Welcome to Sky’s the Limit’s Limitless! Blog Series.

Read exclusive interviews with some of the most inspirational and motivating entrepreneurs and mentors around, featuring the stories of people who inspire us and encourage us to think differently and #BeLimitless every day. We're spotlighting Founder Tatiana Gomez — we hope you enjoy her story.

And, if you’d like to hear more from Tatiana, be sure to watch Episode 4 of Season One of the Web Series Limitless! Watch it today!

Q: What inspired you to start your own business?

A: After college I went on to get my scuba diving certification and that experience totally changed my life. I decided to go plant-based and low-waste but it was quite difficult to find a store that would meet all my desired lifestyle needs. The challenges I faced while looking for food and products that aligned with my values made me want to create an ideal sustainable supermarket that is accessible to everyone, including minorities.

Q: What keeps you motivated day-to-day to keep working on your business?

A: I am motivated by the untapped environmental and social potential of the circular economy and advocating for an inclusive and sustainable future. Getting feedback from clients on how my products and services have helped them makes me want to keep going. It’s important to me to make this type of lifestyle more attractive to embrace rather than it being intimidating or overwhelming.

Q: How have mentors and other entrepreneurs played a role in moving your business forward?

A: My mentors have been my rock. When you’re getting started as a solo entrepreneur with no advisory board built out, it’s important to have a group of people that can act as a sounding board as you develop your business. I am forever grateful for those that have poured into my business and helped me get to this point the past year that I have been on the Sky's the Limit platform. 

Additionally, being part of the entrepreneurial community at Sky's the Limit has made me realize that I’m not alone on this journey. It’s great to see where others are on their entrepreneurial journey and reflect how far I have come and still how much I have to go. It’s super helpful to learn from those that have been in your shoes and walk away from those conversations with tangible action items. 

Q: What’s the #1 challenge you’ve faced, and how’d you overcome it?

A: During the pandemic, I suffered a neck and brain injury that really shook me up. The health challenges that came with this traumatic event are something no one is ready to take on, especially as you’re looking to start a business. With therapy, self-compassion, patience and consistency, while leveraging my support system, I have been able to get to a better place two years later. Life will always throw challenges at us, and it’s up to each of us to pick yourself up and shake it off. The silver lining in this event was that it made me take a step back to reflect on how I wanted to live my life moving forward and the impact I wanted to make on this planet, including launching my business.

Q: How did you approach funding for your business?

A: I am currently self-funding my business with some support from family and the Sky's the Limit Friend & Family grant. The business operates at break even and I am investing significant sweat and funds to establish the proper foundation. I am seeking additional funding through grants, accelerator programs and a crowdfunding campaign I am looking to launch in late June on the IFundWomen platform.

Q: How do you manage your time between working on your business and other aspects of your life?

A: Having an organized Google calendar is key to time management. Adding in both personal and professional tasks, calls and errands to run are ways to stay organized and hold myself accountable for what needs to get done. Sometimes I’ll time myself while I’m working on something so that I feel a sense of urgency and then give myself a 5-minute break after the timer goes off. There are studies that show that by taking small breaks throughout the day actually help improve your efficiency and concentration. 

Q: Any words of wisdom or inspiration you’d give someone just starting out?

A: It’s going to be intimidating starting out because you can’t anticipate the obstacles that will be thrown your way. The most important thing is to start. Start journaling about your business idea, start joining groups of like-minded people, start working in blocks of time in your day to educate yourself on entrepreneurship, start sharing with friends and family and start testing the idea in small ways. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself and the company because at the end of the day you’ll be setting yourself up for failure if you never quite meet those goals and eventually become discouraged. Set stretch goals, but don’t have the outcome define your meaning of what “success” looks like for you or the business.