As more and more people are looking to natural beauty and wellness brands to find solutions to skin problems, traditional healing ingredients are coming to the fore. For South African entrepreneur, Juanita Haasbroek, founder of Hemp at Heart, she looked to the power of Hemp Oil and CBD Oil for inspiration and healing properties for her skincare range.
Lionesses of Africa found out more this month listening to Juanita share the story of her entrepreneurial journey at the Lioness Lean In event in Cape Town.
What does your company do?
Hemp oil skincare and CBD Oil for health and beauty the way nature intended, for the modern-day hippy, the thought leaders, the bold and the beautiful. Our bodies have an ECS (endocannabinoid system) that regulates mood and body functions and the only other place the cannabinoids are found is within the cannabis plant. This in its purest form is the basis of our skin care and our CBD oil supplements.
“At Hemp at Heart, we produce Hemp oil skincare and CBD Oil for health and beauty the way nature intended, for the modern-day hippy, the thought leaders, the bold and the beautiful.”
What inspired you to start your company?
A friend of mine needed tattoo aftercare and I was just helping her create it and I discovered hemp seed oil works for everything. I was hooked and I have been creating products like that ever since. My renew oil is for my friend's uneven toned skin. My wonder balm is for my son's eczema. My CBD oil is for my own anxiety …etc, etc. I love solving problems, I can't stop myself.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Hemp CBD oil and Hemp Seed Oil. It is a substance that our bodies were built to receive. We have receptors for CBD in our bodies and our Hemp seed oil and your skin has the same lipids. Our range uses these 2 ingredients to formulate skincare and wellness products that work well with your body.
A friend of mine needed tattoo aftercare and I was just helping her create it and I discovered hemp seed oil works for everything. I was hooked and I have been creating products like that ever since.
Tell us a little about your team
We are still very small. I have myself, and 2 other people doing the production. And a part-time admin assistant.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I made my first products at 13, I made chocolates and sold them at Easter time. An entrepreneur is not exactly something I thought I would become - on the contrary, I have been raised to believe that a steady job is good and doing business is a bad hustle. I was in a very successful corporate job, but it came with sacrifices of family. However, it also gave me a steady income and immense pride, I had a very well-paid stable job. It got to the point where I had to ask why I am doing this, who am I satisfying and does money really mean so much to me that seeing my children is a second choice.
I took a leap of faith and started a business with my husband, that sadly failed 2 years into it and I was doing my current business as a side-hustle to relieve the pain of losing my business. When we decided to close our first business I just continued with my side-hustle: Hemp at Heart. In its own way, it healed me from my own insecurities surrounding my first business loss.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My immediate future plans are to sell in retail stores. My ultimate future plan is for my brand to be known as the Premium Luxury Hemp Brand in South Africa.
“My ultimate future plan is for my brand to be known as the Premium Luxury Hemp Brand in South Africa.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Every return customer. Designing a product to solve a problem or a need. My children’s enthusiasm for using my products. My eldest son says; Mom one day you will be famous for your salfies (wonder balm).
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Start a side-hustle and see if you like being your own boss. If you feel that "yes" feeling after every success, even the small ones. See how you can scale it to become a sustainable business. Trust in you! Trust in your dreams and realise that perfectionism is a word you should lose very early on in your journey; it is just a fancy word for fear. Be brave and Trust in You!
Contact or follow Hemp at Heart
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL hello@hempatheart.co.za
Why LoA loves it….
They often say that the most successful entrepreneurs create businesses and products that solve a problem or challenge, and in the case of Juanita Haasbroek, it came in the form of needing to find natural and effective solutions to irritating skin problems. Today, she is building a business that harnessing the healing power of Hemp oil and CBD oil to create a range of products that really do work for her customers. In the process, she is raising awareness of the diversity of natural uses for Hemp Oil and CBD oil in the marketplace. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa