Money Grows on Moringa Trees

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

When you were a kid, you may have been told that money doesn't grow on trees. Perhaps by your parents. But hey, what do your parents know? Kids, don't listen to your parents. Money does grow on trees.

You just need the right kind of tree. You need a Moringa tree. What's a Moringa tree? Well, stay tuned and I'll tell you. Welcome to Side Hustle School.

My name is Chris Guillebeau. Today's story is all about a woman who recovers from a chronic illness through the power of plants. Then this woman trades in hedge funds by day and healing powders by night. That is, healing powders, not healing powers. Although it is pretty powerful to grow a money tree.

Keep listening. [Music]

When you step inside Jacqueline Turner Howard's small New York City apartment, you might wonder if you're in a mini warehouse. Yes, there's furniture, but parked all around it are boxes of products, packing materials and trade show banners. A sure sign of a side hustle. Jacqueline's roommates are not only understanding, they're often her shipping department.

Don't be surprised if Jacqueline isn't there though. She's either out doing store demos, meeting with collaborators, or she's over on Wall Street working her day job. Her passion keeps pushing her through. She has driven to get her side hustle, Farrah Moringa, into your hands because that's what turned her from being a very sick person into a very healthy one. Jacqueline is 25 now, but at age 15, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition that requires constant treatment.

Her body was being weakened, not only by the disease, but also by the heavy medication she had to take. Her mom wanted a different outcome, so she went looking for alternatives. She found evidence that the leaves of the Moringa tree contain anti-inflammatory and iron boosting properties, two of the most critical factors in Crohn's disease, and so she planted one in her Florida garden. The Moringa tree is native to India. It's commonly known as the drumstick or horseradish tree, but it's cultivated around the world.

Its leaves are rich in minerals and vitamins. They're used to treat malnutrition and increase breast milk in lactating mothers. Jacqueline's mom began making Moringa tea and sprinkling the leaves on salads and in soups, about one to two teaspoons a day. With the zeal of a mom on a mission to heal her child, she even learned how to make Moringa powder. Within a short period of time, Jacqueline's condition began to show market improvement.

Before long, she was even off steroids and the anti-inflammation meds she had so desperately relied on. And best of all, her tests and screenings showed no inflammation, zero. Suddenly, Jacqueline was doing well and her future was bright. At 22, healthy and energized, it occurred to Jacqueline that this wonder supplement may be just the answer that so many like her were searching for. Being a creative and curious person by nature, she began to brainstorm how she could offer an alternative to others who were struggling.

And that's when she figured that perhaps it was time for a passion project. Reming with her new entrepreneurial motivations, she opened up a shop on Etsy called Jacqueline Spices and began selling cinnamon and turmeric, two spices that are also beneficial against inflammation, in addition to her mom's homegrown Moringa powder. While she occasionally made some sales on the other spices, the Moringa powder was by far her bestseller. So much so, in fact, that her mom's tree was soon unable to meet the demand. After taking stock, Jacqueline came to three conclusions.

Number one, there was definitely a market for high-quality Moringa powder. Number two, if she wanted to be successful, she needed to focus on that Moringa powder exclusively. And number three, in order to do that, she had to find a supplier she could trust. From there, Jacqueline spent months researching not only the science and uses of Moringa, but on the organic food industry itself. She reached out to every reputable Moringa farm and supplier she could find and tested all of the powder samples that they sent.

What she found was that not all Moringa powders were created equal. For example, the purer powders come from the leaves of the tree, but some suppliers mix in other parts of the tree, then often adding food coloring to mimic the vibrant green of the pure powders. She eventually partnered with a USDA-certified supplier whose product was produced to her specifications, and the tree in her mom's backyard began enjoying a much-needed break. With her product in place, Jacqueline tackled the next few items on her list, building a website, obtaining packaging for her powder, and securing her LLC. Designing packaging for the powder came with its own challenges, because as Jacqueline discovered, stores have very specific rules on shelf space.

If your product doesn't fit the set of categories they have predetermined, you don't get in. Ultimately, they ended up designing a pouch-like bag that was suitable for pretty much any shelf. It was a white package with green leaves and black lettering. So far, Farrah Moringa is bringing in around $2,000 a month with a 40% profit margin, and those numbers have been steadily growing the longer she's been in business. It's not a huge amount yet, but Jacqueline is building this money tree with the long-term in mind.

Since starting the business, she's seen a huge difference in herself. It's improved her ability to manage her time and make decisions quickly. Her next step is to attend more events and expos to get Farrah Moringa the attention she believes it deserves. As for her shared product-packed New York City apartment, she expects it will continue to be Farrah Moringa Central for a bit longer. It turns out that money does grow on trees.

You just need to find the right tree. All right, so what can we learn from this story? Well, here in this story, we have a personal struggle that leads to a product-based wellness business. In Jacqueline's case, she had this personal struggle, this debilitating illness, and she was able to get better because of the Moringa tree. She then took that experience and parlayed it into the side hustle.

And her story is very much a big part of this brand. So what if you don't have this problem? What if you don't have a personal struggle like this? Like you're building your brand and you can't point to something major that changed your life and now you're providing this thing to other people. For example, what if you wanted to sell Moringa tree powder but you didn't have that story like Jacqueline's?

Well, there's more than one potential narrative. Like you always have to have a narrative or it's very helpful to have a narrative in selling a product, let's say. But it doesn't have to be this personal struggle that leads to a change my life and here's the product. You could also kind of lead with a science-based approach, focusing on research, focusing on evidence, not your own, but maybe some kind of study that's been done or maybe a wealth of people's experience, maybe somebody else's experience. If you can't tell your own story, maybe you can tell someone else's story.

You could also tell a narrative of curiosity. I really liked green juice and I went on a quest to find the best possible green juice. Spinach and kale were good, but then when I discovered Moringa, I had discovered the elixir of green juice. Or maybe there's some other motivation. Like I don't know exactly what every single possible narrative could be.

The point is if you don't have a personal struggle you can point to as part of your origin story, there are other options. I will leave you with that to consider today. Congrats, Jacqueline. Thank you for letting us share your story with our listeners and listeners. Don't forget, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is so much better.

Learn about the world of Moringa. Just come to sidehustleschool.com/574. That is for episode 574. I will be back tomorrow with a weekly recap and so much more on the way. My name is Chris Guillebeau, this is Side Hustle School.