Aida Rejzovic, the founder of Sassy Organics

Who are you and what business did you start?

My name is Aida Rejzovic and I am a founder of Sassy Organics. Sassy Organics is an all-natural, vegan and organic eCommerce store, committed to helping others adopt a healthier and more compassionate lifestyle. I started Sassy Organics in 2016 to share the benefits of organics with others.

What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

In 2012, I battled some serious health issues, which ultimately put me on a lifelong journey with organics.

As I managed my medical conditions, I educated myself on the impact chemicals and synthetic hormones can have on our bodies.

I discovered that we absorb a lot of the dangerous substances found in commercial, everyday products, which can severely damage our health. Horrified, I decided to replace standard commercial products with organic ones.

As I continued my organics journey, my health and wellbeing were transformed. I became invested in this way of life and wanted everyone to enjoy the benefits, without having to first face a health scare. But I knew not everyone would have the time to research products and read lengthy labels.

So, I founded Sassy Organics – to empower others to embrace an organic lifestyle and provide a carefully curated and ever-growing collection of vegan and organic products.

Describe the process of launching the business.

I spent a few months researching all I needed to know in terms of launching an e-commerce store. There is a lot to be considered including finding the right business name and website domain, which platform to use, shipping provider and cost and of course product sourcing and whether to keep the products on site or opt for drop shipping. The following are simple steps to launching an e-commerce:
1. Consider business name
2. Check domain availability
3. Consider business name intellectual property registration
4. Compare various e-commerce platforms
5. Consider drop shipping options vs keeping stock on site
6. Compare shipping providers
7. Source products
8. Launch your website
9. Consider search engine optimisation (SEO)
10. Consider PR and paid advertising such as Facebook ads and google ads

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

We place a lot of importance on customer service and that has not change since day 1. We ship orders twice a day and we go over and above to help customers wit their queries and resolving any concerns that they may have. This has been recognised and valued immensely by customers and we are lucky enough to have reread customers that have been with us since the beginning. In terms of new customers, we focus on social media and SEO in order to attract new customers and we have been successful in that regard.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Sassy Organics has many plans in terms of expansion including expanding to overseas markets. As Sassy Organics continues to grow, we will remain committed to providing tried and true, eco-friendly, and all-natural products to customers, as well as to our philanthropic values.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

One of the biggest things that’s helped me succeed in business is cultivating a productive mindset. This is challenging. There are so many competing demands in life: work, social, family, friends, physical and mental health. Nourishing them all equally can be difficult. I think the first step is finding work that you can more easily be motivated to do. Next, it’s all about routine. I’m an early riser; I find getting up early before everyone else is crucial to me getting uninterrupted work time. Making a list of things I need to do each day in order of priority also means that I have a clear plan to follow, I don’t feel overwhelmed, and I can get the most important things done early, before all those emails start flooding in at 9 am.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

The biggest challenge when working from home as a small business is organisation and communication. My team and I have Microsoft Teams to thank for keeping us on track. Teams lets my team and I instantly message, share files and call one another. I also love that Teams lets us work on the one document at the same time. Getting a software like Teams is crucial when working from home as you’d be surprised how much time you can waste emailing back and forth different documents or questions.

We’ve even managed to employ, induct and train new staff using Teams. Whilst we never thought this would be possible, it proved that remote working can be just as effective as face to face.  

Our second secret to working remotely is Trello. Trello is like a digital corkboard where you organise tasks in cards and lists as well as in the form of a calendar. We rely on Trello for keeping track of when all our various blogs, emails, social media and promotions are going live, as well as important dates in the retail year. Before Trello, I used to publish all my content ad hoc, which was stressful to say the least. Now we can strategise and plan ahead, plus it’s easy to ask questions or leave ideas on a certain task card, which avoids us constantly messaging back and forth.

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

I love listening to Neil Patel where I learn more about SEO strategies. For anyone that is keen to do their own SEO, I would highly suggest following Neil Patel.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

My advice to others would be to do things in life that you really LOVE. Don’t settle for second-best. If you are not happy with your job, find ways to change your career. This may be easier said than done, but you have got to start somewhere. We spend way too many hours at work, not to be happy. At least give it a go and don’t wait for the perfect or magic moment as this may never come. Make a decision, commit to it and take your first step. The rest will follow. Business Australia (https://www.businessaustralia.com) has a lot of relevant information which can be useful, especially at the early stage.

Where can we go to learn more?

https://www.sassyorganics.com.au/