Adrienne Kessler is the Founder and CEO of Leaf’d, an online sustainable and eco-friendly marketplace. It aspires to be the “Green Amazon”, where her team curates exclusively sustainable, fair trade products, educates with blogs and articles about the latest news and information in green innovation and take action within local communities to help educate kids on how to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.
After leaving New York City and her own very successful hair salon, Kessler was called upon by the motion picture industry to style celebrity hair for film and television. She then sought a new career after the extensive exposure to the toxic chemicals in hair products caused an autoimmune illness. Her diverse talents became evident when she began to sell real estate to those very same celebrities. In a moment of inspiration, Adrienne decided to create an eco-friendly platform where consumers could educate themselves about healthy lifestyles. Her passion for health without toxins inspired her to participate in making the world a better place through launching Leaf’d.
When did you discover your passion for entrepreneurship?
I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. My grandmother had a children’s clothing shop when I was a child and I used to sit on the cash register and watch her take payments. That was my first taste of the world of business.
I later had my own hair salon in New York, and Leaf’d is my entrepreneurial dream in the process of becoming a global marketplace.
Can you take us through the moment you had the vision for Leaf’d?
I was sitting in a hot tub with my extended family, healing my body and soul when the initial inspiration came to me. Leaf’d began as Heal Estate, a platform where sustainable choices were made available to real estate and building industries with the intention of healing the home because I am also a real estate agent. For practical reasons, Heal Estate morphed into Leaf’d our eco-friendly marketplace. It aspires to be the “Green Amazon,” where we curate exclusively sustainable, fair trade products.
What is leaf’d and what products/services does your brand currently offer?
Leaf’d is an online eco-friendly and sustainable marketplace that curates products from baby clothes and toys, to health and beauty, food and beverage, home products, pets, kids, and fashion, of course! We are the advertisers who promote our vendors’ products to our customers. We also have a blog section that informs, educates, and promotes sustainability in all aspects of our lives, including vegan recipes!
What has been the most rewarding part of entrepreneurship for you?
As an entrepreneur, I’ve had to learn more than I ever dreamed of about things that were completely new to me. It’s been a huge learning curve in more ways than one. My company is the most rewarding part for me as I watch it grow and become the marketplace and information portal that I envisioned.
What are the benefits of an eco-friendly marketplace?
With Leaf’d, we have the opportunity to expand into a global marketplace, where people all over the world can purchase the best of the best when it comes to sustainable products. All of the products listed on our site are vetted for the conscious consumer.
Eco-friendly products are the name of the game in our changing world, and now more than ever, the choice for eco-friendly products is necessary if we want to have a home to come home to – literally. We don’t get a planet do-over.
What is next for Leaf’d?
Leaf’d plans on expanding and growing into a global marketplace, as I mentioned, and to keep informing, educating, and inspiring folks across the globe to invest in products that are good for the environment. We also plan on creating community projects that educate, particularly young people, on how to be stewards of the earth. We are in the process of creating more videos and podcasts to promote our brand and the urgent need for sustainability in all aspects of our lives.
Where do you hope to see your brand in the next 3-5 years?
In five years we plan to have our marketplace in every home worldwide. We’re planning on speaking engagements, e-books, podcasts and other ways in which to inform and educate folks on sustainability. Our community reach has all kinds of plans for the locals, and then to expand outwards to more than just our immediate community.
What is your definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles?
A Pretty Woman Who Hustles is a wonderful play on words for woman-power!
Women are now at the forefront of significant and empowering changes that are happening in the world. They know their stuff, what they want, and have a clear vision of how to create dreams for their future. She is confident, hard-working, a hustler, and a person who envisions a better world for all of us.
Connect with Adrienne and The Leaf’d Brand Online at www.leafd.com
