Mystica Linforth started Essential Oxygen 9 years ago while she had a successful raw foods company based in Austin, Texas. She had a mouth full of oral issues that no dentist could solve. Since she was submerged deeply into holistic health, she took on the challenge of correcting her periodontal issues herself. She created the Organic Brushing Rinse, which is now the #2 selling oral rinse in the natural sector. Linforth is passionate about growing her company sustainably, and doing so with a triple bottom line. She’s concerned with the betterment of our planet and it’s people as well as profit.
1) How did you get started working from home?
Since I had a raw foods company that was based out of my home, and Essential Oxygen grew from that business, it always was normal for me to work from home. It’s a more sustainable choice as it helps reduce overhead.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I chose to leave my raw foods company behind 9 years ago when I created the Organic Brushing Rinse that saved my oral health. In doing so, I started Essential Oxygen, a company I’m extremely passionate about because I hear from customers on a daily basis that I drastically improved their lives with my products.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
Started small! I began making, bottling, and labeling the Organic Brushing Rinse in my garage and selling it at my local farmer’s market. As it grew more and more popular and customer testimonials started pouring in, I knew I needed to focus on getting the BR to a larger customer base. Even to this day I make sure to grow my company slowly, and in a sustainable fashion that allows the integrity of our company ideals to remain in place.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
As I was able to reverse my own severe periodontal issues, I was the first customer and a happy customer I was. After seeing my own results, I offered it to friends and folks at the farmers markets. As so many people have oral issues, ears almost always perked up when I told people about my own story with the Brushing Rinse. The rest was history.
5) How do you market your business?
Currently we market our products with promos, store staff trainings, sample give-aways, B2B and B2C trade shows and social media. Our products truly market themselves via word of mouth. Check out our thousands of 5-star reviews online!
6) What does your usual day look like?
Typically I wake up, meditate, and make myself a healthy breakfast. Depending on who is in the office, AKA my home, that day, I will say ‘hi’ and have a quick check-in on projects. Next I do my morning walk around the neighborhood or to the gym. Then I have standing meetings each week with various employees, many of them who also work from home (or sometimes my home AKA our ‘main’ office). Since I live in sunny San Rafael, CA, I usually walk to a favorite lunch spot each day or eat in my backyard and do a little gardening. I enjoy being able to work out in the main office area, my garden, or in my bedroom.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
I succumbed to a lot of fear in the early days. I wish I would have relaxed more and trusted the process. Finally, I wish a good file sharing system like Google Docs existed when I started.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
I would tell them that as long as they are able to keep their productivity up – it is a great thing to do. I save $ on gas by not commuting to an office, my eating and workout habits are easier to maintain, and I can multi-task doing laundry or watering the garden while doing work. It’s incredibly helpful to save money on office rent when a company is starting and it’s a nice write off on personal taxes.
