Marissa Ferguson is a 24-year-old entrepreneur who began her business just under 2 years ago with a vision and her iPhone. What started as a side gig turned into a full-time job in 4 short months, all thanks to shampoo… yup, shampoo. Since then, she's been able to travel freely, pick up her dream car, build fruitful savings + investments, give back more than ever, and most importantly, impact thousands of lives. This is just the beginning for Marissa as she continues to live out her God-given purpose!

• CEO Hack: Productive App
• CEO Nugget: Think about the value you're providing to people
• CEO Defined: Leading people and showing them the way

Website: https://www.soulpurpose.me/

marissaferguson.mymonat.com

IG – @marisssssa.jo

FULL INTERVIEW

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Transcription

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[00:00:02.20] – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

[00:00:29.89] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Marissa Ferguson of soulpurpose.me. Marissa, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:39.79] – Marissa Ferguson

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[00:00:42.79] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. I'm super excited to have you on as well too. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Marissa so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Marissa is a twenty-four-year-old young entrepreneur who is who began her business just under two years ago with a vision in her iPhone. What started as a side gig turned into a full-time job in four short months, all thanks to shampoo. Yes. Shampoo. Since then, she's been able to travel freely, pick up her dream car, build fruitful savings plus investments, give back more than ever, and most importantly, impact thousands of lives. This is just the beginning for Marissa as she continues to live out her god given purpose. Marissa, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:24.09] – Marissa Ferguson

I'm ready. Yes.

[00:01:25.70] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I want to hear a little bit more about the shampoo and and your CEO story. We'll let you get started with your business.

[00:01:33.20] – Marissa Ferguson

Yeah. So it all kinda goes back. I feel like with life, things play out in ways you don't imagine. So when I was younger, I always wanted to be a cosmetologist. I love doing hair and makeup, and I was set. That was what I was gonna do. Got to college and I decided, you know what? I'm gonna go into fashion. So I went into fashion and I graduated and I feel like a lot of people post-grad, they come to a crossroads and like, well, where should I move to? What should I do? And I was feeling very, very lost. So I ended up taking a gap year abroad where I worked really hard, paid off my student loans, did some travelling, and was thinking, you know what, this would be so great if I was able to travel freely and do something that I can take with me. And then this opportunity fell into my laugh and laugh, and it was through hair care of all things.

And I was like, well, I have always loved hair care, and I had a minor in entrepreneurial studies. I was planning on opening up a boutique and then this was kind of a business based around hair care and I was like, you know, this is something I can get behind and roll with, and I figured, you know what, why not give it a shot? Everyone washes their hair, it's a consumable product, and I went with it. And so I started, after my gap year and I just worked it on the side. I did get a job in the fashion industry and this just started to grow more and more seeing, people's transformations with their hair, seeing people's transformations with their income, and I felt like I was making a difference in people's lives versus where I was working. I was helping people buy, like, cheap clothes from China. I'm like, I think I'm gonna go make a more tangible difference. So I went full-time, and I've been doing it full-time since December twenty eighteen.

[00:03:15.69] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely awesome. And I think it just goes, it says so much about when you're able to step into those things that you're passionate about and you're able to go to work in them. And I think sometimes we might work more, like, in terms of hours and stuff, but when you're passionate about what you do, it doesn't seem like work ever at all. It kinda sounds like you may have had some of that same experience.

[00:03:36.30] – Marissa Ferguson

Most definitely. It never feels like work. I don't really keep set hours or anything. Mhmm. And it's been very great.

[00:03:43.69] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. You know, I love that. So I wanted to to drill down a little bit deeper. Could you take us through how you serve your clients and some of the things that you're doing?

[00:03:52.59] – Marissa Ferguson

Yes. So the way that I serve my clients, number one, is through it started with hair care and now we've expanded into skin care as well. So what I really love about our products and why I was drawn to them is that they're anti-ageing, they're vegan, they're cruelty-free and gluten-free. So they're all great products, but what I love too is that they're prescribed. And I think that's so wonderful in today's day and age because it's not a one-size-fits-all and I don't think things should be. So we have stuff for people with thin hair, thick hair, oil, dry, whatever, you know, any goals like we can help people and we prescribe a unique combo for them and their needs and their goals.

And so, that's kind of how I serve my clients is taking, okay, what is maybe a problem issue or maybe a goal that you have and let's fix that. And I can say that with confidence because of the products. They're backed by science, and extensive research and development. So when I say this is going to get rid of your frizz, it's gonna do exactly what I say it's going to do. So there's a lot of confidence there in how I can help my clients, and they love that their needs are being taken care of and that they can rely on and trust what I'm providing for them.

[00:05:08.80] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I can imagine just the expertise that you've been able to develop as you grow. Like, a lot of people would lean heavily on that. I imagine being able to have that trust and be able to say, hey. I can turn to you because I'm having x y and z problems, meaning you're able to kinda solve that with the the products that you have.

[00:05:25.69] – Marissa Ferguson

Yes. Exactly. And that's definitely helped grow the client's health as well, like when someone has a great experience, they're gonna tell their friends and that's how you begin to impact the masses.

[00:05:37.69] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And, those clients start to become those raving fans, and those raving fans are screaming from the hilltops about the great experience that they have. And when that happens, it starts to create that snowball experience, and things continue to grow. So it's definitely, great to hear that as well. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself personally or a combination of your business, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

[00:06:01.69] – Marissa Ferguson

Yeah. So the secret sauce for us goes into our formulations and because like I said, it's kind of a trend right now, the whole, like, vegan, gluten-free, all this stuff. So you have to set yourself apart in a sea of lots of hair care and skin care. So we have this really cool ingredient called Rejuvenique Oil and it is a proprietary blend blend of thirteen essential oils and it mimics our skin's natural oils. So the molecular structure of it is actually small enough that it penetrates the hair strand and penetrates your skin.

And so it can go in and heal your hair from the inside out. It delivers those nutrients and proteins that it needs. So no other haircare company on the market can penetrate like we do at all. There's their molecular structure is too big, so they just sit and coat. So that's, like, the number one thing and why people see amazing results with the products that we have is because it actually can go in and breathe life into it and heal and restore and strengthen most of all. So that is our number one secret sauce. We call it our liquid gold or rejuvenate oil and it's in all our products. So that is our little secret.

[00:07:11.39] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And then the secret is now out, so I appreciate you for sharing that with us and helping us, you know, again, kinda rejuvenate from internally, as you said, where I think so many times, you know, just on many levels of life, but definitely, obviously, your hair and your skin, you wanna make sure that you're using things that are in alignment with who we are, not necessarily sounds like damaging our body. So having those essential oils and those aspects in the ingredients of the products helps to do it to to get the desired result, but do it in kind of a healthy way as well.

[00:07:42.89] – Marissa Ferguson

A hundred per cent. And I'm a huge firm believer that you can have amazing hair, skin, and everything from a natural place. You don't have to use a lot of chemicals or anything like that. What the earth has given us is more than enough.

[00:07:56.60] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. We have everything we need right here, so I absolutely appreciate that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:08:10.80] – Marissa Ferguson

Yes. So I actually discovered this app maybe three months ago, but it's the app called Productive and it's cool because you can create little habits or tasks for yourself. You can set them in the morning, you can set them with little emojis and colours if you're a visual person like me. So I have lots of tasks throughout my days of, like, let's say 8 AM walk, 9 AM checking emails, names.

So you can set your day up with certain tasks allotted for a certain allotted amount of time and I find that to be very helpful and you slide when you're done with the task. So you create streaks and so you wanna create those healthy habits and so when you get into that streak mode of like, wow, you've completed every single one for seven days, it's a great feeling. So that helped me get into creating healthy habits because as someone self-employed, it's very easy to lose track of time and you have to be very self-disciplined. So I find that this app helps keep me on track on what my goals are for the day, for the week, for the month, and I highly recommend it to anyone who maybe has trouble, you know, juggling all the things or trying to find a balance. This is a great app.

[00:09:23.29] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. As every entrepreneur and business owner is probably shaking their head, we're always juggling so many things. So I think any kinda hack that we have that's available to us to be able to not to be able to see what those big goals are, but kinda work backwards and be able to take it step by step by step and be able to get and stay true to those tasks is increasingly important. And it a phone app or is it also a smartphone app? Is it also on a desktop as well too?

[00:09:49.50] – Marissa Ferguson

Yep. You could do either. I just use it on my phone. It's easiest. But I think there is a desktop version as well.

[00:09:55.39] – Gresham Harkless

Okay. Perfect. Yeah. I hadn't heard of that, so I'm definitely gonna check that out as well too because who doesn't want to be productive? Who doesn't need to be productive in this day and age? So I appreciate that, that the hack. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So that could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell yourself if you were to hop into a time machine.

[00:10:16.89] – Marissa Ferguson

I would say the number one thing is to think about what value you are providing to people. I think a lot of businesses, that's where they start with is how can I serve someone? And I think when you come from that place in your heart of, like, I want to wake up today and serve someone well and make a difference in their life, I feel like that is that little golden nugget of a very successful business because people wanna be served. They want you to make their life easier. So if you can solve a solution or if you can just help them feel more confident or whatever it is, I feel like you have your golden nugget right there.

[00:10:53.70] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. It's incredibly powerful to be able to have, that, I guess, power to to be able to do that and create that, kinda energetic, I guess, domino effect to some degree when you're able to make those impacts into people's lives. And it makes so much sense based on your story and how, you got to you know, all the awesome things you're doing now is to to make sure that, you know, we're being of value, we're being of impact, and we're we're kinda leading first with that. And then all those other things kinda fall in alignment, it sounds.

[00:11:22.60] – Marissa Ferguson

Yes. A hundred per cent. When you put someone else first, they're gonna pay you back ten times full every time.

[00:11:28.70] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And we forget sometimes the business and the people that we're serving as well too are made up of people, and we're all trying to be of value, to be successful, to make an impact. I think when we get down to that humanistic aspect and really start to showcase that in our business and our actions, it really takes everything to another level.

[00:11:48.50] – Marissa Ferguson

Yeah. I couldn't agree more.

[00:11:50.50] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO, and we're hoping to have different quote CEOs on this show. So Marissa, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:12:02.00] – Marissa Ferguson

To me, kind of encompassing what I said earlier, I think a CEO is someone who leads by impacting others. Others. Like, if you can lead other people whether it's based on an idea, or a solution, like taking something and running with it and leading people, like that is a CEO. It doesn't matter, you know, if it's haircare, if it's food, or gym, or whatever, but lead people and show them the way. I think that is what being a CEO is.

[00:12:30.70] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I love, you know when I was reading your bio as well, talking about the god given purpose as well too because I feel as well that, we're all given certain gifts and talents and to be able to lean into those and to lead people in the best way that we can according to who we are and the gifts that we've been given. It's an incredibly powerful thing, and it's something I think that we all should do. So I think the best way to do it is to do it yourself, to teach other people to do it, and I appreciate you for doing that.

[00:13:00.39] – Marissa Ferguson

Yeah. Definitely. You're gonna attract your vibe and your tribe and they're gonna be drawn to what you have to offer and they're gonna want to be led by you and follow in your footsteps.

[00:13:11.10] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. I often say that you can't lose if you're running your own race. So if you're staying true to yourself and you're running your race, then you will see many people that are chanting and wanting to be with you and then to cheer on and follow you as well. So truly appreciate that definition, Marissa. Appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out all awesome things you're working on.

[00:13:38.00] – Marissa Ferguson

Sure. Yeah. So one thing I want to leave you guys with because I think it's so important, is, like, I love that analogy you just gave about running your race. You're gonna find people cheering you on. So find your support system, people who are gonna be encouraging you because there are gonna be those hard days like days you feel like giving up. But, like, if you have a solid support system of people who, you know, breathe into you and, like, hey, what is your why? Why did you start this? Like, that grounds you and bring you back.

That will make a huge difference because mindset is everything. I always say whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. So you have to have a very strong mindset. So personal development is huge and having, supporters are everything. So I wanna leave you guys with that. The best way to reach me, I'm happening on Instagram all the time. It's Marisa.jo. And soulpurpose.me is our website and you can learn more about us, by reaching out. But, yeah, thank you so much for having me. This was fun.

[00:14:44.29] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on, and we will have the links and information in the show notes. So appreciate all the awesome things you're doing. And I think, as you said, you know, being so aware of your community, who you have around you can determine how successful you are. So just make sure that you're you're pouring the right people and the things into your your body, obviously, but also in your mind as well. It's so important to kinda be successful and to have that peace and reach our goals. So I appreciate that reminder as well too, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:15:12.50] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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