Loren Brill’s life got turned upside down after a scary Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in her early 20’s put her plans – including a move to LA – on hold. It was during this time that her love for healthy foods flourished into Sweet Loren’s, a company set out to make a healthier cookie. On this episode of Xero Gravity, Loren shares her incredible journey from survivor to successful entrepreneur – including how she found strength through hardship and what she’s opening her heart to in the future.

Healthy eating was always a priority for Loren who saw the connection between food and health early on in life. A priority that turned into a passion when she enrolled in nutrition and cooking classes during her chemo treatments. “I started to study nutrition because I became the authority of my own body,” she tells host Elizabeth Ü. But her search for nourishing foods plateaued at dessert – there was nothing available that was both healthy and tasty. If she wanted to satisfy her sweet tooth in a healthy way, she needed to make it herself.

When Loren started recipe testing cookies, she wasn’t set out to create a business. It was only after her friends and family began placing orders that the idea for Sweet Loren’s was born. “I had this ‘aha’ moment of like, ‘I’m not the only one who wants this,’” Loren recalls.

“I was put in a situation where everything was stripped away. It was, for better or worse, easy for me to see who I was and what got me excited and what I wanted and what was important to me. I think if you get to know yourself really well and you figure out what you’re super passionate about… Then all it really comes down to is dedication and hard work,” she continues.

So what’s on the horizon for this sweet entrepreneur? Well, this year she’s working harder than ever on growing her business but also opening the door to love. “I haven’t made it a priority. I just know when you can make things a priority, stuff happens,” shares Loren.

Tune into Xero Gravity #86 for more sweetness from Loren. You’ll hear the whole journey of making Sweet Loren’s – including writing a business plan, branding, and getting into Whole Foods (her first customer!). Plus, Loren shares why she was hesitant to tell her story at first and how yoga and travel has helped the entrepreneur de-stress and unplug.

If you enjoyed this episode, join us again next week when we chat with Jonathan Byrt and Jesse Leeworthy of memobottle. Listen in as they discuss their bromance and how crowdfunding success nearly sunk them. Be sure to check out all of our previous episodes for more small business tips, resources and insights.

You can subscribe to Xero Gravity on iTunes and SoundCloud.

What would you like to hear?

Got a topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a business expert you admire and would like to hear from? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Xero Gravity: Loren Brill – Eat, Bake, Love appeared first on Xero Blog.

Source: Xero