Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Van Leuven.
Hi Amy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A while back we started raising backyard ducks and chickens so we could have fresh eggs for our family. We soon realized what a pain it was to wash eggs! We were using things like rags and sponges that hold onto all kinds of bacteria. It was just gross for lack of a better word. So we jumped online to find an egg brush or something made specifically for cleaning backyard eggs in a simpler and more sanitary way. There wasn’t anything!
We couldn’t believe it, so we decided to make one ourselves. We began designing and making connections….finally when we were ready to bring it to the world I was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer while pregnant. Everything was put on hold. After an intense year of focusing on health and healing and bringing a new perfect baby into the world, we decided we were in a place where we could finally move forward with GoodEgg! We had a successful Kickstarter and began manufacturing. We are now selling directly to consumers and working hard on building our brand. Starting a business is hard! Thankfully we have such an amazing team and have been able to get off the ground with good momentum.
There have been a lot of lessons learned so far, but we feel so blessed to be able to pursue our dream of starting our own family business and to be able to help others. Because of our personal eye-opening experiences on this journey, we decided to create a fund called GoodEgg Gives and donate 10% of all profits to individuals and families affected by cancer. We can’t wait to see what the future holds and are always striving to do better and give more!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been bumps! From health complications to shipping delays, low supply, people infringing our patent, and making imitations of our original product…we’ve had a crash course these past few years and learned so much since starting this endeavor.
But I must say through it all our customer service has remained our top priority because we truly care about our people and appreciate their support so much. We put everything on the line for GoodEgg….all our eggs are in one basket so to speak.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Outside of my first entrepreneurial endeavor with GoodEgg, I am a therapist and specialize in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. I also love to help on film sets with my husband whenever I’m able. Bryce is an extremely talented filmmaker and director if I do say so myself. I think what I am most proud of is how we balance and support each other through our interests and passions.
We have overcome a lot together and have been to some dark places during our cancer journey. I’m so proud that we came out of that experience better stronger and more determined than ever to spread goodness. I think what sets us apart is our authenticity. We are just ourselves and infuse that into our work…and I think that resonates with people.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Well, you could say it was bad luck that I was diagnosed with cancer right before we were planning on starting our family business!
But I like to think that it all happened when it was supposed to. I’d say the best luck we’ve had has been the connections we’ve been able to make and the partnerships we’ve formed.
Contact Info:
- Website: GoodEggstuff.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodeggstuff?igsh=cHlhNzdqY2ZmaXM0
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodEggStuff.co?mibextid=LQQJ4d
