Welcome to a wonderfully, satisfying blog especially brewed for women who want to fulfill their dreams to be small business owners, while still enjoying the good life.  

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

She’s Living Her Dream: Interview with Dawn Fitch

Joining me today is Dawn Fitch, founder of Pooka Pure and Simple, an all-natural, hand-made bath and body products company based in New Jersey.  I first came across Pooka in a Black Enterprise article when I was writing for the magazine’s “Making It” column.  And, it wasn’t long before I discovered the wholesome goodness of Pooka’s oils, lotions and bath salts.

After becoming mysterious ill and many unsuccessful trips to doctors and specialists, Dawn began to explore alternative therapies.  It was during this time that her interest in the healing powers of aromatherapy was born.  Her need to take better care of herself and her love for aromatherapy prompted her to create her own bath and body products.

Enlisting the help of her dearest friends, sister Donna Fitch and her “sister” friends April Reeves and Tricia White, Dawn’s dream became a reality… and Pooka was born!  

As a small business owner, how are you surviving the recession?
I take advantage of the benefits of social media.  We encourage customers to stay connected with Pooka through our Facebook fan page, Twitter and newsletter.  My partners and I also have a blog at http://pookalitas.blogspot.com where we post fun, lighthearted stories about being true Pookalitas.

Since the recession, customers’ orders have become smaller which requires finding ways to bring in new customers to make up for the decrease in sales.  It’s important that we give people a reason to visit our site and ultimately buy our products. 

For example, we have a special on-line promotion called Free Fridays! where every Thursday we post a free item for the week – and, those who place their orders first will receive free stuff.  This is a great way to increase traffic to our website and entice customers to return.

How do you determine what products to introduce to the market?
I base a lot of this on the need for a product.  Pooka has a set of core products that are available all year round, in addition to products that are only offered for a limited time.  Occasionally, customers make requests for certain fragrances – for example, light fruity scents are common requests during the spring and summer months.  However, we try to limit the number of different products we produce to avoid spreading our resources too thin. 

What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?
Don’t give up!  It’s important to surround yourself with a good support system.  By the same token, stay away from naysayers - they will only make your road to success more challenging. 

As a small business owner, you’re going to face a lot of roadblocks - but you can overcome them if you have people in your corner.  I also recommend that you join trade organizations and networking groups to get useful information relevant to your industry and meet other entrepreneurs.

Congratulations, on the success of your new book, Moving Through Opened Doors: Business and Life Lessons Taught by Abundant Blessings.  Tell us a little about it.

Over the years, people have asked me about my road to entrepreneurship.  Moving Through Open Doors is an account of my journey to finding life’s path through many blessings.  I talk about the joys of growing up, the challenges I've faced and my motivation to becoming a small business owner.  I believe my book will be an inspiration for anyone with an entrepreneurial dream.

I enjoy pipin’ hot cups of sweet coffee or tea while I work.  What brings you joy during the day? 
Sushi, green tea and a good joke with lots of laughs!

Pooka Pure and Simple - "Something good your skin can eat"   

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