We love getting to work with interesting and diverse business owners. In this small business spotlight series, I’d like to introduce you to some of them. We’ll find out who they are, how they got started, where they are on the entrepreneur's roadmap and what their main issues are at the moment.
Meet Goldilocks Sustainable Goods
After volunteering with a shark conservation program in the South Pacific, founder Amy Hall was devastated by the ocean plastics problem globally. This compelled Amy to start her journey towards zero waste which inspired her to start Goldilocks Sustainable Goods.
Amy started the business by making beeswax wraps and selling them at local markets in Victoria.
Amy has since joined forces with Brett Higson.
Together, Amy and Brett are promoting the use of sustainable goods for every day use.
We met Brett through his other endeavors building and restoring homes. Brett came to Vancouver Island in 2015 and has made it his home since then.
When not promoting sustainable goods, Brett enjoys being out on the road in his camper van named Hank. You’ll learn a bit more about him (Brett not Hank) below in our interview.
Please introduce yourself. What is your name?
Brett Higson
What is one trait or quirk you possess that not many people know? For example, Paul can't stand the smell of honey and Joe hoards cups at his desk on a regular basis.
I have an irrational fear of lobsters..
What is the name of your business?
Goldilocks Sustainable Goods
How did you get started with Goldilocks Sustainable Goods? Tell us a bit about how you got the idea and what it took to get that idea launched.
Well, my business partner Amy started making beeswax wraps and selling them at markets in Victoria 2 years ago. She moved into my old apartment and we became friends. After many fiery entrepreneurial chats, we began to realize we had very opposite skill sets yet got along great. I was looking to get my hands into a new business and she was looking to get Goldilocks Wraps into as many peoples hands as possible. In September of 2017 we joined forces, started to build our team and the journey began.
We like to think of the entrepreneur's journey as a road map. In which of stage would you say Goldilocks Sustainable Goods currently exists?
SCALE - The processes are sound and the business is running well. It's time to grow this sucker!
What are your biggest challenges in your current stage?
Streamlining our production and fulfillment process. Currently all our wraps are made by hand. While we can always just hire more people, it limits the amount of wraps that can be made in a 24 hour period. The real challenge would be introducing machinery into the process without sacrificing the quality that a handmade product possesses.
What aspects of being a business owner make the challenges worthwhile?
When people approach us at a market and go crazy about how much they love our product and how they no longer buy single use plastics! When my employees / contractors tell me how much they love working for such a cool company in a great work environment.
What is the next goal or milestone for your business? Or, another way to put it is where would you like to see Goldilocks Sustainable Goods in 2 years?
In 2 years I would love to crack 1 million in revenue. That's a whole lot of people getting away from single use plastics, saving on food waste and spreading the knowledge to others about a more consumer conscious lifestyle.
We have 10-15 people working in the company, everyone is happy to come to work everyday and contribute to something that is bigger than themselves.
If you could name one tool that your business uses that has made the biggest positive impact, what tool would that be?
Receipt Bank! The joy I get from snapping a pic of my receipt at the coffee shop and handing it right back to the barista to be recycled is difficult to put into words.
We certainly enjoy working with the Goldilocks team. They are great people, are working towards a worthwhile cause, and their products are super helpful. I have the nautical themed wraps at home and they’re the most used food container in our kitchen. I think they’re even helping me get over my weird aversion to the smell of honey!
You can find Goldilocks Wraps via their website www.goldilockswraps.com, at various markets across Vancouver Island and in stores throughout Canada! Here’s a list of places you can find them.
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