What was the biggest lesson you learned from 2021?

Pivot… pivot… and pivot again. Don’t get stuck on one plan, always try to keep things fluid because the curve balls will keep coming at you.

How are you preparing for 2022?

This year we are doing a lot more pre-planning and focusing on our own Budzy branded products.

What advice would you give other female founders that are looking to create big success in 2022?

Don’t be afraid to disrupt an industry and make room for yourself. By that I mean, if you see a need or a way to reinvent something that is on the market, then don’t hesitate to put your spin on it and launch your own business. Do your research, find a mentor and go for it!

What’s your 2022 mantra?

Attitude is everything!

To connect with her:

Instagram: @BudzyBox

Facebook: @BudzyBox

More about Shatoia Robinson: She graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a Bachelors in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Her strong work ethic and motivation have given her the drive to succeed in the medical sales industry for more than a decade, and while working in the industry, Shatoia discovered the benefits of CBD firsthand. The more she educated herself on the power of CBD, the more she wanted to share her knowledge and empower women of color to embrace a holistic, healthy life infused with CBD.

This passion, along with her entrepreneurial spirit, led her to launch Budzy, the first Black woman-owned monthly CBD subscription box that introduces women to a world of high-end CBD products that are beautiful to behold and backed by research. With the experience she brings from her medical sales career, Shatoia possesses the skills to take complicated scientific jargon and express it in relatable terms. This, in particular, has been an important differentiator for Budzy, as one of Shatoia’s goals is to break the stigma surrounding hemp and CBD culture through education. Shatoia has recently taken her venture with Budzy to the next level and has developed the first CBD infused dry cookie mix to hit the market – The Cake Cookie by Budzy.

Her desire to develop a product line of her own intersects with her passion for baking. In fact, back in 2010, Shatoia was the first African-American woman to launch a food truck in the City of Chicago called Mama Green’s Gourmet Goodies, in which she baked and sold delicious cookies based on her family’s heirloom recipes.