Today’s guest is going to knock your socks off. I had the honour of chatting with Tonia Jahshan, founder of Steeped Tea, now known as Sipology.
Steeped Tea began in a basement and became a multi million dollar Profit 500 company. That road to success had its fair share of twists and turns, ups and downs and many points along the way where passion was challenged by doubt.
Perseverance, commitment and focus are at the core of what Tonia believes not only kept her on that road, but helped her inspire those around her to stay on it with her.
Tonia is also a keynote speaker and her approach to her keynotes is humour and humility. She connects with the audience in a way that inspires them to act, rather than listen and leave. She sees her success through a frank and self-deprecating lens, unafraid to admit and share mistakes so that others can avoid them.
The ultimate goal of sharing her story is to help pave the road a little smoother for those who have a plan of their own for personal success.
You’re going to learn all about:
- How Tonia started and grew her business from tea parties to a multimillion dollar Direct Sales company
- Her roots as a preschool teacher to entrepreneurial ventures that led her to launching Steeped Tea
- How she and her husband did not draw an income until year 5 of the business
- The hardest part about building her business
- Why she chose a Direct Sales model
- How covid accelerated their company’s trajectory
- How Dragon’s Den helped catapult their business and what made their pitch Dragon Den’s model pitch
- Her journey through mental health challenges and how she is helping to destigmatize mental health
You are going to LOVE this episode. Now go get your cup of steeped tea and enjoy the show.
The Story of Sipology by Steeped Tea
It all started with a cup of tea.
In just ten short years, Tonia Jahshan, with her family by her side, has made premium loose-leaf tea the daily norm, by turning tea lovers into business owners through her direct sales company, Steeped Tea Inc.
Her journey started in 2006 with a mini vacation to a Halifax bed and breakfast, with her husband Hatem. It was here, for the first time she tried Cream of Earl Grey loose leaf tea and was blown away by the flavour. The Jahshans stocked up, returning home, wanting to share this new found love with family and friends. Sharing a cup of Cream of Earl Grey tea turned into something more and Tonia’s vision to build a direct sales company was born.
In 2012, everything aligned, when Tonia and Hatem entered CBC’s Dragons’ Den and partnered with Jim Treliving and David Chilton.
Today, Steeped Tea has millions in annual sales and thousands of Consultants across North America selling loose leaf tea and accessories. The company has been recognized year over year, as one of PROFIT 500 Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies, and Tonia was proclaimed as Canada’s #1 Female Entrepreneur by W100; received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women award and has been listed as 1 of 6 Women to Watch on forbes.com
Tonia lives in Hamilton, Ontario with her husband Hatem and three kids – Layla, Jenna, and Sami.
Links mentioned on the show
Website for Sipology: www.sipology.com
Website to hire Tonia as a keynote speaker: www.toniajahshan.com
Social media: @toniajahshan @sipology
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