Today we’d like to introduce you to Jada Gonzales.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jada. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I graduated from college in 2014, I moved to Oahu, Hawaii. After starting I adventuring there, I began to free dive and got very into underwater photography. Hawaii has some of the clearest and most beautiful water to dive in, and soon I found myself diving every single weekend with my best friend. Eventually, I got scuba dive certified through PADI, and even got my specialty certification for Digital Underwater Photography. Spending all of this time in the ocean made me extremely connected to it, and fueled my fire for keeping our oceans and beaches clean. Sometimes on Oahu, we would go to the beach and find small pieces of plastic and trash on it that came from the mainland. It broke my heart. When I moved to Texas in 2018, I vowed that I would stop using single use plastic as much as I could in my life. One initiative that I started that I knew I could take immediate action on was starting to use bar soap. So, I ordered all the materials I needed and whipped up my first batch. I shared my bars on social media just in hope that others would pick up on the idea and switch to bar soap themselves. After getting some awesome feedback and support from my family and friends, I opened up Sea Clear Soap Co. to help them also make the switch to bar soap. Although it is a small lifestyle change, each bar make sure there is one less bottle of body wash or hand soap in the ocean. That was my whole goal! I am ecstatic to have the support of the community and raise awareness of something that will impact the earth for generations to come.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been an easy road! Opening the shop was a financial struggle in the first place as I was new to town, back in school, and working part time. But, opening the shop meant helping the ocean which made me feel more connected to Oahu, and that was very important to me. The financial sacrifices have been worth it and I know I am slowly making the impact I envisioned.
Sea Clear Soap Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Jada is a diver from Oahu, Hawaii, and is deeply connected to the ocean and beaches. Sea Clear Soap Co. was created on a mission to keep less single use plastics out of our oceans. We are a simple company, solely owned and operated by Jada Gonzales, and we make and sell natural bar soaps in hopes that our customers will make the switch from normal body wash to bar soap. Each bar keeps one less single use plastic out of our oceans. What sets us apart from others is that mission- to keep our earth and oceans clean. We provide beautiful and natural soaps for our customers that are high quality and simple.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is defined by the goal. The goal of my company was to raise awareness of the debris in our oceans, and educate the community on the small impacts they can make by making changes to their lifestyle. Success to me would be to educate as many people as I could about making this small yet impactful change to bar soap and make it a normal, household way of life.
Personally, to me, success is defined by your everyday efforts to make your goals happen. Goals are a collection of days, weeks, and sometimes years of work. Success is the end of all of that work… and the beginning. Success is working and never giving up until those goals are reached.
Pricing:
- All bars are always under $12
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeaClearSoapCo
- Phone: 7144024663
- Email: jadamgonzales@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/seaclearsoapco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeaClearSoapCo/
Image Credit:
Kelly Cugini, Esther Kim, Jada Gonzales
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