Mehisha Eco and Owner Sheena Singh
When I walked by Sheena’s Booth, I was immediately struck by the way everything was laid out on the table, the way the items were packages, and the open, friendly feel of the booth. It is obvious that Sheena is very passionate about her products, and I knew I wanted to feature her business in our newsletter.
It was only later that I discovered the secret to her success: collaboration. While her network was established in her previous career, she continues to build relationships with other small businesses in the same space. She involves her family in the business and isn’t shy about meeting new people. Her smile and enthusiasm are just as contagious. Sheena has a wealth of information to share about her success below, so read on!
In a few sentences, this is what my business does:
Mehisha Eco is a sustainable lifestyle brand bringing you every day essential products which enable you to get your core right.
All our products are thoughtfully designed and curated offering the best ingredients which are sustainable in every way including reusable and bio degradable packaging materials. We take pride in upholding a very high standard of fair trade practices in our product design, development, supply chain, packaging and distribution.
In today’s fast paced environment where there is a constant fight for resources and everyone is trying to make a better life for themselves and the future generation, we forget how our lifestyles have actually taken the turn for the worse. It's been contaminated by fast fashion, poor design choices, high carbon footprint and synthetic products which are harmful to the entire ecological environment around us. Our life has become so accustomed to “quick n easy” ways of living that it has started to destroy us completely.
Mehisha Eco is one such platform which helps you to rethink your lifestyle choices and connect to your roots.
Named after my daughters Mehr & Isha, it is a legacy of eco friendly products which we intend to pass on to our future generation.
My typical work environment is:
Coming from a corporate mindset, it was a completely different mind set to start a small business enterprise. It’s fun, boring, relaxing, crazy and frustrating all at the same time. The flexibility it gives me is something I really appreciate. I have to research a lot for new ideas and find creative ways to keep customers engaged in what we do… So, I spend the first half of my day doing that… Sometimes, it takes days before the creative juices start to flow.
What keeps me going are my 2 girls and the thought that this brand represents them as well as other children who are going to take on the leadership roles. We have to give them this legacy to take forward. A big part of our business is to include this new generation while working on new projects. Their energy and ideas always inspire us and we try to incorporate that in every product possible.
Our most very recent project is of Eco friendly Eucalyptus leaf confetti which has been hand-painted and cut in different shapes by girls in our community. We helped raise funds for onetreeplanted.org which is working to restore forest land destroyed in the California wildfires. We match it 1:1 every 2 months!
The training or education that is required for my type of business is:
I have a master’s degree in Garment Manufacturing. I started my first job in India in sourcing and production in a factory setup. I moved from sourcing to product development positions in Los Angeles and Dallas and continued to broaden my knowledge and network.
The training and education taught me the strategies to achieve business successes, discovering what the challenges might be and choosing a course of action to take.
After 20+ years of being in the business of fast fashion, I realized that my value-add to a sustainable economy is being overshadowed by businesses driven by profits. Hence, I quit corporate work and decided to start a brand which stands for more ethical and sustainable products.
Mehisha Eco’s business entails a lot of sourcing for products and packaging materials from other countries. My business partners are either my peers from the fashion industry or likeminded partners/people with whom I’ve worked with during my corporate stint. These are the people who I trust and who will work with factories who believe in good and ethical practices. We have now built a strong relationships spanning over 20+ years.
As one example, our T-shirts are 100% organic cotton made in GOTS (the Global Organic Textile Standard) certified factories with no chemicals and at fair wages. Our kid-inspired custom graphic prints are DTG printed with water based inks here in Southern California. They are also minimally packaged with a bio-degradable raffia thread and seed paper tags which you can actually plant in your yard. The sleeve paper is also reusable and bio-degradable.
For more detailed info, we describe this in more detail on our website.
To me, being part of the gig economy means:
I get to meet people, build trust in my brand, share/educate people with my vision and encourage them to think “sustainable” so they can spend their money in better ways.
It gives me the flexibility to balance my professional and personal life. As my children grow up, it has become very important to give them time, to drive them around for extra classes, especially physical activities, which is not typically part of the public school curriculum.
The gig economy also gives us a chance to bring forward our talents and passions and not be caught in the corporate rat race to burn out from exhaustion. I couldn’t continue like this without bringing a change and contributing in my small way. The physical and mental health then becomes a priority, which is something I love and value.
The benefits of my type of work are:
I can work from home. I carry small inventory of my curated products which I constantly refresh as I build my catalog. I can balance all my artisan pop-up shows with my other commitments and appointments during the month which is a great thing. I don’t miss out on anything.
I am constantly on the lookout for new collaborations with other vendors and I try to create items which help me move closer to our vision. It makes you feel that you are not alone in this and want to do more.
My family is always there to support me and give me ideas and guidance on what we can pursue. My Girls participate in helping me with packaging and bringing new ideas to the table.
The difficulties I encountered starting a business were:
There were many setbacks – In 2021 when I decided to launch Mehisha Eco, I had a family tragedy, the pandemic set in full swing, our home in Texas was damaged in the cold freeze and we made the decision to move to California. This did not stop me from changing my plans and launch date because it just seemed the right thing to do. There are days when you do nothing productive and generate no income but you muster the strength somehow to keep moving ahead.
I had no idea what it meant to say “starting a business”. It’s on-the-job training every day and I try to learn from other business owners. It’s a completely new beginning but I’m in a happier place and space, now.
The way I use/leverage social media is:
This is always a big challenge. There is just so much content and so little time. Sometimes, you just get overwhelmed with all the information. You don’t use it to your advantage because you are constantly swiping your finger and moving on to the next read.
At first, I was never a big consumer of social media but it has become very important to use this tool to grow our business, network with people in our community, inform people about what we do and give them a glimpse of our life. I am still very new to these things and still not comfortable opening my life to people that way.
We are now on Instagram, Facebook , LinkedIn and Etsy. These days, I'm enjoying making "reels" on IG.
Integrating technology into my business is:
We are a technology-led digitally-native company. It is the backbone of our business.
I use it for my sourcing needs, product development, designing, prototyping, production, sales, advertising and distribution. This is what makes it real.
“Making it” and success in the gig economy to me means:
People have started to recognize the need and value for eco conscious and sustainable living, because where we are headed right now is nothing less than a disaster. Fortunately, lifestyle changes are slowly starting to have a positive impact and the gig economy allows us to reach out to more and more local communities in a faster way. There is pride in what one makes and sells.
The way I balance work and personal time is:
Work never stops even when I'm not sitting with my laptop... That's the best thing about my business... I learn from everything I do whether it’s reading, eating, shopping or being outdoors... I love to travel and I go on hikes with my family. We cook fresh meals everyday in small batches. We try to grow vegetables and herbs in our small kitchen garden.
The pandemic impacted my business by:
The pandemic set me back by few months for sure. I couldn’t travel and connect with people in person. I also had inventory of products that was harder to sell because of the pandemic.
The positive impact, however, was that it forced me to work on my social media skills which was a very new platform for doing business. I still feel I need to do way more than what I end up doing now... So, yes, more to learn!
The way that diversity impacts my business is:
Diversity empowers Mehisha Eco with inspiration and collaboration from long standing traditional and sustainable lifestyle practices across the world.
The impact we all create is much greater when we all work together.
The future of my business and/or the gig economy is:
The future seems very positive. People believe in what we're doing and appreciate the thought and the work we're trying to incorporate in everything we do. We believe in our vision and are slowly spreading and doing our pop-up shows across the city. We plan to diversify our product lines and grow across the state and hopefully grow in other states as well.
Collaboration with other artisans becomes very important for us to offer sustainable and eco-friendly products to our consumers and to spread awareness.
Is there a question we didn't ask, that we should have asked?
Not really. Good for now!
One final piece of useful advice I would give to others is:
Dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people. It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together… Live in the moment and be the energy you want to attract. Set goals that scare you and excite you at the same time!
You can find out more about Mehisha Eco and owner Sheena Singh at:
Website: www.MehishaEco.com
Email: mehishaeco@gmail.com
Facebook: MehishaEco
Instagram: Mehisha_Eco
Linked In: Mehisha Eco
Etsy: MehishaEco
