OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — One woman's loss is benefiting the health of those in the heartland.
One determined businesswoman in Omaha always knew she wanted to be her own boss, but didn't know how she was going to build a business that would allow her to spread positivity to others.
Through her own weight loss journey, she fell in love with juicing and lost over 100 pounds. That's when she realized selling her juice creations and offering a healthy option to the community was how she was going to spread her positivity.
"It just kind of happened with my own journey, with my own health and wellness journey and then just seeing the lack of that in the community and just wanting to fulfill that need," said Susan Safia, the owner of Life Elixir Juices by Susan.
Safia is all about being authentic. She wanted to pay homage to her African culture and also have a unique label for her company Life Elixir Juices.
"People always ask me, 'is this you on the label?' I'm like, 'no, it's not me necessarily, but it's just an essence of mother Earth, and Mother Earth is strong, she's regal.' I wanted her to exude that and I wanted it to be very Afro-centric," said Safia.
Most of the fruits, vegetables and herbs used in the juices are all from area farmers.
"We can't say small business and not support the people that are producing food on that small business level," said Safia.
She also wants to grow partnerships with small operation farmers who grow tropical fruit. Overall, Safia wants to help others.
"I think that, yes, I want my business to be successful, but it's also helping other people. If you are the only successful person around, you are not really that successful. You can't be the only one to come up, you have to help people around you," said Safia.
Something Safia loves most about being her own boss is highlighting the importance of self-care.
"I think mental health has been number one as far as managing as a business owner because I wear a lot of hats and it's just me, it's a one-woman show right now, so I have to make sure my mental health is at a high capacity, just to deal with things that pop up," said Safia.
Life Elixir Juices went from making products at home to making products in a professional kitchen, but Safia plans to keep growing.
"I want to be able to reach people globally, and at the end of the year we will start shipping nationally," said Safia.
Safia has also thought about becoming Omaha's first juice truck, but she wants to do it in a sustainable way and not use gasoline. She currently offers curbside pickup or delivery.
Visit the Life Elixir Juices Facebook page here.
