What according to you makes one a transformational leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
A transformational leader is one that can transform lives and the Earth through their leadership. For me, this includes being impeccable with my diligence in sourcing ingredients and materials ethically and making products that truly benefit my customer’s health and wellbeing.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader that you can remember?
I was certainly a bit bossy as a young girl, which served me in some ways but not others. I was proactive with my friends, did well in school, and loved asking questions. Good leaders are the ones that aren’t afraid to ask the questions everyone else is thinking but are too afraid to ask.
What started your love for Tea? How did this love go on to become the start of Embrew LLC?
I’ve always loved tea, and just a little bit sweet. I found myself sweetening my cup the same way every single time and thought there should be a lightly sweetened tea bag that was already out on the market. After over 10 years of looking for one and coming up empty, I set out to create the first high-end, lightly sweetened, tea bags and Embrew was born.
What makes Embrew stand out from the crowd?
Each Embrew tea bag has loose-leaf grade tea and natural sweeteners inside, so it simplifies the tea experience for those looking for premium flavor, but cringe at the thought of a grocery store tea bag or messing with loose leaves, infusers, or sticky honey. This is a big upgrade that no one else in the tea space has.
Being an entrepreneur, speaker, mother, and wife, how do you ensure work-life balance?
I ensure I have balance and avoid burnout by setting boundaries for myself in all aspects of my life allows me space to be me and do things just for me. I decide upfront how I want to spend my day, and make sure I don’t compromise what I want to do versus what I “should” do.
What is the approach/process followed by you in order to ensure optimal quality in all your products?
We source our teas from different farms all over the world. The world is a huge place, but by buying directly from growers who we know by name, we’ve brought the human connection back into the process. Buying Direct-Trade products allows us transparency into the supply chain and ensure the farmers are respecting the land, the plants and the people working hard to make a living. This means our customers have visibility as well so you can feel good about the farms you’re supporting.
How is this different from the other tea products?
The majority of the growers who aren’t part of a Fair-Trade Coop or selling directly to the manufacturer only receive about 10-15% of the money customers pay for the product, sometimes even less. This is because there are multiple hands buying and selling the raw materials through a long, cumbersome supply chain that drives up the prices and drives down the portion paid to the farmers.
Most companies boast high-quality tea, but as we all know, it’s certainly a matter of taste.
Here’s what we DON’T do:
- We DON’T used overly processed, shredded, low-quality tea leaves.
- We DON’T buy our products only knowing the country of origin where farming practices may be questionable for the environment or for human consumption.
- We DON’T used bleached brew bags. Only unbleached bags with no tag, string or staple to reduce waste and allow for composting.
- We DO use high-quality tea leaves from growers with careful farming practices and use all compostable or biodegradable packaging.
What has the journey been like for Ashley Haywood over the years?
Every moment is full of different emotions, levels of motivation, and focus—but what’s constant is looking for opportunities to give tea-loving people more me-time without having to clean up an infuser or mess with a sticky honey bear again.
Looking back, what would you have done differently if you were to start again?
If I could go back, I wouldn’t change much, since I’ve learned a great deal from the journey. But I would tell me start-up entrepreneur self to have confidence in the building of something great. To love the process, not just focus on the end-goals.
What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning?
Time has been my biggest roadblock, along with my mental attitude. I never realized how much my own expectations of myself hurt my progress of building the business with joy. Having the right headspace and intrinsic motivation is critical in trusting and building a business when you have no idea what you’re doing.
I’ve learned time and time again that trying new things is good, even if they don’t work, it’s part of the process to get you to the thing that does finally work.
Finally, what does the future look like for you, both personally and professionally?
I’m working on an e-book about the dangers of caffeine, adding more speaking engagements this year, and focusing on PR opportunities for Embrew and my personal brand. This will allow me to grow the business in a sustainable way without continuing to waste money on digital marketing that doesn’t offer a good ROI. Personally, I plan to learn more about the tea herbs I can grow in my own backyard, chase my new obsession with mushrooms, and learn to move my body in more fluid and feminine ways with acrobatic dance.
