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Meet Trailblazer Jessica Clegg

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Clegg.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
First and foremost, its been a lot of hard work. Before I ever opened my own business, I worked really hard at every job I had. I worked to improve myself at every turn and to learn as much as I possibly could about, well, just about anything. It drove my now husband crazy. He said I worked too much and even worse I gave too much for how “underappreciated” I was. But, I was stubborn.

After one too many abusive jobs, I landed, what I consider, the best job ever – and no, it’s not my business. I worked for a small business in Denver and I had the best boss I’ve ever had. He rewarded my hard work with promotions and raises that made my jaw drop. He really made me see my own potential and encouraged me.
I swore I wouldn’t work for less after that and it was my last “day” job.

My father-in-law asked me one day why I didn’t start my own business. I talked about all these ideas I had but I never did anything about it. I had built this business in my head for almost five years; picked the perfect name and learned about all the licensing and all the how-tos. I told him it was about money, I didn’t want to risk my livelihood on a dream. I was scared. So, he asked me if money wasn’t an issue, would I please just try. He said I could be as scared as I wanted to be, but just try. Now, here I am, a proud and often scared but very happy business owner.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth journey. One of my biggest struggles was looking as young as I do. It was and even continues to be an obstacle. It’s very hard to get people to take me seriously. Frequently, I find people in the room don’t talk to me, they immediately turn to my father-in-law or my husband for answers or instructions. Or, even worse, they’re intimidated by me and they compensate for that with anger and belittling me and my work.

My other biggest obstacle has actually been myself. That little voice that says “you’re going to fail, no matter what you do or how hard you work.”

Any advice for other women, particularly young women who are just starting their journey?
My advice – don’t let it get to you. If people are intimidated by you, take it as a compliment. If people don’t want to take you seriously, don’t be small, don’t shrink to make room for them.

And most importantly, let all those little voices be motivation to keep trying, keep pushing. I don’t have an end goal. If my goal is always to do better than I did last time, to push just a bit harder than even in failure I’m still moving forward.

And remember, you’re not alone. There are people rooting for you, even if you don’t always feel that way.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Not Your Grandma’s – what should we know?
For now, I run a CBD business. For those of you who don’t know, CBD is a cannabinoid found in hemp that shows many of the same benefits of marijuana without a “high”. I’m currently doing different studies on numerous amounts of home remedies and homeopathic medicines. And I do research regarding medical marijuana.

Eventually, I’d like to offer an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs wherever it’s possible. Many of my friends and family have been affected by the increase and the decrease in prescription opioids and amphetamines. And while I believe in Western medicine, I also believe there can be other ways to treat people without all the side effects.

I’m proud to be a part of the changing world and I’m so happy that we can offer people a way to feel better and hopefully live better. For me, and for my family, it’s not just about us and our business. If we think something or someone else can help you better, we’ll be honest about it. I don’t want to be part of the vicious cycle, I don’t want to be part of the problem, I want to contribute to the solution. The common health and wealth is what’s important.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Absolutely! So many things from my life, not just my childhood, have brought me to this place. There are three very big things/people that influenced me not through a specific situation but by behavior.

The first is from my childhood growing up around my grandma. That’s why she is my logo and my business name was inspired by her. She taught me how to cook and gave me a passion for foods and their benefits from lemons soothing cold to turmeric helping with joint pain and ginger being good for an upset stomach (and hangovers!). She must have had a remedy for just about everything and she hated taking medicine, even for a headache. It was a big part of her Native American heritage and now it’s been a part of mine.

The second is my father. While I have a very big family and they have all inspired me in their own ways, I get my love of working and being the best I can be at it from my dad. He’s a man that lives to work instead of working to live and I think he gave that part of himself to me. He owned his own business while I was in my teens and showed me a lot about taking care of it – taxes, licensing, keeping logs and records.

And lastly, my other dad (also commonly known as a stepdad). Throughout my childhood, he was very big on learning, always learning, and never letting anyone tell you that you can’t because in his vocabulary (and now mine) “can’t” isn’t a word. While I may have been teased for being a nerd or being weird, he taught me that knowledge is never something to be ashamed of and no matter how much you have, there is always more if you’re willing to seek it out.

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Image Credit:
Photos by Jessica Clegg and Raymond Martin

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