About Us
Life Elements is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and is committed to implementing responsible
environmental practices and awareness. As part of our commitment, we maintain a variety of responsible
environmental programs in our everyday business, such as using recyclable packaging for our products, recycled
paper for printing, recycled cardboard boxes and packing materials for shipments, we keep our thermostat down
in the winter by insulating the windows, we've cut our vehicle usage by riding our bicycles. But it doesn't stop
there...we will further our efforts as we continue to grow and learn of new alternatives and remain committed to
the education of global sustainability.
With environmental awareness, comes responsible purchasing. We support local and global sustainability in the
production and the growing of the raw materials within our ingredients. The sourcing of these raw materials is
done with integrity and practices that benefit the people who grow them and the environment they are grown in.
environmental practices and awareness. As part of our commitment, we maintain a variety of responsible
environmental programs in our everyday business, such as using recyclable packaging for our products, recycled
paper for printing, recycled cardboard boxes and packing materials for shipments, we keep our thermostat down
in the winter by insulating the windows, we've cut our vehicle usage by riding our bicycles. But it doesn't stop
there...we will further our efforts as we continue to grow and learn of new alternatives and remain committed to
the education of global sustainability.
With environmental awareness, comes responsible purchasing. We support local and global sustainability in the
production and the growing of the raw materials within our ingredients. The sourcing of these raw materials is
done with integrity and practices that benefit the people who grow them and the environment they are grown in.
| Our Mission: to reduce, reuse, recycle |
Life Elements, Inc. is a company I created after spending over 25 years in technology and realizing life was passing me by - fast!
In my last job I was the national sales rep for a public safety technology company. This meant I was spending 75% of my time on the road –taking
planes, trains and automobiles to destinations throughout the country visiting jails, prisons and detention centers. Several times I had to wear a
raincoat while walking through these places in order to avoid spit and other bodily fluids that were being thrown as I walked through the buildings. (One
would think it would be during one of those moments that I would wake up and realize there was more to life…but no, it took a while.)
My awakening came one night on my way to Plumas County, California. Earlier that day, I had driven to six different appointments through four different
counties. That evening, as I was driving, exhausted, on a two lane “highway” in the middle of nowhere, lined with six foot snow embankments and no
cell coverage, I nearly drove off the road. As I skid across the other lane, it hit me--if I crashed, no one would know. When the car finally stopped, and I
started breathing again, I realized that had I died, my company would just simply hire someone else—I was dispensable to them. The worst was that I
had given more of myself to them than to my own family. And for what?
Two hours later, arriving in Plumas really exhausted, hungry, emotionally drained and with no place to stay (there aren’t many “hotels” in Plumas), I
called my husband, Curt; and crying I said "I'm going to quit tomorrow". He was silent for a minute, just listening. I couldn’t imagine what he was
thinking. After all, we had just gotten married, he had just changed jobs and we had just moved from San Diego to Atascadero. And here I was--
wanting to make another life changing move. All he said was “ok, what are you going to do?” I didn’t know; I didn’t have an answer.
In the morning, when I found myself in a "bed & breakfast", which was actually a double wide trailer sitting over a dried creek bed with a quarter machine
on the bed (which was suppose to create a babbling brook feeling under the trailer), I called my boss and told him I didn’t want to do it anymore, I quit.
In shock, all he could say was “ok, what are you going to do?” Again, I didn’t have an answer.
But it didn’t take long for the answer to come to me. As I mulled over all my options, I realized that I had always been fascinated with herbal remedies,
aromatherapy and beauty products. I was also frustrated there weren’t many products on the market that Curt and I could enjoy together. So I set
forth to learn how to create the products I wanted, get them manufactured and get them to market. But there was much more to it than that. There
was establishing the business, finding the capital, learning how to import/export, marketing, public speaking, PR…and more! That’s when I contacted our
local Economic Development Corp (EVC) and SCORE for assistance.
It took me a year to learn what I needed to in order to launch our first product line. It was a long year—a year of learning and a year of pain. This was
the year my mom was diagnosed with cancer for which her treatments lasted close to a year too—only to have her pass away three days before my
national launch at the New York Gift Show. The pain from her passing only fueled my desire to continue developing products that can help bring the
entire family together!
So to those that have a dream, a desire or even a spark of interest in starting a business—I say go for it. Get in the game because you’re never going to
realize that dream by sitting on your couch or working for someone else. I’m not going to lie to you…it’s often frustrating, you’re constantly questioning
yourself and you struggle. But if you stick to it, get a mentor and utilize all the benefits that the EVC and other groups such as SCORE have to offer, you’ll
make it!
In my last job I was the national sales rep for a public safety technology company. This meant I was spending 75% of my time on the road –taking
planes, trains and automobiles to destinations throughout the country visiting jails, prisons and detention centers. Several times I had to wear a
raincoat while walking through these places in order to avoid spit and other bodily fluids that were being thrown as I walked through the buildings. (One
would think it would be during one of those moments that I would wake up and realize there was more to life…but no, it took a while.)
My awakening came one night on my way to Plumas County, California. Earlier that day, I had driven to six different appointments through four different
counties. That evening, as I was driving, exhausted, on a two lane “highway” in the middle of nowhere, lined with six foot snow embankments and no
cell coverage, I nearly drove off the road. As I skid across the other lane, it hit me--if I crashed, no one would know. When the car finally stopped, and I
started breathing again, I realized that had I died, my company would just simply hire someone else—I was dispensable to them. The worst was that I
had given more of myself to them than to my own family. And for what?
Two hours later, arriving in Plumas really exhausted, hungry, emotionally drained and with no place to stay (there aren’t many “hotels” in Plumas), I
called my husband, Curt; and crying I said "I'm going to quit tomorrow". He was silent for a minute, just listening. I couldn’t imagine what he was
thinking. After all, we had just gotten married, he had just changed jobs and we had just moved from San Diego to Atascadero. And here I was--
wanting to make another life changing move. All he said was “ok, what are you going to do?” I didn’t know; I didn’t have an answer.
In the morning, when I found myself in a "bed & breakfast", which was actually a double wide trailer sitting over a dried creek bed with a quarter machine
on the bed (which was suppose to create a babbling brook feeling under the trailer), I called my boss and told him I didn’t want to do it anymore, I quit.
In shock, all he could say was “ok, what are you going to do?” Again, I didn’t have an answer.
But it didn’t take long for the answer to come to me. As I mulled over all my options, I realized that I had always been fascinated with herbal remedies,
aromatherapy and beauty products. I was also frustrated there weren’t many products on the market that Curt and I could enjoy together. So I set
forth to learn how to create the products I wanted, get them manufactured and get them to market. But there was much more to it than that. There
was establishing the business, finding the capital, learning how to import/export, marketing, public speaking, PR…and more! That’s when I contacted our
local Economic Development Corp (EVC) and SCORE for assistance.
It took me a year to learn what I needed to in order to launch our first product line. It was a long year—a year of learning and a year of pain. This was
the year my mom was diagnosed with cancer for which her treatments lasted close to a year too—only to have her pass away three days before my
national launch at the New York Gift Show. The pain from her passing only fueled my desire to continue developing products that can help bring the
entire family together!
So to those that have a dream, a desire or even a spark of interest in starting a business—I say go for it. Get in the game because you’re never going to
realize that dream by sitting on your couch or working for someone else. I’m not going to lie to you…it’s often frustrating, you’re constantly questioning
yourself and you struggle. But if you stick to it, get a mentor and utilize all the benefits that the EVC and other groups such as SCORE have to offer, you’ll
make it!
How We Started
Martha Van Inwegen
President
President
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Copyright © 2011 Life Elements, Inc. All rights reserved.