Meet Karmen Johnson | Business owner | Food & Nutritional Science Masters Candidate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karmen Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karmen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was that I wanted to share what I was doing for myself. In college, I became fascinated with how changing my diet would impact my body from the inside out. I was cooking new foods and inviting all my friends to test my vegan creations. That became a passion for me to share that healthy options could taste good and even be great replacements and leave you feeling good. So I just started posting my juices, teas, and wellness content to do exactly that. I didn’t know how long I’d stick to it, but I knew this made me happy. I could help people, and that was something I was searching for how to help and heal in a way that felt good to me and that I could attest to and I know could be helpful to those around me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently a graduate student at Tuskegee University, I will be graduating with my master’s in Food & Nutritional Science in May, and my goal is to get a job working in Nutrition education. While I am excited to break into the field and start a steady career, my true purpose is to work for myself and my brand, providing wellness education: I want to host classes, workshops, events, and even one on ones educating people on the power of food, holistic wellness and providing resources to make healthy living attainable. Alongside the knowledge I’ll share, I want to deliver products and promote other wellness brands that can create a community of resources for interested people. I haven’t gotten to where I want to be, but at this point in my life, being a student and having my brand has been challenging. I believe they go hand and hand. The beauty of my brand is how influenced it is by my personal life. I started it with the motivation to heal myself, so when I face a challenge, I must remind myself why I started my business.

I’ve learned that patience is critical in all aspects of life; I’ve learned how impatient I can be with myself and even how hard I am on myself. I need to give the same grace I give to people in my life to myself while also holding myself accountable. I’ve learned that excuses get you nowhere. Everything I have ever failed at in my business was my fault, even if I struggle to admit that. Things get challenging, and sometimes it causes me to get lazy, not follow through, or plan poorly, but in the grand scheme of things, more times than not, there is something I could have done better, but the beauty in that is that I learned my lesson and I hope I don’t repeat the same mistakes moving forward,

When it comes to my brand, I want the world to know that I care. And it sounds simple but hears me out. This int necessarily the case now, but when I first started dealing with some of my health problems, I felt alone in my struggle; I didn’t have all these Instagram pages and YouTube channels to watch on my specific issues. So I googled what I was dealing with, sunk into a depression about what seemed like a prison sentence, and moved on. But with how we can share knowledge on the internet, I want to be transparent; I want to be honest not just about health but about myself and what this journey looks like. I want to be relatable and provide

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting the area I live in (Indianapolis, Indiana ), I would start by going to a hot yoga class. Then, I’d find it fun if we went to do a different form of exercise every morning just for the fun of it and to try out some new things—what a way to start a day. By the end of each class, we would be up and ready to eat, which is the day’s focus because I love food. It’s a love language for me. But after our workout, we would head to get brunch or lunch; some of my favorite local restaurants are Abyssinia, Bakersfield, Sizzling Wok, Georgetown health food store, cul da sac kitchen, blue sushi, or Piada. I would then list activities to start knocking out, like pottery, making our candles, the art museum, the children’s museum, walking the canal, or finding local events like open mics or events that we could stop at. After each day, we would be exhausted, so I am a massive fan of just putting on a movie, getting my laptop out and doing some work, talking, reflecting, and planning what’s next for us for the year, week, or goal. I would probably encourage my friend to try something new that I’ve cooked, like a vegan dessert or some juice, and we would cycle through these activities for the next few days.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shout out all my friends who support my business. by having “power hours” and brainstorming storming sessions, meeting with me at coffee shops to keep each other accountable, and working long hours with me to remain consistent and accomplish what we said we would do that day. As an entrepreneur, sometimes we are just taking things a day at a time. When things are overwhelming, you alone can feel like the challenges you are facing are impossible to overcome. But, without my community, nothing would be possible; the small gestures from my family and friends keep me encouraged when I feel like I’ve hit a wall with my business. For that, I am incredibly grateful and praying that all of us can accomplish our goals and succeed beyond what we imagined.

Website: https://www.thisflowergrows.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thisflowergrows?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thisflowergrows6289