Sloane Elizabeth is on a mission to help 1 million women heal their relationships with food and their bodies

Describe your business in a few words?

I help women release obsession, guilt, and stress around food and their bodies so that they can eat with love and intuition and find food freedom.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I have been an entrepreneur since I was 6 years old, begging my parents to supervise yet another lemonade stand! I had many business ideas all throughout middle school and high school, and I finally launched my first solo company – Sloane’s Sweets & Treats – during my junior year. It was a cash-only specialty baked goods company where I sold decadent browned butter chocolate chip cookies with nutella and marshmallows alongside brownie-oreo-cookie bars. I sold my baked goods in my high school quad for 2 years before going to Vanderbilt University for college. After having a taste (no pun intended) of the entrepreneurial life, I knew I could never go back! I started my Instagram – formerly titled Kale & Kravings – during the summer after my freshman year, and that Instagram account is what led me to where I am today as a CEO, food freedom coach, published author, podcaster, speaker, and yoga teacher. I am so passionate about my work, and I knew the only way to really make an impact the way I wanted to – while enjoying a lifestyle I love – was to do it myself and fully dive into running my own company.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Aside from a few summer jobs and internships, I’ve never had a legit boss! I started working for myself in college while studying Medicine, Health & Society and Corporate Strategy and continued down the path of running my own business as soon as I graduated. I will forever be grateful for my parents’ loving support and trust in me which allowed me to grow my business in those first few post-grad months from the comfort of their home in Los Angeles before I was ready to move into my dream apartment in Miami Beach. I wasn’t messing around – I wanted to be a CEO at 22 years old, and I did it!

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I don’t think I consciously knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur until I successfully launched my first company at 16 years old. I always had the creativity, leadership, and drive of an entrepreneur, but middle school Sloane also thought that being a Broadway performer might be a great idea! 

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Although I had an established Instagram account throughout college, I didn’t seriously sell any of my coaching services or programs until I graduated from Vanderbilt and completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training in Bali. The first program I tried to launch was a total flop! I had been posting food and recipes for years, but I wanted to teach women how to truly love themselves from the inside out. Although it was a beautiful program – that I’ve since relaunched with incredible success – it did not make sense for my audience at the time. They weren’t properly primed for content on self love, and I also tried to run Facebook ads for the first time! Neither Instagram nor the ads properly converted. I was disappointed for a few weeks, and then I got back to it. My next marketing approach was to redefine my ideal client (women who are stuck in the obsessive cycle of controlling, restricting, and bingeing), start posting super aligned content (a combination of recipes and food freedom tips), and focus on nurturing conversations with my audience through the DM’s. This changed everything, and my marketing strategy has continued to excel from there!

We always learn the most from our mistakes, share a time with us that you made a mistake or had a challenging time in business and what you learned from it?

I’ve had a couple of “failed” launches where nobody signed up for my programs. Although I once saw these experiences as failures, I’ve since shifted my perspective to see the lessons and wins that still occurred. Launches are tricky – it takes a lot of trial and error! The main thing that I’ve learned through all of my launches of programs and products is that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to marketing. In order to sell, you have to know your ideal client SO well and customize their buying experience to their beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. This includes your messaging, marketing vehicle, and your energy. I incorporate spirituality and manifestation into all of my coaching programs as well as my own business strategies. So, it’s no wonder that the launches that didn’t perform too well were also the ones that I went into feeling stressed and doubtful. Energy speaks louder than words.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

I was on Food Network’s Chopped U Snapchat series with Lazarus Lynch and won my episode!! I love being on camera – especially if it means I get to cook – and filming that segment was truly one of the best days of my life. I felt totally at home in the Food Network kitchen, and I know I’ll be back there soon.

What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Expansion! My goal is to help 1 million women heal their relationships with food and their bodies. My programs are life changing, and I just want to reach as many people as I can, because I truly believe that everyone is capable of and DESERVES food freedom. I also plan to write more books, host live events and retreats, and launch a product or two!

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in 2020?

Your relationship with control will make or break you. Whether you’re constantly stressed about controlling food, your body, other peoples’ thoughts about you, or a global pandemic, the same result will occur – overwhelm and a miserable feeling of being out of control. This is why I teach all of my clients how to surrender unnecessary control (to the Universe, their highest self, Source, God, etc) while staying empowered  in that which they can control. In 2020, we did not have control of many things. Because of my own healing journey and my relationship with control, I felt like I was able to trust, surrender, and stay as safe as possible without feeling like my world was completely spiraling out of control.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting your business?

No matter how positive you are or how intentionally you manifest, nobody’s business journey will be a smooth ride. It’s simply impossible! I wish I knew that the ebbs and flows were inevitable and that the mistakes and perceived “failures” did not mean that there was anything wrong with me or that I wasn’t a good businesswoman. I also wish I knew that you will get rejected a majority of the time! Looking at conversion rates, we know that only a small percentage of people who see your content/workshop/website will purchase from you. However, those yes’s are what make all the challenges and hard days completely worth it. 

How have you managed to stay grounded this year?

My morning routine, boundaries, and loved ones have kept me grounded. I try to meditate, journal, stretch, and visualize every morning before looking at my phone or starting work. This ritual is key in starting my day feeling connected and at peace within myself. I have also found with most of my friends that all the work-life boundaries have been completely blurred because everyone (including your boss) knows that you’re home! I try not to work after dinner – easier said than done – but when I can put the phone and laptop away, I feel so much better! Lastly, but probably most importantly, finding ways to connect with the people I love has kept me going. As an extrovert, I need to discuss, vent, and connect with others who truly understand me. Those FaceTime dates and socially distanced picnics kept me grounded, reminded me that I have so much to be grateful for, and that Instagram stats and followers are never worth getting upset over.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

I don’t love the word “balance”, whether we’re discussing work and life or your eating habits, because it implies that there is one perfect point of equilibrium, when there simply isn’t. Instead, I look for the grey zone. This is an area within which I have flexibility to flow – some days I’m in a darker grey zone that’s more heavy on the work side, and other days I’m on the other side of the spectrum in a lighter grey area where family, friends, and hobbies come first. This can indeed be very difficult to find as an entrepreneur! The few things that have helped me stay in the grey zone include: hiring an assistant, refraining from working on the weekends, and relaxing my self-imposed timelines. Being a solopreneur is…a lot!! Hiring help has been a game changer in expanding my business and taking care of myself. Giving myself a proper weekend has been essential too! If I don’t recharge, then I can’t show up as my best self for my incredible clients. And lastly, I’ve learned to be a lot more relaxed and patient with my business. The only deadlines I have are ones that I’ve created for myself, and while I love being ambitious, I also love the flexibility that I have to decide to push a due date, move a launch, or reschedule a project. Leaning into that flexibility is true CEO power!

What’s something our audience would be surprised to learn about you?

I studied abroad in Sydney Australia! It’s absolutely one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’d love to go back and live there for another few months.

What are your top 3 tips to stay productive each day?

Create a workspace that you love, especially if you’re working from home! For me, this means having fresh flowers on my desk, using a laptop stand and bluetooth keyboard to support my physical body’s alignment, diffusing essential oils, and keeping crystals on my desk. Arriving at my workspace inspires me and genuinely makes me excited to start the day.

Use a planner and/or Google Calendar! Color coding and scheduling pretty much saves me every day. If it’s not in my calendar or on my written to do list, it’s not going to happen!

Take breaks and move locations. Whether it’s going for a couple short walks, stepping outside, or even just switching to a new chair at your table, we need some variety and a change in scene to prevent feeling bored or antsy. I tend to take short breaks every hour or so, and this helps me recenter myself and stay on task for the rest of the day.

What does being an Entreprenista mean to you?

Being an Entreprenista means doing business MY way and following my highest self over the “shoulds” and the industry standards. It means embodying my divine feminine energy along with my driven and organized masculine side. My business is all about empowering women, and when I’m empowered as an Entreprenista, my impact and love can reach even farther and wider.