feeling that the business Starbucks was in was the wrong business. What I wanted to bring back was the daily ritual and the sense of community and the idea that we could build this third place between home and work in America. It was an epiphany.' Jake Karls, Benito Skinner, and Kirstin Stoller speak during the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in ... More Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by) From the local entrepreneur to the household-name founder, the lesson is the same: Business success is about more than persistence and strategy. It's about knowing when to evolve, when to pause, and when to move in a new direction. That's not luck—it's the art of timing combined with a great sense of intuition honed over years of observation and deep thought. In a world where markets shift overnight and data can't always predict human behavior, intuition becomes a survival skill. It's not about guessing—it's about learning from experience, recognizing patterns, and having the courage to make decisions that don't yet have a data trail. No matter what the data show, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it. And if it does, go for it.
National Post
16-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Detox your domain with our chemical-free home handbook
Article content Consider exploring some do-it-yourself cleaning alternatives using simple, natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, sal suds and essential oils. DIY cleaning solutions can often be more cost-effective than ready-made products and provide excellent results while allowing you to control the ingredients you use. Article content One of the biggest chemical culprits in the cleaning world is laundry soap, which can be replaced with a mixture of castille soap, borax, sal suds, washing soda and essential oils. Surface cleaner is another easy one — just soak citrus peels in vinegar and a week later you have a potent countertop spray. A quick search online for a cleanser for your specific task will result in myriad options. Often, many recipes will use the same base ingredients, so one purchase of a few staples will cover chemical-free formulas for your whole home. Article content Get picky about packaging Article content If you're shopping for cleaning products, look for brands that offer refill options or concentrate formulas to reduce waste and minimize your environmental impact. There are even new options like natural laundry detergent sheets which are lighter to ship, smaller to store and environmentally friendly. Article content Beyond consumer goods, consider the packaging of the containers and vessels you choose to bring into your home, and opt for paper or glass materials over plastic as plastic can contain phthalates that leech into plastics and the air. One place to start making the swap from plastic to glass is with your food storage containers. These OXO rectangular containers are perfect for lunch or snacks, while these big Pyrex round containers are great for leftovers. Article content Ditching air fresheners and aerosol products, such as hairsprays, dry shampoos and deodorants, is crucial for maintaining a healthy indoor environment and improving indoor air quality. Aerosol products release tiny particles and harmful chemicals into the air, which can lead to respiratory issues and aggravate existing conditions like asthma or allergies. Purify your air Article content Bringing plants into your home can significantly improve its health and contribute to a more chemical-free environment — and make it look cute! Plants naturally filter the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. By introducing plants into your living spaces, you can improve air quality and reduce the presence of pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene, which are commonly found in household items like furniture, carpets and cleaning products. Plus, plants contribute to a calming and stress-reducing atmosphere, promoting overall well-being. Article content In addition to plants, air purifiers can also play a vital role in creating a chemical-free cocoon. These devices use filters to trap airborne particles and pollutants, effectively removing them from the air. Seeking a purifier for your home? Look no further than the Dyson Purifier Hot and Cold (read our full review here) which works year-round to heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Article content Embrace a shoe-free policy in your home. Why? Shoes can track in dirt, dust, allergens and various contaminants from outside, spreading them throughout your home. By removing shoes at the entrance — or better yet, outside — you can help prevent pollutants from settling on your floors, carpets and furniture. This simple practice can not only maintain a cleaner living space, it'll reduce the need for constant cleaning, and ultimately improve indoor air quality. Not to mention, keeping shoes off indoors can extend the lifespan of your floors and minimize the use of cleaning chemicals.
