Health from The Pleiades
When the pandemic hit, Chai Larden’s work as a live musician stopped instantly. The rising COVID-19 cases raised the question to Chai about what she could do long term to make herself healthier and boost her immune system.
After much research using BIPC resources and attending events, Chai has started up her own business, Health from The Pleiades Liquid Vitamins & Supplements, supplying liquid based vitamins and herbal supplements.
Read on for our interview with Chai.
“I’m Chai (Kai) and I’m a 37 year old singer/songwriter from Nottingham. I have two daughters who are incredible little human beings, and I am embarking on starting my own business supplying liquid based vitamins and herbal supplements. I spent a lot of my life travelling and finding adventures to have. I’ve managed successful businesses in the past, but have always worked for someone else. I love a challenge and I’m not scared of taking a chance. I’ve had to quite literally sing for my supper a few times but it’s made me the confident woman that I am today.
“I started ‘Health from The Pleiades’ because I wanted to work for myself. When the pandemic hit, live music was finished! What had become a semi regular income was stopped instantly. I started thinking about what I could do long term if our lives never went back to ‘normal’. With cases of coronavirus rising around me, I looked into what I could do to make myself healthier and how I could boost my immune system. I lost a lot of weight and started having regular exercise. I bought vitamins and herbal supplements and then I put them in my cupboard and forgot to take them everyday! I am really bad at taking tablets!”
“It was after a conversation with Natalie, one of the BIPC Advisors, that I decided to look into starting my own business providing immune boosting vitamins and herbal supplements in liquid form that you could just drop onto your tongue. I wanted to make something that looked good on your bedside table, but was also helping you to become healthier. I started a herbalist course and started growing my knowledge about vitamins and herbs and how they can be fat soluble or alcohol soluble. I looked at what strengths would be most beneficial, and built a brand that I thought looked great.
The BIPC helped me by providing a plethora of information that I needed to start this business correctly. There was information about the courses that I could do, the information that I needed to put legally on my products, how to register my business as well as taking me through COBRA where I was able to access tons of useful information to help me get started. It took me a while to get through it, but I was happy to take my time and get it right.”
Chai’s best piece of advice to aspiring business owners:
“I have been given a lot of advice on my journey to starting this business. I’ve not been too proud to ask other women that I know in business for help and advice. The best advice is to just go for it. It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all.”
Outside of her business, Chai can be found:
“At the minute you can find me with a baby attached to me 24/7. I’m starting to get back into singing live again so I’ve been rehearsing quite a bit recently.”
And most impactful book:
“A book that has definitely impacted me is ‘Black skin, white masks’ by Frantz Fanon. It looks at black identity and black psyche in a post colonial white world. It changed my whole outlook on life and gave me insight into how I feel and who I am. It’s a book that I recommend everyone read. This book made me confident and comfortable with my identity as mixed race woman.”
Follow Health from The Pleiades on Instagram, or take a look at the products on Etsy.