Sara Griffiths of Wren & Company: Getting An Upgrade; How Anyone Can Build Habits For Optimal Wellness, Performance, & Focus

Waking up early is probably the healthiest habit you could create for yourself. It typically means that you are in bed at a decent hour. You have time to start your day, prepare, read your emails, plan out your day and do your daily routine.

As a part of our series about “How Anyone Can Build Habits For Optimal Wellness, Performance, & Focus”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Griffiths.

Sara Griffiths, the founder of trendy CBD brand Wren & Company, always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. Growing up, her mom was a single parent working 8 to 5 and supporting three kids. Sara knew she did not want the same life. Wren & Company began because of Sara’s curiosity for the hemp plant and the desire to help people. Sara’s passion for CBD piqued from her personal experience of suffering with carpal tunnel pain in both of her wrists. Tired of being prescribed the same 800 mg Ibuprofen, Sara set out to find a better solution. From her tiny kitchen in her Newport Beach apartment, Sara began crafting a “CBD Tiger Balm.” After the balm started to reduce her wrist pain, Sara knew she was on to something. Sara began work with a local lab and continued to perfect the product — about a year of formulating and manufacturing later — Sara was confident that her product, La Crème, was the finest crafted topical CBD product available on the market. Sara has big plans for Wren & Company and is confident that she has only begun scratching the surface of what’s to come.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I grew up with my mom who was a single parent of three kids. I was not by any means spoiled. I certainly had everything I needed but not much extra. My mom always taught me to work for what I wanted, and she always helped push me in the right direction. I have always been ambitious. I went to college, got a degree in marketing and knew that I wanted to get into sales. Once I achieved all of those goals, I started to get antsy and think about what’s next? My world can’t possibly stop here. With no experience in the CBD and skincare industry I’ve always had a passion for self-care and beauty. I knew I wanted to create something. The first business idea that I came up with was a company called Glamirrorus. The idea behind Glamirrorus was a vanity mirror meant for creating makeup tutorials. With lack of planning and poor execution, Glamirrorus did not go far. I cut my losses quickly and moved on to start Wren & Company.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

After high school I took some time off to have fun. Like a good mom, my mom really encouraged me to go to college. Setting a four-year goal in your early 20’s sounds like an eternity, but I took her advice. I created a plan to go to college and get a degree in marketing because I knew that I wanted to get into sales. Four years later I graduated and am so glad that I did because it taught me that I can do anything I want, if I set a goal and work for it. I landed a job in sales and then started wondering what was next for me. So, I started dreaming up new goals.

I’ve always been creative and had a passion for self-care and beauty. My first entrepreneurial idea was to create a company called Glamirrorus, that would manufacture a mirror fit for filming makeup tutorials. After an unsuccessful attempt, fear of taking risks — and my dreams for Glamirrorus — started to dwindle.

Shortly after that I started Wren & Company. I’ve always been curious about the hemp plant and prefer natural methods of medicine. The first product I created was a “ CBD Tiger Balm,” out of the kitchen of my tiny Newport Beach apartment. I started handing out the product to my Friends and family and kept getting awesome feedback. I knew I was on to something.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

I have been influenced by some highly successful people who taught me things like, stop trying to make your product and company perfect, just get it out there and figure it out as you go. This advice is so true. Oftentimes I felt like everything had to be perfect before I could have a successful company. There are so many companies out there that never launch because of this. The truth is that there is always going to be room for improvement, and you have to get your product or service out there so that you can figure out how to make it better.

My mom is the strongest figure in my life. I am so grateful for her. She truly has impacted my life more than any other human being and she has given me the tools to be driven, courageous and confident. She is by far my number one hype man.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

The biggest mistake I have made in my career is being afraid to fail. If you don’t put yourself out there to either sink or swim, you are not growing. Another entrepreneur once told me to get out there and start making mistakes, because I will learn from them.

The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?

Just like a plant, it takes time to grow. You don’t get to expect immediate results, but overtime if you water the plant, it will flourish. So, keep plugging away every day and do something towards growing your business. If you have a setback, take a day to mourn that setback and then dust yourself off and start watering your plant again.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

There is a book called Peaks and Valleys. This book is great and teaches you that peaks are the moments where you appreciate what you have, and valleys are the moments where you long for what is missing. The moral of the story teaches you that it is natural for everyone to have peaks and valleys in order to have a healthy life. In order to have more peaks, you must maintain the moments in the valley well. The wise things you do in the bad times are what shapes the good times; the errors that you do in the good times shape the bad times. This taught me to keep moving forward even if I’m discouraged in the valley because one day I will be back up at the peak.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

I saw a quote from Jim Carrey that I fell in love with. “The older I get, the more I realize that no one has any idea of what they are actually doing, and everyone is just pretending.”

Nowadays, when you see what everyone is doing on social media, you think wow they have a following and have it all figured out. But the truth is, that they don’t have it all figured out. They had to figure it out as they went. What sets them apart, is that they put themselves out there and gave it a shot. Most people are afraid to do this.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

I am working on adding new products to our line. We are offering a new CBD gummy and a higher dose of our CBD tincture oils. These products can help with relaxation, recovery, sleep, anxiety and the list goes on!

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. This will be intuitive to you but it will be helpful to spell this out directly. Can you help explain a few reasons why it is so important to create good habits? Can you share a story or give some examples?

Creating good habits is so important!

To be a part of the top 1% of producers, you have to set healthy habits for yourself.

Waking up early is probably the healthiest habit you could create for yourself. It typically means that you are in bed at a decent hour. You have time to start your day, prepare, read your emails, plan out your day and do your daily routine.

I also make working out a few times a week a priority. I typically am working all day long, and when I work out that day, I feel that I did something good for myself.

Consistency is key and another healthy habit is to stay consistent.

How have habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?

I wore most of the hats during the infancy stages of Wren & company and I made it a point to do something for Wren every single day. No matter how big or small it was, it did not matter because over time, I knew I was going to be thankful for the progression.

Speaking in general, what is the best way to develop good habits? Conversely, how can one stop bad habits?

I think the best way to develop good habits is to set a goal. know where you are at, and where you want to be. Understand the sacrifice that it will take to get you where you need to be and keep plugging away. I’ve found the journey to be so fun and rewarding!

Let’s talk about creating good habits in three areas, Wellness, Performance, and Focus. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum wellness. Please share a story or example for each.

I work out for wellness. I feel the best if I take care of my mind and body with a workout before I spend the rest of the day working.

In order to perform well, I need at least seven full hours of sleep. I make sure to get to bed at a decent hour during my work nights.

In order to stay focused, I believe you must set a goal. Once you have your goals figured out, all you have to do is keep chasing the goal and you would be surprised how you can achieve it.

Can you help explain some practices that can be used to develop those habits?

Plan out your calendar for the week ahead of time. Also write down a to do list for the week. These two practices will help you optimize your time.

As a leader, you likely experience times when you are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, and that is meaningful. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a state of Flow more often in our lives?

Owning your own business is so fulfilling. It is scary, fun, challenging, emotional but most importantly, it’s yours and creates a fiery passion from within you. To create the flow, you must stay consistent in your efforts and know the goals you want to achieve. Once things start moving in your business the flow state of mind will come.

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would encourage the youth to stay close with God. It is scary to put yourself out there and to be vulnerable for the world to judge. I couldn’t imagine life without God at the core of my foundation. When I am unsure of which direction to go, I pray to God and trust that his way for me is what is meant for me.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can check us out on our website. WrenCompany.com

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.