In 2013, Shizu Okusa left her prestigious job at Goldman Sachs to embark on an entrepreneurial journey that would transform her life and the wellness industry. Her first venture, Jrink, a hand-delivered fresh-pressed juice company, taught her valuable lessons about business sustainability and personal fulfillment. Eventually feeling burned out, she sold Jrink in 2019 to launch Apothékary, a company creating herbal remedies with healing modalities.
Shizu’s experience with both brands led her to a crucial realization: To truly love and sustain a business, every decision must be scalable and must align with personal values.
Here are three key elements that Shizu recommends founders implement from the start to ensure sustainable revenue growth.
1. Maintaining high profit margins
Shizu’s top advice is to keep profit margins as high as possible. By keeping production costs low while maintaining product quality, brands can create room for growth investments.
“When you have margins of 50%, [like I did at Jrink], you can’t really afford much, and if you have spoilage on top of that for fresh juices, it eats away at the money,” Shizu explains. With Jrink, there wasn’t enough cash to spend on creative agencies, media buying, or large marketing campaigns.
Shizu strategically designed Apothékary’s product line with this learning in mind. “With Apothékary, I’ve reverse-engineered the margins, so the shelf life is three years, instead of three days," she says. This approach has given the company more financial flexibility for growth initiatives.
2. Investing in creative expertise
A pivotal factor in Apothékary’s growth was hiring a creative agency for rebranding. This decision helped Shizu distill complex science and history into appealing graphics, design, and packaging. The current Apothékary website is the third iteration, reflecting the brand’s evolution.
“We couldn’t keep focusing on this niche little market of woo-woo witchy kind of herbal lovers,” Shizu says of recognizing the need to expand beyond the brand’s initial small market. “We needed to think bigger, we needed to think broader.”
This strategic rebranding was crucial for the company’s success and growth. “I don’t know if the business would have survived if we never did the rebrand,” Shizu says. “I don’t think it would have died necessarily in a year or two years, but I don’t think you would have seen strong enough leading indicators that I could raise money on or continue to grow the business.”
Today, Apothékary’s brand presence is cohesive and streamlined across all touchpoints, from its website to email newsletters to social media posts.
3. Prioritizing research and development
Shizu emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and investment in product development. “We’re investing a lot more in clinical studies, a lot more in R&D [research and development], and the product formats for two years out,” she says. This forward-thinking approach, she believes, will strengthen Apothékary’s competitive advantage in the long run.
Shizu also recognizes the value of personal growth alongside business development. She’s worked with three coaches throughout her entrepreneurial journey, acknowledging that “the entrepreneurship journey is a very spiritual journey. It unlocks so many questions that you have to confront about yourself.”
By following Shizu’s advice on maintaining high profit margins, investing in creative expertise, and prioritizing R&D, entrepreneurs can build more sustainable and scalable businesses. Listen to Shizu’s full story, and gain more tactical tips on business growth on the Shopify Masters podcast.
