Enjoy the journey and the process with Jenny Costa
After reading an article about how we are wasting a third of the food that is produced globally and being outraged that no one was discussing this, Jenny Costa started the business Rubies in the Rubble where food that would otherwise be wasted are made into condiments. We first met Jenny in our first issue many years ago, and we recently caught up with her in our Female Founders Instagram Live to find out about her journey and all that she has been doing.
Beauty in the Difference
We have all been built differently. Therefore there is no right or wrong way to be an entrepreneur, we just need to understand who we are and then carve out the path for us that follows this. When we understand this we can have freedom as we will be ourselves and when we bring that into what we are doing, we will flourish as we hold strong to our path.
Importance in Confidence
Our business is our team. Every business is made up of people who are trying to do one thing and do it well. So having a team behind you is key. Be careful about who we bring in and ensure that before you hire them, you actually get to know them, their values and how they work with your current team. Being happy and confident to sign over things, shows that we have a good team. We need to make sure that we are being true to ourselves and what we are actually good at as well as recognising the things that will be slowing down the business if we try and battle through it alone. It’s therefore important to have people in our teams that have opposite interests and skills to us.
‘It’s not about the end goal, but about how you create impact along the journey.’
It Starts With You
Jenny found that the biggest lifestyle shift that affected her business was when she had children. However it is how you approach this shift that will impact the repercussions it has on the business, whether that be good or bad. As Female Founders, we can set the rules in our businesses. We have power over what culture is in our workplace. With things like maternity leave, we should be setting it with those you are to come in mind. There will be times when we may need to take a step back and that's when having a great team you are confident in is crucial and then if those you in your team need to step back, we should be supportive of them even if that may mean we need to take on more.
How Do We Actually Get Our Products Out There?
When starting out, it can be difficult trying to figure out what methods we should use to sell our products. Jenny offered us three questions we should ask ourselves when discussing this, ‘ Who is our consumer ?’, ‘How do they live their lives?’, and ‘How do we get the product into their lives?’. By asking these questions, we should be able to figure out the routes we need to take to get into that position as well as the formats we need to use.
‘What success looks like to the world is usually different to what real success is.’
Failure and Purpose
Failure is a very real possibility we all face, but if we really unpack it, we may discover that it is really a pride issue as we are scared of how those around us will view us and if it will change how others perceive us and our worth. When we recognise this, it enables us to take a step back and can help us begin to hold what we are doing lightly. By doing this we will find enjoyment in what we are doing. If it fails, yes we will lose money and time but it isn’t the end of us and opportunities we have. We will always have a purpose, it may be different in each season but it will always be there.
WORDS BY
Priya Raheja
Read Jenny’s Full Story in Issue 1
