About Suzy Batiz
“HOLY SHIT!” is what Suzy Batiz, the founder of Poo~Pourri and supernatural, says while reflecting on her journey of liberation from a lifetime of oppression, convention and conformity using radical transformational and pattern-breaking thinking.
Transformation is the common thread that runs throughout Suzy’s life and her companies. Whether transforming literal shit into a pleasant-smelling experience with Poo~Pourri, the household cleaning industry from toxicity to aromatherapeutic magic with supernatural or people’s lives with her growing personal brand, Suzy is a revolutionary explorer of infinite potential in the playground of life, who loves to inspire others and bring them along for the ride.
Suzy experienced some of life’s lowest lows — poverty, sexual and domestic abuse, depression, two bankruptcies and a suicide attempt — which led to what she calls the luxury of losing everything. After harnessing the power of intuition, her journey led her to building her businesses from the ground up without ever taking a dollar of outside investment. Suzy harnessed the power of true transformation and turned ALIVE IDEAS into a $500+ million empire.
Tell us about your career path leading up to starting your own business.
Since I was a little girl I’ve been what you’d call a maker. My family didn’t have much money so if I wanted something, I had to make it myself. I was lucky enough to have a Barbie, but if I wanted clothes for the Barbie I had to sew them. That ability to create whatever I wanted made me a natural entrepreneur.
But by the time I was 38, I had more than a dozen failed businesses under my belt. I’d done everything society told me to do – I’d sold out, pushed through, negotiated deals and networked my butt off only to find myself with nothing. I declared myself the worst entrepreneur ever. Little did I know what was to come.
What made you want to start your own business?
I started Poo~Pourri while I was on a spiritual sabbatical. After my second bankruptcy at 38, I actually swore off business altogether (remember — worst entrepreneur ever?). I realized that in addition to being financially bankrupt, I was spiritually bankrupt. I spent a lot of time doing inner work and it was only after I found true inner happiness that I stumbled on an idea that made me feel alive.
I was at a dinner party when my brother-in-law asked if bathroom odor could be trapped. Suddenly I got chill-bumps and my world went into high-def: “I can do that!” I said. Essential oils were my passion – I’d been working with them for over a decade and I knew I could create a formula that would sit on top of water and trap bathroom odor. I never thought of this as a business opportunity, but the idea wouldn’t leave me alone and I worked tirelessly to prove I could do it even though everyone else thought I was crazy.
What I eventually realized is that I spent the first 38 years of my life chasing money because I thought that money equaled success. Now, I follow the ideas that make me feel ALIVE! I’ve had the luxury of losing everything in my life. After my second bankruptcy I vowed never to do anything that didn’t make me feel good, and wouldn’t you know that’s when I found financial and personal abundance!
How did you go from idea to execution?
Once I nailed the formula, I couldn’t keep it to myself and I knew I had to share it with the world. My husband at the time built a simple website and I gave bottles to 10 friends who said they’d liked the product. I asked those 10 friends to give those bottles to 10 of their friends. One of those friends owned a gift boutique and he contacted me to ask for my wholesale pricing. I had to google what that meant — then I simply doubled my price so that I could cut it in half for wholesalers.
What were some unexpected hurdles you faced when starting your business?
I knew literally nothing about the poop spray business when I started it, so I faced unexpected hurdles every single day — but I figured my way out of every single one of them. As my friend Marie Forleo says, “Everything is figure-outable.” I also learned that people are almost always willing to help if you ask. I booked my first gift trade show at Dallas Market Center and people asked if I was going to be at the gift trade show in Atlanta. I hadn’t even heard about the Atlanta show, so I asked around, booked it and went — and things snowballed from there!
Best advice you’ve received?
My mentor Gay Hendricks has taught me that staying in integrity and taking radical responsibility will take you further than anything else. Radical responsibility means that you are a cocreator with the universe and realizing that your external world is created by your internal state. For more information on this concept check out my website for some links to tools and resources.
What does Support Your Local Girl Gang mean to you?
I’m a big proponent of breaking old outdated patterns. The power balance between men and women has been skewed unfairly in men’s favor for far too long, especially in business — it’s time our Girl Gangs step into our power! I’ll always advocate for female entrepreneurs; it’s been proven that women in business support the greater good of the community. It’s important to me to mentor budding female entrepreneurs, and I can’t wait to see the impact of them bringing true transformational change to the world.