Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie O’Shea.
Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the Founder, CEO of Equilife CBD and First Cut Organics. My journey into health is actually as a Registered Nurse. I graduated from the University of Miami almost 24 years ago and actually began working with patients years before that. I love helping people and have always had a deep interest in using whats available in nature for healing.
Health Care has always been my calling. If I wasn’t caring for people I was rescuing and doctoring animals (of all kinds) much to the dismay of my parents and grandparents as these animals frequently made it into the house (even a pony or two). When patients started coming into the practice and asking about CBD and why some brands worked and while others didn’t; I began to do some research (one of my other favorite things to do).
That is how Equilife CBD began. I wanted to give patients an option that they could count on to be available and that they could trust what was actually in the bottle! Some of these patients are First Responders and Military personnel and could not afford to fail a drug test so sourcing was very important and earning the trust of our customers was of huge importance to me.
I then took everything I had learned along the way and brought that knowledge into the barn where I created a line of products for horses that are held to the same high standard as human products. Thankfully I have seen the same great success with the horses and the humans! I continue to develop products for both humans and horses and LOVE what I do!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been smooth at all but one of the greatest lessons life has taught me is that nothing worth having comes easy! All of this has been a learning process for me. I learned a lot about manufacturing, bottling, labels, what the laws are about labeling products, and how quickly all of those can change! I am constantly learning and evolving and coming up with new ideas.One of my favorite parts of all of this learning is the people you meet along the way.
Some of the biggest struggles have been how to bring new ideas to life. It’s often a long process but well worth seeing your idea come to fruition after all of the hard work. Another one of my biggest struggles (if not THE biggest) is that we cannot advertise CBD or hemp products the way most other things are advertised. CBD cannot be advertised on Facebook, or Google Ads and we definitely cannot sell on Amazon; so CBD and hemp companies have had to get a bit creative in advertising.
We’ve been impressed with Equilife CBD and First Cut Organics, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Equilife CBD is a line of hemp-based CBD products for people. We try to maintain a natural yet potent product line that is constantly evolving. We are extremely involved in the creation process of all of our products from scent profiles and consistency of lotion, to flavors and strengths of oils, and gummies.
The thing that makes us stand apart from others is that we want to know our customers. We want to hear your stories and we want to help you through the whole healing process! We love to get to know what your goals with CBD are and how we can help you achieve them. We also love to teach you and answer any questions you may have about CBD and how it can help you. With an extensive medical background, I am in a unique position to help guide you through the process and help get you feeling better.
As the Founder, and CEO of First Cut organics as well I want to get to know you and your horses! We have seen such great results with our horse product and love all of the success stories. We don’t just want to sell you something, we want you and your horses to feel and perform better!
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I love this question! So many people equate money with success yet the most unhappy people I have ever met are some of the wealthiest. My version of success comes from customers sharing their stories about how they are feeling better physically and or emotionally, how they are sleeping better, having less pain, and can do things they haven’t been able to in some time.
Pricing:
- Gummies $40
- Lotions $60
- Oils $80-$160
- Horse Product $79-$199
Contact Info:
- Website: www.equilifecbd.com
- Instagram: @equilifecbd
- Facebook: @FirstCutOrganics
- Other: www.FirstCutOrganics.com
Image Credits
Stephanie Suarez Photography
