Getting your product, mission, and voice out there is the best way to help it grow. But you don’t have to wait until it’s perfect to do that — and in fact, you shouldn’t.
According to Chad Massura, Founder and CEO of Rosy Soil, many entrepreneurs try to perfect their ideas before showing them to people, but “they could move so much faster and de-risk their idea by putting it into the world.”
“You will learn so much by simplifying your idea as much as possible and trying to get your first customer,” he said. “They will have invaluable feedback for you, and it will be much easier to find your second, third, fourth, and 100th customers after that.”
The development of Rosy Soil has been a testament to this strategy, evolving and changing as Massura and Lead Soil Researcher Jules Giuliano learned more about their product.
Adapting your product to new information
Rosy Soil was born out of passion — and a lot of research. Massura grew up gardening with his grandmother and loved the hobby. When he started doing research about the potting soil industry and learned about peat mining, he began to look for a more ecological solution.
This is where Giuliano, a trained farmer, researcher, and educator, came in to help with plant trials and formulation research.
“We've picked a number of metrics we're optimizing for, including environmental footprint, and we're continuously making improvements to those metrics,” Massura said.
You will learn so much by simplifying your idea as much as possible and trying to get your first customer. They will have invaluable feedback for you, and it will be much easier to find your second, third, fourth, and 100th customers after that.
Chad Massura, Founder and CEO, Rosy Soil
Together they came up with an “earth-positive” indoor potting mix designed to nourish plants and save the planet all at once. Instead of using peat moss, which releases high amounts of carbon dioxide when mined, Rosy Soil creates its soil using carbon dioxide that is captured through biological charcoal, or biochar, along with organic compost and a fungi called mycorrhizae.
“When I learned about biochar…the light bulbs went off,” Massura said. “Not only was this a meaningful climate solution, but it could also improve plant and soil health in the process. It was such an obvious win-win that I immediately knew I had to start working on getting carbon-capturing soils into people’s hands.”
[Read more: How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business]
Using social media to raise awareness about your product, service, or cause
A unique aspect of the business is raising awareness among consumers. Many plant owners are unaware that their current potting soil may be doing more harm than good. Rosy Soil has a strong presence on TikTok to help educate customers about issues like peat mining.
Giuliano recommends other business owners use the platform for a similar purpose, especially if your business champions a specific social or environmental cause like Rosy Soil does.
“People want to see behind the curtain,” he said. “Teach them something new. Show your failures. Learn from your community. There's a lot of potential on this app for community engagement and education.”
[Read more: How to Market Your Sustainable Business]
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