Meet Rakeima Sellars-Pompey | Owner of The Lotus Drip Wellness Suite
We had the good fortune of connecting with Rakeima Sellars-Pompey and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Rakeima, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe the most important part of my success is my tenacity. I’ve wanted to open my business for years. At first, I thought I’d open it with a group of my friends but that never came to fruition. I even took a class in 2019 on how to open my business. Last year, I decided to stop thinking about it and start doing it. I took what I know from my nurse background along with my ability to shift easily thanks to my Army training and dove into learning the IV Hydration business.
I work with one of the IV Hydration greats – Veronica Southerland aka Vee The NP – through her mentorship programs and stay active in my community to see where my business needs to be. I know the value of IV Hydration and building the Lotus Drip brand is part of my legacy.
If I could offer your readers any kind of advice, I’d say this: Invest in yourself and trust in yourself. Also seek out a Mentor, their wisdom and guidance is invaluable.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Oh, I love my business! We believe in and offer superior service, personalized attention to every person who walks into our doors.
Our mission is to create renewable beauty for our customers. Just as the lotus flower re-blooms each morning, our services as well as our overall commitment to enabling growth through hydration allows for healthy renewal for everyone who visits us. We work to empower our customers to see the beauty in the everyday moments through our products and services. The value of a healthy lifestyle is beyond simply self-care moments and blossoms into daily activities of self- improvement.
Just as the Lotus flower blooms from mud, The Lotus Drip Wellness Suite is a wellness business in the heart of San Diego with the intent to bring healthy living to the community. When you walk into the aura of Lotus Drip Wellness Suite, you will walk into a space to simply relax and breathe while simultaneously renewing your temple.
It wasn’t the easiest road to get to this place. I’ve thought about owning my own business for a long time. As I mentioned earlier, I started the process in 2019. And even though I wasn’t working full time toward opening Lotus Drip, it was always lingering in my thoughts… what if? When is right time? Can I do this?
I finally jumped into it fully in 2021. I’ve learned there is no right time. There is simply right now. I continue to overcome challenges – from delayed shipping thanks to supply chain issues to weather related issues cancelling events – because business ownership is similar to life. There will always be challenges. But, I became a mother at the young age of 14. I know challenges.
My business is a reflection of who I am and I want the world to know who I am. I am a mother, daughter, soldier, nurse, and the owner operator of Lotus Drip. I became a mother at the young age of 14, and many thought that would have a negative impact on my life. I understood the impacts of my decision and decided my son did not deserve to feel any negative impacts of my life choices. I never saw myself as a mother. I always envisioned myself as a successful businesswoman, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am not saying that I made all of the right decisions as a teen mother, but I navigated life the best way I knew how. I graduated high school at 17, worked retail and fast-food jobs, joined the Army in 2000, earned my Associates degree in 2003, graduated with my BSN in 2009 and passed my boards becoming a Registered Nurse, obtained my Emergency Nurse certification in 2013. I am now a student at the University of San Diego working on the Doctor of Nursing Practice class of 2023. To date I have spent almost 22 years serving my country and working towards advancing myself and my family mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially.
Opening this business validated my drive to create generational wealth and show myself and the world that being a teen mother does not equate to being on welfare and living in the system.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week in San Diego… First, what a gift for someone to get to visit our beautiful city for a week. I would take them to all of the local restaurants that I love like Louisiana Purchase (yummmmm) We could spend our entire week eating and drinking in my area for sure.
Because my best friends are also business owners who are always seeking content to help promote our businesses, I’d take them to Sunset cliffs and La Jolla Cove. The gorgeous photos that can be taken there – and not to mention how the beauty of it inspires me – would be a must see!
I’m also a big fan of supporting small businesses so I’d take my friends over to Cedros Avenue Design District for some shopping. Honestly, we’d probably grab content there too and tag our new friends within the district. That’s actually a great way to grow your brand. Take photos with new people, tag them, and they’ll be sure to follow you too!
And of course, we’ll spend some time at Lotus Drip. We’d start the week with a B12 shot to keep up our energy and somewhere in the middle we’ll need an IV Hydration Drip to keep us going.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
You are so right. It takes support to help any of us grow. First, I’d like to recognize Veronica Southerland also known as Vee The NP for creating space for nurses like me who want to enter into the world of entrepreneurship and need the steps to walk into it. Vee has created the Watch My FLO program where we as nurses can learn every part of opening a business while also offering curated business contacts for us. We know who we can trust in everything from legal and marketing to supplies and other services.
I also invested in PR and marketing training. Arden McLaughlin with Definita: Publicity & Marketing has really poured into knowing the world of IV Hydration and nurses in particular. She takes the time to answer my questions about how to talk to the media, marketing myself, and boost my confidence in telling my story.
My mentorship group, created by Vee, also needs to be recognized. As nurses and new business owners, we need each other. I’m in a group with 20 other women who show up to support each other, learn from each other, and grow together. Community is invaluable in the world of business growth!
Website: https://thelotusdrip.
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