{"id":2493,"date":"2017-07-10T08:26:34","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T13:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/?p=2493"},"modified":"2017-09-11T10:00:59","modified_gmt":"2017-09-11T15:00:59","slug":"creating-a-business-that-frees-people-pacha-soap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/creating-a-business-that-frees-people-pacha-soap\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Business That Frees People: Pacha Soap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Andrew and Abi Vrbas are cofounders of Pacha Soap Co., a social business that creates delightful bath goods that do good. Together, their company and its customers are putting the solution in the hands of those most affected by WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) issues and the cycle of poverty. Give-away bar soaps are made in the very communities that they help, using local ingredients and local talent. Nationals are trained to manually drill clean water wells, creating jobs for those in-country and providing much-needed clean water to hundreds of people per well.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew is CEO and passionately drives the mission and vision of the company. Abi is Pacha&#8217;s former head designer and marketing\/brand manager. Together, they take on the co-founder role to help spread the mission and build relationships with customers, retail partners and mission partners. In their free time they like to rollerblade and bike ride to the local snow cone shop, fix up their 1890 home, and watch The Office together.<\/p>\n<p>Mentioned in this episode:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pachasoap.com\">www.pachasoap.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.lpages.co\/voice-of-influence-volume-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Develop Your Voice of Influence, Vol<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Play here (the red triangle below), on <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/voiceofinfluences-podcast\/id1223799516\">iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=135618&amp;refid=stpr\">Stitcher,<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/Voice-of-Influence-Personal-Branding-p1009849\/\">TuneIn Radio<\/a> (Amazon Alexa) or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2494 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=641%2C356\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?w=810&amp;ssl=1 810w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=768%2C427&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=760%2C422&amp;ssl=1 760w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=518%2C288&amp;ssl=1 518w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=82%2C46&amp;ssl=1 82w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-FB-ad-1.jpg?resize=600%2C333&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 641px) 100vw, 641px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/5522070\/height\/90\/width\/640\/theme\/custom\/autonext\/no\/thumbnail\/yes\/autoplay\/no\/preload\/no\/no_addthis\/no\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/ad2c30\/\" width=\"640\" height=\"90\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Develop Your Voice of Influence, Volume 1<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve put together this special\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.lpages.co\/voice-of-influence-volume-1\/\">PDF of 15 tips and strategies for emerging thought leaders and message-driven creatives from experts interviewed on the Voice of Influence podcast.<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s a quick win that will encourage, inspire and equip you to make your voice matter more. Read up, listen in and make your voice matter more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2454 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Voice-of-Influence-lessons-1-15-2.jpg?resize=235%2C329\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Voice-of-Influence-lessons-1-15-2.jpg?w=480 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Voice-of-Influence-lessons-1-15-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300 214w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Voice-of-Influence-lessons-1-15-2.jpg?resize=286%2C400 286w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Voice-of-Influence-lessons-1-15-2.jpg?resize=82%2C115 82w\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"329\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.lpages.co\/voice-of-influence-volume-1\/\">Download it here.<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>Transcript<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hey, hey! \u00a0It\u2019s Andrea and welcome to the Voice of Influence podcast. \u00a0Today, I\u2019m excited to share with you Abi and Andrew Vrbas who are the owners and cofounders of Pacha Soap out of Hastings, Nebraska. \u00a0They have quite a story. \u00a0This is a business with a purpose. \u00a0And so Abi is with us right now and Andrew is going to jump on in a little while.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0So Abi, it\u2019s so good to have you here on the Voice of Influence podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Thank you so much, Andrea, it\u2019s an honor to be asked and have this conversation with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Now, Abi, you and I met when you were back in college at Hastings College and we lived there and I remember having a couple of conversations in particular with you. \u00a0So it\u2019s been really fun for me to watch you and Andrew from afar and see this company go from zero to hero, truthfully in a few years. \u00a0And so I would love for you to share with the person listening what exactly is Pacha Soap? \u00a0What do you do?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Well, in a nugget, we create engaging bath products that change the world. \u00a0So we create organic handcrafted bar soaps. \u00a0We have froth bombs which are similar to a bath bomb that you use on your tub and it fizzes but it also creates a nice frothy latte like foam in your bath. \u00a0We have some other Willy Wonka just really fun, engaging, and delightful products that we\u2019ll be launching later this year. \u00a0So our products are super fun and super clean ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We use organic ingredients, well-sourced ingredients, and we have a lot of fun with what we do. \u00a0And then the part that changes the world is we have a mission to help with the WASH sector which is (water, sanitation, and hygiene). \u00a0So that\u2019s a part of our mission, but really the root of our why for our company is we believe that business can free people. \u00a0So what we do is we help to create opportunities for people in developing countries through soap making and clean water well drilling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So like I said, we\u2019re helping with the WASH sector, but really it\u2019s a vehicle which we can help others help themselves. \u00a0So water sanitation and hygiene is a huge issue in developing countries and the best way to help people with those issues is to allow them to be the heroes in their own countries. \u00a0Through the sale of our products, we\u2019re able to help startup small scale soap shops in places like Burundi, Africa and hopefully some other places in Africa soon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And we have a heart for South America as well, wherever the partnership leads us and then also providing jobs for clean water well drillers. \u00a0So these are well drillers who are natives in the country. \u00a0The team that we help start is called Intwari Drillers, which means brave drillers. \u00a0Yeah, they are local Africans who are helping other Africans have access to clean water. \u00a0So soap and our mission with the WASH sector is the vehicle in which we\u2019re able to further our mission of helping others help themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Wow that\u2019s amazing! So how did you guys get going? \u00a0What\u2019s the origin story of Pacha Soap?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yes, so Andrew was in Peru, South America in 2010 for a semester, he was going to Hastings College at the time and wanted to study abroad. \u00a0And during this time there in Peru, or I should say, he was a construction management and Spanish major obviously very helpful in starting a soap company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Really? \u00a0That\u2019s awesome!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Yeah, so he was down there in Peru to further his Spanish and also he was volunteering with some construction projects. \u00a0But what really transformed him in his thought process was, he\u2019s this Kansas boy, who you know hardly get any rain fall where we are but he goes down to Peru and then they get the worst flooding that they never got in like a hundred years or something. \u00a0So Kansas boy brought the rain with them to Peru.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyway, it was really terrible flooding and it closed off the train that went into Machu Piccu, which is the biggest tourists destination in Peru. \u00a0He just saw how fragile the economic system is in Peru that it was very dependent on Americans and Europeans and without things like Machu Piccu and other touristy places, their economy was just super fragile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So he had this idea of starting a company that would employ local people for the local good, so it wasn\u2019t again, not depending on other people for economic stability but being able to provide that within itself. \u00a0So then he was thinking and it sounds like it\u2019s from a movie, but he was riding on a bus on his way to work. \u00a0There was a couple of hours bus ride to where he works for the day. \u00a0He was on this bus and he was reading a certain book at this time and was just really influenced by the philosophy and thoughts behind it and just thought \u201cOh, I could create a business that does good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And he said like there were tons of people on this bus, really hot and sweaty, there\u2019s no air conditioning on it, bumpy road and he just gone through Peru and he got to this place that he\u2019s going to be working for the day and just had this light bulb moment that he went into and create a business that could free people so then he got to thinking like how he could do that and soap was the vehicle in which he could do that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2496 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=601%2C601\" alt=\"\" width=\"601\" height=\"601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=180%2C180&amp;ssl=1 180w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=35%2C35&amp;ssl=1 35w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=760%2C760&amp;ssl=1 760w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=82%2C82&amp;ssl=1 82w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px\" \/>So the great thing about soap is the ingredients are found in many places where there\u2019s extreme poverty. \u00a0So things like palm oil and coconut oil and then even plants that can be distilled into essential oils are found in a lot of the places where there\u2019s extreme poverty and then soap making also is a very simple process. \u00a0It\u2019s been made for thousands of years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t need special equipment or lots of education in order to do it. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t take any electricity or lot of funding to start a soap shop. \u00a0So he was thinking that soap would be a great way to bring jobs to people and country without saying \u201cOkay, you need all these equipments to do it \u2013 very, very simple so that is the answer to why soap?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Did the soap thing just kind of come to him as well or did he did some research, do you know that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0His very, very first thought was tea but then got to thinking of all the complexities of like bringing in tea to another country and then his very next thought was soap. \u00a0He has always been interested in fragrances. \u00a0And actually, he is able to join now so here he is. \u00a0This is Andrea of the Voice of Influence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Hi, Andrea!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Hi there Andrew! \u00a0It\u2019s good to have you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Yeah, thanks for having us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0I was just asking Abi about your origin story for Pacha Soap and she kind of took us through the \u2018why\u2019 of soap. \u00a0But maybe you could share with us how you moved from your idea to actually turning it into a business, would you mind just jumping in like that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Yeah. \u00a0Well, I think you kind of answered it in your question. \u00a0I\u2019m just jumping in because, you know, there\u2019s obviously people just talk about how difficult to start a business but I think, especially when you\u2019re younger and you\u2019re passionate about an idea that could change the way things are done, you just jump in and figure things out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So we started really small scale with just Abi and myself just dreaming what the future could be, so just experimenting and learning and busying with people and spreading our idea around and I guess you just quickly learn how to do what you need to do, I guess. \u00a0So yeah, the specific recipe for us was definitely just jumping in and being passionate about what we\u2019re doing and loving to create, yeah I guess that\u2019s it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah. \u00a0The youthful na\u00efvite was certainly playing in your favor. \u00a0I mean, why not just jump in and go for it. \u00a0It seems like the older people get the harder it is for us to start things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, it\u2019s like you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know and ignorance is bliss and all those things that you don\u2019t know how to do, so you just kind of do it. \u00a0And I think the more that we can keep that as a part of our mentality sometimes, it\u2019d be better off to be and so yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0I remember seeing pictures of you guys selling at Farmers Market or things like that, is that where you kind of started out?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah that\u2019s exactly right. \u00a0One of our most favorite memories from when we first started was when we\u2019re in the garage in the house that I used to live in where the first soap shop was, we\u2019re just preparing for Farmers Market for the next day and it was like the first time we ever sell our product and telling our story. \u00a0And it was just funny to think that that was while we\u2019re both in college and it was so much fun. \u00a0I remember at the end of the night, we just ended up just dancing the music, so it was fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Oh that\u2019s so fun. \u00a0We\u2019re you guys dating at the time or what was your situation together?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, we were dating at that time but we didn\u2019t start out dating. \u00a0We\u2019re friends initially in school and started dating while we\u2019re still in school. \u00a0I think it was like our interests were aligned and both loving to create things, be creative, and be innovative. \u00a0And we\u2019re still learning about each other and we feel like we have each other peg down but then we\u2019re learning something new about each other. \u00a0It seems like every day, like yesterday, we learned something that we both share similar traits and we always thought that we\u2019re innovative but really like in taking that test that you sent over especially was kind of interesting to see how closely we did align.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, yeah. \u00a0Now, he\u2019s talking about the Fascinate Assessment that I invite guest to take if their interested. \u00a0They both took it and they both came out with innovation on their top #2. \u00a0So yeah, that was really, really fun to see that I could see how that just really makes it easy even for you guys to take risks probably.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, and it makes it a lot of fun to create together because like I was saying with our products, it\u2019s really fun to innovate and think outside the box. \u00a0But also it\u2019s our mission to think forward and have innovative ideas with our mission, it\u2019s also super fun. \u00a0So we can kind feed off with each other in that way and I think that\u2019s what kind of hold us move forward and starting a business is that you just don\u2019t get down when you think about \u201cOkay, we hit a roadblock.\u201d \u00a0It doesn\u2019t mean no, it means no for that but there\u2019s another way around that. \u00a0You can make it work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah you can work around it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, exactly. \u00a0You got to figure it out someway and having a partner on obviously helps a lot. \u00a0It helps to be together because if you had to do that by yourself, I can see how terribly difficult that would be to approach those roadblocks with confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0For context, did you guys start the business, graduate, get married that sort of thing?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Well, it\u2019s funny like when we actually first started the business, we used several start dates but really the idea came in 2010 but we officially started beyond just like Farmers Market and really got serious and hired our first employee in 2012 it would have been, but we used kind of like 2013 as our first or like our official starting of our company. \u00a0We got married actually in 2013 as well. \u00a0We bought our first house in 2013 so that was a big year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0I was reading in your website today too, was it 2013 that you guys got into Whole Foods<\/span><b>?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2497 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=540%2C810\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"810\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=267%2C400&amp;ssl=1 267w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=82%2C123&amp;ssl=1 82w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?resize=600%2C900&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Pinterest-2.jpg?w=735&amp;ssl=1 735w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, it was.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0That\u2019s just huge first of all but it\u2019s also just really so much has happened so quickly. \u00a0Even though I\u2019m sure it felt like a long time from 2010 to 1013 that happened pretty quickly. \u00a0Did it feel like it took forever or were you feeling like it was clip in along at a pretty good pace?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Oh man, I guess both of us like we\u2019ve lived a lot of life being 27 and 26, so it doesn\u2019t seem like it was really quick. \u00a0But you know from the outside when people talk to us, it seems like it wasn\u2019t that long ago but for us, sometimes like we show like we\u2019re on our 50\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Old souls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, like the day-to-day maybe seems like a little slower, you aren\u2019t moving so fast. \u00a0But then when you look at it as a whole, when you look back it does go pretty quickly. \u00a0I don\u2019t want to take things for granted because you know we were really blessed to be doing as well as we\u2019re doing. \u00a0So I don\u2019t want to take that for granted because I know it is just really difficult to start things and put yourself out there and be vulnerable in that way. \u00a0So yeah, it does seem like it has happened pretty quickly but it\u2019s definitely not all because we have an awesome team like both here in Hastings working with Pacha and also in the field working in commenting our mission. \u00a0It is way beyond Andrew and me. \u00a0We cannot be where we are without our team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0I have so many questions written down and floating in my head because you\u2019ve got a really substantial thing going and there\u2019s so many things I think that we could cover. \u00a0So one of the first questions that I want to ask at this point is how many employees do you have in Hastings? \u00a0What\u2019s the team look like in Hastings?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0We\u2019re like around 40 people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0That\u2019s crazy! \u00a0No, that\u2019s wonderful. \u00a0It\u2019s so great. \u00a0I mean, that\u2019s a lot of employees. \u00a0That\u2019s a big team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah. \u00a0It is. \u00a0We\u2019re so blessed to have the team that we have. \u00a0They make the culture what it is and it\u2019s just so much fun to work with the team that you respect and love to work with every day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0How did you manage going from just the two of you to starting to add people into your team who I assumed for the most part older than you as well. \u00a0Is that true?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, we\u2019re some of the younger ones for sure especially in leadership. \u00a0I think the main thing when you\u2019re looking to grow or bring people on is making sure that your core values are set and that your hiring based on those core values. \u00a0You\u2019re living everything through this core values and so that\u2019s something that we learned along the way just recognizing how important that is and making sure that everybody is onboard with those core values. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Do you feel like your core values were pretty set when you started or did they really develop as you kept going and growing?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, I think like the fundamental purpose of our company has remained the same. \u00a0It\u2019s just kind fine tuning how that\u2019s played out on a day-to-day like how you write those core values out. \u00a0So I would say like nothing has drastically changed from when we first started but you know, it\u2019s fine tuning it. \u00a0And one of the greatest things that we got to do with defining our core values is looking at all around and saying \u201cYeah, I really like about this person. \u00a0I really like that about this person.\u201d \u00a0And then integrating those things that we are inspired by our team members and using those as guidelines in which we created our core values, so using our actual team as our guide for creating those core values or fine tuning those core values.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0That\u2019s really cool. \u00a0So you took a look at who was here and how they\u2019re functioning and what you really appreciated about them and said \u201cOkay, yes that\u2019s something we wanna keep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, exactly!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Wow! \u00a0There\u2019s a lot of wisdom in that. \u00a0I wonder if you being younger when you got started might have had an impact on the way that you respected the people that were working with and for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah that probably is true because we had a lot to learn. \u00a0I feel like when you\u2019re not as full of what you already know and you\u2019re more just like trying to learn and maybe it\u2019s just more of a humble way of being a leader because you\u2019re forced to be humble. \u00a0You don\u2019t really know a lot and I think that\u2019s something that every human probably struggles with and we all will struggle with to remain humble and have a learning attitude and learning mind all your life. \u00a0And that\u2019s a hard thing I think probably for all of us because we get to a place where you know we feel like we know what we\u2019re doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truth is like there\u2019s not one person that knows and has all the answers as much as our cultures kind of push towards and are looking towards that you know like \u201cI wanna find the answer. \u00a0Just tell me the answer.\u201d \u00a0Although, there\u2019s lots of answers in solving everyday problems especially when you\u2019re growing a business like there\u2019s not one person that can tell you every move you make to grow that business. \u00a0Yeah, that\u2019s probably a good point. \u00a0I never had really followed with that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Well, I want to qualify my statement by saying that not every person who\u2019s younger would have had that attitude though. \u00a0So while it may have helped in some ways you\u2019re willing to learn like you said, it\u2019s a quality that we should all be striving for life, for willing to learn from other people. \u00a0I love the respect that you guys have for your team and for the people of the world that you\u2019re trying to serve and I think that that respect comes somewhat from that humbleness too. \u00a0I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s just seems really grounded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Well, sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0OK that\u2019s good. \u00a0I love that. \u00a0Let\u2019s keep it real, right? \u00a0So you also have the partnerships carrying out your mission. \u00a0So what are those relationships like with the people around the world, what do you mean by a partnership that\u2019s helping you carry out a mission in Africa for instance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, so like in East Africa, we have a couple partners that we work with both on the soap side and in the water side. \u00a0Those partnerships start with organization here in the US that we work with and then the mission enacted in the developing world and namely in East Africa, we work in Burundi. \u00a0But we also work in other countries through water nonprofit that we partnered with waterfall.org. \u00a0So yeah, we break our mission down into two basically like two ways of impact and there\u2019s presale impact and post sale impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So presale is like before any product is ever purchased, how is our company having an impact. \u00a0And then post sale, once the sale is made then how\u2019s our company having an impact to our customers having an impact with their purchase after the sale was made. \u00a0Largely, in East Africa, where folks come is after the sale of our products, we are helping to start businesses in both soap production and clean water well drilling. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so it\u2019s essentially soap and water \u2013 two very critical elements for development and for health sanitation and hygiene but it\u2019s done in a way that is actually creating, self-sustaining enterprise. \u00a0That\u2019s the piece of it that is really, I would say, it\u2019s not necessarily the most important element because saving people\u2019s lives with clean water like people have access of clean water obviously that has a huge impact. \u00a0If people are able to wash their hands and children namely in schools; you can see that that would a huge impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But I guess the reason why I mentioned the aspect of our mission to be considered really important and maybe most important is that the people themselves are able to provide the answers for themselves and we\u2019re just the catalyst somewhat of an injection and not an IV you know. \u00a0And truly that business through clean water and business through soap production is the way that people are employed and that their business are able to flourish and grow on their own overtime, whereas, we just act as catalysts. \u00a0Anyway, that\u2019s kind of how we partner right now and I guess it all comes back to our why in our purpose for being which is that business can free people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So we look at a lot of issues that are related to poverty, the way we can help with extreme poverty that people are able to have their own economic freedom or economic independence because these people are able to provide for themselves then issues can overtime be diminished. \u00a0Like the people can afford to pay for education. \u00a0If they can afford to buy soap, if they can afford to buy clean water, you know lots of issues can be reduced overtime if people are able to escape poverty. \u00a0\u00a0And really the only way that\u2019s done in there in a long term basis is if they\u2019re able to opportunities to do it themselves through business, through the Wealth Creation process. \u00a0So anything we do comes back to the fact that business can free people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0It sounds like when someone is talking about social justice, there\u2019s one-on-one charity kind of like \u201cLet me help you with this thing.\u201d \u00a0Or there\u2019s the systemic change that happens and it sounds like what you\u2019re talking about is wanting to provide not only that bar soap to save somebody\u2019s life but the systemic change by giving them that opportunity to be empowered to have their own income and everything that\u2019s really, really exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, they\u2019re both okay you know. \u00a0Sometimes, there are people who maybe would be really staunch and say \u201cNo,\u201d like there\u2019s no place to give anything because you\u2019re creating dependence. \u00a0I understand that because I\u2019ve seen it, we all have it. \u00a0We\u2019ve travelled in the developing world and that\u2019s not good. \u00a0That is not empowering. \u00a0But at the same time, sometimes I want to say like \u201cYou know there is a place to give things and that\u2019s okay.\u201d \u00a0It just has to be very limited and it has to be in a way that is not creating habit-forming dependence. \u00a0It\u2019s something that it can be done in a good way and it\u2019s not like always a bad thing to help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And we see it firsthand with like the World Food Program for instance like children coming to school and for some of them that could be their only meal that day. \u00a0So in that way, children are able to receive education and come to school because they are being subsidized a free lunch. \u00a0I would say that\u2019s not a bad thing. \u00a0Obviously, the better thing would be how can we have, you know that food is coming from the outside, how can more acres be converted into small farms for the parents that overtime maybe our food can be purchase locally like obviously that would be better. \u00a0It\u2019s process and a transition so there\u2019s a place and time. \u00a0We definitely like to focus on both of those things but if it\u2019s not creating self-sustaining jobs then it\u2019s probably not a long-term solution and could be creating more harm than good, maybe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Interesting. \u00a0So what is exactly is your role as Pacha Soap, what is Pacha Soap\u2019s role in Africa? \u00a0What do you actually provide? \u00a0Are you providing the funds? \u00a0Are you providing the training? \u00a0What all are you providing?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Well, we provide funds so we kind of act you could say as an initial customer for well drilling team, for soap shops, say help to set up soap shops. \u00a0We provide some advice in how to do that but then we\u2019ll be that initial customer so we\u2019ll buy soaps from those teams initially and that soap is then given to schools in the surrounding area for children for hand washing. \u00a0All the while, those teams are growing their own sales with different soap products so that overtime, those giveaway bars could be transferred to another soap shop that could be set up and the process can start over as established team sales increase. \u00a0So that\u2019s the goal and same with clean water. \u00a0So Pacha as a company funds those operations and it\u2019s essentially the first customer through subsidizing bars of soap and clean water wells that overtime will leave in a established teams that can sell products on their own and be self-sustaining.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0It seems like there\u2019s so many different plates spinning, how do you guys manage your time? \u00a0What percentage of time are you working on soap and sales and stuff overseas, and your mission, your message? \u00a0How do you guys decide what your roles are and how to divide up your time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0We go by the system called Traction. \u00a0It\u2019s a book and it\u2019s really been helpful process with our time up, but honestly, I think that the main thing that helped us is having an awesome team. \u00a0We can\u2019t really stress out enough because as much as somebody might say they\u2019re so awesome like it\u2019s a team to do anything. \u00a0So I think the real answer to that is the fact that we just have a team that handles so many things and does it so well and has extreme ownership over of what they do and so that\u2019s probably it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, it\u2019s hard to balance your time because you want to do everything but you know, you can\u2019t do everything and that they\u2019re actually people who can do that thing better than you. \u00a0So knowing what to let go and what to still maintain for yourself is a hard thing to kind of figure that out. \u00a0But like Andrew said it\u2019s just the team that we have that it\u2019s a well-oiled machine. \u00a0There\u2019s always new things to try and things that we\u2019re currently doing that could be better or different but we just have such a great team that\u2019s willing to jump in there and may use the word \u2018scrappy\u2019 a lot. \u00a0We\u2019re just part of that sort of mentality and we never want to lose that no matter how big our company gets or how many years its life is, just having that scrappy mentality of saying \u201cIt\u2019s just a road blocks\u201d but yes we can get pass those barriers and do that together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0So as cofounders then since you guys started and everything, I would imagine that quite a few people that are listening to this podcast or people that are dreaming about starting something or they feel like they want to live a purpose-driven life. \u00a0They want to feel like their message is a part of what they do. \u00a0So I\u2019m kind of curious about how you guys work together as a couple? \u00a0Was it hard when you first got certain and kind of got going to figure out who was in charge of what or was that pretty clear from the get-go or did you have any road bumps?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0I think we worked pretty seriously like at the beginning and on. \u00a0I think as we grow and things got more complex in some ways that was a little bit more challenging because you had more people to the equation then you have to split up tasks way more. \u00a0So there\u2019s always some more roadblocks or road bumps there but I think it\u2019s just a constant learning thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, it is hard as life partners and business partners finding the balance between how you spend your time. \u00a0When you\u2019re at home, it\u2019s impossible to not talk about work because you\u2019re passionate about it and it\u2019s a big part of your life. \u00a0And then at work, it\u2019s hard not to talk about your personal life because it\u2019s your life so there\u2019s that overlapping. \u00a0We really tried to keep those two things as separate as possible because it\u2019s too different mind frames.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we first started out like that things showed we\u2019re both innovative, so I think that was really good to help kick-start something new. \u00a0But individually, I graduated with a degree in advertising and public relation so kind of marketing and had some experience with graphic design. \u00a0So from my tactical standpoint, I was able to help with the marketing side of things and help create the graphics and different visual elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as we progressed, I started understanding what it means to build a brand which that\u2019s a monster in and of itself so that\u2019s kind of like where I had my focus. \u00a0And Andrew had such a passion for the vision of the company and just always reaching for how can our mission be better and just dreaming of those ways in which it can happen. \u00a0It\u2019s cool to be able to look at each other\u2019s strengths and appreciate how each of those strengths helped build the company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, I have stepped out of my marketing role and I\u2019ve taken on more of just a cofounder role and that has been a big transition for Andrew and me personally. \u00a0It\u2019s just the decision that we made together that we\u2019re both just thriving so hard in the day-to-day in the company so it was easier to continue that. \u00a0If someone is in the boat and the other one is drowning, it\u2019s a lot easier than both of you drowning together. \u00a0So yeah, it\u2019s a partnership and it\u2019s give and take and it\u2019s having grace for one another and don\u2019t know within the next few years are going to look like so just being willing to hold life with open hands is really important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0You know that\u2019s funny because I was going to ask you what\u2019s in the future for Pacha Soap? \u00a0Do you have a vision for the next few years or is it something that you are truly just going day-by-day or what\u2019s that like for you guys?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0We have lots of visions of what it could look like but the main thing is how can our mission be amplified, so how can we framework people? \u00a0How can that be the heart of every decision we make? \u00a0So whether it\u2019s new products that we launch or new categories that we\u2019re in and new channels of trade like the way in which we\u2019re bringing products to people, it will all lead back to how our mission can be amplified and how people can be a big part of that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I guess it\u2019s not really a specific vision but that\u2019s such kind of the way it\u2019s looking. \u00a0A lot of ideas of how to get there but it will definitely just take time and the right people who are also believing in the overall mission and message that care about, not only a business doing well and having an awesome product that people love, but also caring about what that product represents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah. \u00a0So when you look to make those decisions, do you knock on doors and just see which one opens or how do you know what next step that you\u2019re going to take in the moment?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Usually that, yeah. \u00a0Usually just researching things and trying things out, asking a lot of questions, and talking to people you know that\u2019s kind of how and like big decisions are met is trying some things out and asking a lot of questions before we move on something.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2496 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=617%2C617\" alt=\"\" width=\"617\" height=\"617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=180%2C180&amp;ssl=1 180w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=35%2C35&amp;ssl=1 35w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=760%2C760&amp;ssl=1 760w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?resize=82%2C82&amp;ssl=1 82w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Vrbas-Quote-Instagram-1.jpg?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0What advice do you have for someone who is kind of in that dream stage where maybe they feel like there\u2019s something on their heart or maybe they\u2019re in that position where Andrew you were on that bus thinking \u201cThere\u2019s got to be a way to help. \u00a0There\u2019s going to be something that I can do.\u201d \u00a0Do you have any parting words of wisdom for these influencers who are listening?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yeah, I think just have fun. \u00a0Ultimately, it\u2019s just got to be something that you like. \u00a0It\u2019s not every element you\u2019re not going to like and that\u2019s maybe why a lot of business fails because there are these things in starting a business that aren\u2019t as much fun. \u00a0But if overall what you are passionate about or what you\u2019re doing you like it too, you like the people you\u2019re with; I think that\u2019s the biggest piece is of just being real to yourself about what you like or what you love to do. \u00a0I think it\u2019s also about why you\u2019re doing it, so just asking yourself these questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s different for every person but the advice for somebody like myself is just to try it out. \u00a0There\u2019s nothing stopping anyone from really accomplishing whatever they want to accomplish but you just have to be willing to stick with it and push forward. \u00a0And I would say the other biggest piece is don\u2019t be afraid to learn along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don\u2019t feel like you have to figure it out all in its entirety right away because you probably won\u2019t and your idea might shift for the better. \u00a0Your initial vision might be one thing but maybe you\u2019ll figure out a way that could be even enhanced and just don\u2019t be afraid to learn. \u00a0That\u2019s probably the biggest piece that prevents people, they feel like they need to have it all figured out right away. \u00a0But you can figure it out as you go along, as you\u2019re able to learn all the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0That\u2019s a great point. \u00a0Abi, do you have anything you want to add to that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0If you\u2019re going into business with your life partner, just try to communicate and have grace with one another. \u00a0If you\u2019re doing it on your own, look for people to support you through it and be vulnerable with them and don\u2019t lose heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u00a0Well, this has been a very short 45 minutes but I am so thrilled that I could share you with my audience that we could learn more about what it meant for you guys to start something. \u00a0And you\u2019ve taken it so far and I know that it\u2019s just going to keep skyrocketing because just the humility that you bring to it and the willingness to take risks to listen like you mentioned and to not lose heart like you mentioned, and to communicate like you mentioned are so important. \u00a0And so cheering you on from over here and looking forward to seeing what Pacha Soap does to change the world in the future. \u00a0Thank you so much for your voice of influence in the world!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Andrew:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Yes, thank you for having us!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Abi: \u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank you so much Andrea!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.lpages.co\/voice-of-influence-volume-1\/\"><b>DOWNLOAD Develop Your Voice of Influence, Volume 1 here.<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andrew and Abi Vrbas are cofounders of Pacha Soap Co., a social business that creates delightful bath goods that do good. Together, their company and its customers are putting the solution in the hands of those most affected by WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) issues and the cycle of poverty. Give-away bar soaps are made in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[258,230,276],"tags":[289,375,372,136,374,373],"class_list":["post-2493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creativity","category-leadership","category-podcast","tag-business","tag-company-values","tag-pacha-soap","tag-values","tag-wash-sector","tag-whole-foods"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Untitled-design-2.jpg?fit=810%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6jZPB-Ed","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2493"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493\/revisions\/2573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreajoywenburg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}