#WIB–Q&A With Michelle Campbell Founder Of Green Cat Organic Health
1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
A. My business is called Green Cat Organic Health. We are an integrated health care solution business, which comprises physical stores, agents and stockists and an online store. We consult, create health care treatment protocols, dispense medication, and offer modalities such as doctors consultations, nutrition advice, rife treatments, body scans, healing massage, reiki / energy healing, and more recently we are now also offering aesthetic treatments. Our core focus is to treat the mind, body and soul of the patient and to trigger in them the ability to heal themselves.
We seek to educate our patients on exactly what the picture of their health is, and we take them on a journey to perfect health and wellness. Our motto is first do no further harm. All of our products and modalities are pure, natural, organic, vegan and cruelty free. We specialise in the more serious cases such as cancers and auto-immune disorders but treat any ailment from acne to weight loss.
Our product range consists of over 100 products, all created and produced by myself and are made entirely from scratch. We source our herbs from all over the world and our products have already treated and changed the lives of hundreds of people and animals.
2. When, how and why did you start your business?
A. I have been a green health advocate my entire adult life and have cured myself of some nasty illnesses and one near death from septicemia in the past by treating myself the natural way. I am a firm believer that plants heal people (and animals) and for every chemical and hormone the body is able to produce, we find perfectly mimicked in nature.
We only need to go and find it and process it into a form the body can use. For most of my adult life, I have made herbal remedies for friends and family and four years ago, when I noticed the laws starting to relax around the controversial use of cannabis oil, I decided to start making it again and selling it in my local community.
Through the years I have personally experienced, seen and heard about the miraculous healing powers of the cannabis plant when used medicinally. I ordered a botanical extractor online from the States and started to produce oils again from the kitchen in my home. During this time, I had also just adopted a small black rescued kitten who I named Luna. When I would make oils, Luna would always be present as if he was giving of his energy to the oils I was making. I decided to give the brand I was making a name, and Black Cat Organic Health Products was born. Someone joked with me at the time, and asked me what I would do if Tiger brands decided to sue me over the use of the name, as their product is called Black Cat peanut butter.
I said that if I ever got that big that it got me on their radar, I would see it as an honour. Be careful what you wish for!! 11 months later I received an attorneys letter from Tiger brands demanding I change the name immediately. After much thought, I decided to change one design element and we evolved into Green Cat Organic Health. At the time I was living in St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape and was only making one product, namely CBD oil.
I would have customers knocking on my door day and night looking for the product, so I realised it was time to open my first store. In January, I opened store number 4 in Port Elizabeth, with other stores in Cape Town, Jeffrey’s Bay, and St Francis Bay. I also have a pop up store in Camps Bay, several outlets stocking our products and approximately 70 agents around the country selling our products. Our product range is now over 100 products and we are continually coming up with new products as the market demands. I also have 5 staff members and 3 store owners I am now in partnership with. It has not always been easy. We have had to tweak the recipe of the cannabis oil somewhat, to stay within the current legal parameters but not lose its healing properties.
I long to see the day when this plant has no further restrictions placed on it so we can properly explore its healing capabilities. Our other products consist of other healing herbs, used in different combinations. We now have a production factory in Cape St Francis in the Eastern Cape.
3. What is your role in the business?
A. I remain the creator and founder of the business and I still consult with customers but my role has evolved into being the face of the brand and moving the brand forward. I am still involved in the creation and testing of new products as well as recruiting and training agents and the rollout of new stores.
4. Where did you study and what did you study?
A. I am from a PR background and that was my career for most of my adult life. I always had the green health aspect running in the background and my studies were completed online over a number of years at different stages of my life. I have a qualification in Ayurvedic medicine to consult and dispense and in herbalism. Ayurvedic medicine is the oldest form of medicine/healing on the planet and started in India over 5000 years ago.
It focuses on mind, body and soul healing and shows us how these three are connected. Disease and illness starts in the Spirit, takes hold in the mind and then manifests in the body. It’s imperative that we treat all three or the illness will persist. I am adding to my qualifications all of the time and I never stop researching and learning about the body and how it works.
5. How did you finance your business?
A. I started with approximately R10000 to buy the botanical extractor and the first batch of dry herbs I needed. I then used those sales to expand as I went along. For the past four years, most of what the business has made has gone straight back, as I have seen this as the foundation phase of the legacy I am creating. I have also used some of the bank’s money at times to buy stock and equipment and have sold shares in my stores to open them. I also acquired agents very early on to sell my products and used the money from their sales to further the business’s growth and expansion.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
- Communicating and training my agents
- Dealing with production and stock purchases
- Consulting with patients
- Creating treatment protocols for patients
- Reiki sessions
- Visiting my stores
- Answering emails and social media enquiries
- Experimenting with new ingredients and products
- Researching
- Creating marketing and PR campaigns
7. How do you balance your home life and your work life
A. I have had to learn that downtime is just as important as being productive and has to be viewed as part of the same cycle. I like to keep fit so I gym every morning, I run a few times a week and I start and end each day in prayer and meditation. I also have 6 rescued animals who rely on me for their existence, and I find that this is the best distraction from work. I have learnt to read my energy levels and if I feel myself depleting too quickly, I will take a break.
I try to allocate at least one day a week to doing absolutely nothing work related and give my mind a chance to wonder about other topics. I find that regular social media detoxes are absolutely essential as well as learning some techniques to rid yourself of the energy you have collected during the course of the day. Often when we feel tired and drained, it is not because of the tasks performed or even the hours put into it, but rather what we are energetically subjected to.
If you are someone who works in an environment with many people, especially if that environment is toxic or negative, you are going to be permanently drained from the energy exchange. I have also learnt the valuable lesson of doing what you love for a living and you will never have to work a day in your life! I am passionate about what I do, so don’t see it as work, but I do find that I need to guard against energy depletion.
8. What drives you and inspires you?
A. There is nothing more inspiring than to receive a message from a patient or a loved one, to tell you that your products saved their lives or changed their lives in some profound way. To see our customers heal and transform their health is the biggest reward for me. As an animal lover, it also gives me great pleasure that our products are used by many pet owners who are seeing amazing results.
There have been some cases which have really touched my heart and have kept me going on the difficult and challenging days. Ever since I can recall, I have had a need and a desire to heal. I am a healer to my core and to get to live my life’s mission and be in alignment with my purpose is the most rewarding feeling in the world. I have gravitated to the most challenging cases. Where the patient has already been written off, or sent home to die. These are the cases I love to work on. I challenge and defy conventional medicine which merely treats symptoms, whereas I treat the mind, body and soul and get to the root cause of the illness. I have a burning desire to make a difference in the world, and when I heal others I am also healing myself. I have grown and shifted immensely through this journey.
This is God’s business and I am merely the instrument. All of my products and modalities have been co-created during prayer and meditation or come to me in my dream state. I have had many past life regression sessions and I have always been a healer. I believe that I am here at this time, to fulfil my role and mission on the planet during this time and I am pretty sure that I regularly tap into knowledge learnt from past lives. This is incredibly thrilling for me!
9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
A. During meditation, while exercising, spending time with my animals or loved ones, Pretty much any time my vibration is high and I am in a state to receive downloads from the Universe. I am often woken up at 3 am, and I know to grab my moleskin and pen as I am about to create a special recipe from messages received. I am often asked where I get the ideas for some of the combinations of my products as they are so unique. Very often I will simply wake up with these recipes in my head, with the utmost conviction that they will work. I can only imagine these were tried and tested in past lifetimes… ha~!
10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
A. Social media, SEO, in store promotions, agents, word of mouth, PR campaigns, talks.
11. What is next for your business?
A. Recently we added a body scanning device to our list of offerings which scans the entire system and gives us a complete picture as to exactly what is going on with the person’s health, right down to the last nutrient deficiency. It even completes an emotional matrix and can give us a picture of the emotional state of mind. This means no more guessing or expensive, inconclusive results, but we can diagnose with accuracy. We have also added a rife machine which as with the body scan, uses quantum healing to eradicate the body of any disease or unhealthy cells.
Together with our products and energy healing, there is absolutely no disease or illness, at any stage which we cannot treat. This is how our forefathers treated us and this is our treatment of the future. Then, once the person is healthy again and feeling better, we have the ability to assist with the natural aesthetics side, so that their outer appearance can make their inner health. I have a goal of 10 stores by the end of 2021 and have already started the process of looking into exporting our products.
12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
A. Find your calling. Each one of us has one. When you align yourself with that calling, magic starts to happen. Do not be afraid to fail. It is all part of the cycle to success. The Jewish people believe that you have to fail 12 times before you succeed. When you follow your life path, those meant to assist you will appear exactly when they are meant to. Create a long-term plan and break that down into bite sizes achievable goals, but also allow for deviations in that plan. Keep going, never ever give up on your calling.
It is why you are here and when you honour your calling, the heavens conspire to make it happen. Work smart. Alignment is the new hustle. Learn to manifest and how the Law of Attraction works. Start where you are with what you have. Keep building, keep aligning and stay in a constant state of gratitude. Do not listen to the naysayers. They have been placed on your path to deter you. If your idea or business is not aligned to the greater good of the planet or helping humanity in some way, it is doubtful that it will take off. Find a way to incorporate your business idea into helping humanity by adding a strong social upliftment angle. Always, always give back where you can.
Short Bio:
Michelle is also a qualified herbalist. She travels all over the country giving talks on green health and the use of CBD oil in health and wellness. Green Cat produces CBD-based medicinal products, currently treating hundreds of humans and animals countrywide.
Michelle has been in green health for 23 years and is a Cannabis advocate. She qualified in Ayurveda (Indian medicine and the oldest in the world at 5 000 years old and herbalism) – which is why she decided to focus on helping others, hence establishing Green Cat Organic Health.
During the pandemic, Michelle’s business has expanded due to the demand for these products. It’s become at the forefront of the medical cannabis industry in SA and Michelle plans to export in the not too distant future.
In 2017, Michelle started the business with R4 000 in her pocket. Within 4 years the Port Elizabeth-born businesswoman, opened 4 stores across South Africa, with over 80 agents around the country. The Cape Town-based store is based in Kuilsriver.
Green Cat Organic Health provides cannabis-based products which are locally produced (and sourced) and that are of top quality. These products are pure, natural, organic, vegan, cruelty-free, chemical and toxin-free, and focused on gut health. Michelle believes it is imperative to treat any condition by getting to the root of the problem.
Quality is definitely evident in the results they see from their clients. Green Cat Health has seen hundreds of successful cases, cancer treatment protocols, treating animals, children, and adults.
Michelle is currently working on her own TV show called Green Warriors, with an LA based film studio. Michelle lives in St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape with her rescued fur-children.
Social Media Handles:
- Facebook: Green Cat Organic Health/Cape Town
- Instagram: greencatorganichealthcpt
For more information visit the website: https://greencathealth.com/