It’s a familiar problem in ecommerce: Your online store lets you reach potential clients all over the world, but the lack of a physical location keeps you from interfacing with customers directly. How do you catch the attention of and connect with your audience?

Social selling uses trust built through personal connections to sell products or services. The industry has pivoted to the digital realm, and most social selling now relies on social media platforms to create that trusting, organic connection with potential customers.

Snarky Tea was born in 2016 after working mom Jenni-Lyn Williams switched from coffee to tea as a way to cut down on caffeine. Williams found that the tea brands available in stores weren’t functional, and they also didn’t appeal to her personality. To change this, she decided to build a company that creates tea blends and other products that speak to women, empowering them to take on the world each day.

What led a customer to buy from you? It’s a simple question that becomes difficult to answer the more you start digging into it. Did they see an Instagram post or TikTok video, search for your product on Google, or open a promotional email?

The amount of plastic produced and thrown away each year has reached staggering levels. In fact, the United Nations estimates that some 400 million tons of plastic waste finds its way into landfills each year.

Many successful businesses generate enough profits to enable owners—possibly shareholders or investors, depending on the type of business—to grow their businesses and live with a sense of financial security. However, while small business owners value profits, some are willing to sacrifice a portion to have a healthier work-life balance, create a product that’s eco-friendly, or provide a service with a social mission. Each entrepreneur has a slightly different definition of what it means to achieve business success.