MEET Lyndsey Saunders
What is the name of your business?
LyndsTea
how long have you been a 1909 member?
Since August of 2020
in a nutshell, what is IT that you do for a living?
I am an early-stage entrepreneur building a tea company that allows people to take their health back into their own hands through curated tea blends. I also work with incredible students at a nonprofit, specializing in providing expert college prep guidance to first-generation students.
What is your why? How did you get to where you are today?
I was not supposed to end up in West Palm Beach. In the fall semester of my senior year of college, I met an incredible lawyer at a leadership conference. She took a liking to my undergraduate research so I was invited to attend the Maryland General Assembly 2019 session about education reform. I loved every minute of it. I was even in the pipeline to have an internship with her law firm right after I graduated in the Spring of 2020. As you could probably guess, the world had other plans.
I am very passionate about education equity so after finding out about the chance to move to West Palm and serve with Path to College, I did not stop until I secured the keys to my apartment. Funny enough, I actually had left Virginia and was halfway to Florida before I found out that I got approved for my apartment so to say I put all my eggs in one basket was an understatement. Once I ended up in West Palm Beach, everything seemed to fall into place.
1909 Accelerator Cohort 2022
Once I crossed state lines I was greeted with a hurricane. In a span of the 4 days my family was with me in Florida, I had to put the deposit down on my apartment, apply for an auto loan, pay for my car, get car insurance, and get my license. But somehow, it all worked. The minute I stepped into 1909 I felt like I found the reason why. I had just met my new team members at Path to College, done my Orientation and was feeling very inspired. Something about the energy at 1909 kept me coming back as often as I could, even though my role at the time was primarily remote. Unfortunately, I struggled outside of my first role due to my income being a modest volunteer stipend through the Americorps Program. But, I did not let that stop me from going all in to advocate for my students. My ultimate goal in life has always been to live to leave a legacy. At that time, that meant that no matter what I was going through outside of my role, I would not let it affect how I showed up for the students. My ultimate goal in life has always been to live to leave a legacy. At that time, that meant that no matter what I was going through outside of my role, I would not let it affect how I showed up for the students.
I became an Uber Driver and would drive from around 7pm-1am depending on the day. Once gas prices were no longer $1.89, that did not sustain. I got a part time job at Aerie, as well. That also did not sustain. However, the one thing that did sustain for me was the way in which I adapted all of my interests to become something more price-conscious. My physical health was deteriorating because of the long hours I was putting on myself and I was tired of going out to keep up with appearance and counting every penny in my head the entire time. This is part of what inspired Lyndstea. My drink budget was the highest, so I started to make my own tea and coffee, amongst other price-friendly swaps.
One weekend, I made a kitchen sink type tea with any ingredient I could think of that could help me feel better plus the tea leaves a friend had given me. Thus, the LyndsTea energy elixir was born. It was the first time I had really invested time back into myself for no other reason than my own personal betterment. This started what I now realize was an exponential period of growth for me in my life. I became more innovative in my full time role, I started taking my mental health more seriously, became more open to building relationships, and started looking for my next step.
Fortunately, I was accepted into the Accelerator program and was given a chance to share this journey with others and show them what it takes to become the person and business owner you want to be. I gained some incredible friends through the cohort who inspire me and hold me accountable to my goals every single day. I know that I am exactly where I need to be right now with my business journey. I am finally at a place where I can see the detriment of not having a work/life balance, setting boundaries in relationships, improving time management, and more.
I wish I could say that winning Co-Lab back in August was the start of that growth. Unfortunately, after that day I experienced more personal setbacks than I could have ever imagined. I had to move into my own place after losing a friendship, I ended a relationship, almost moved back home to Virginia, and almost left the program. My mentor, Bryan Jenkins of Candid Coffee, has been understanding of every personal and professional setback I worked through during the entirety of the program and has not given up on me.This was why I started LyndsTea in the first place. I know that I am the best person to create a line of products that allows those who have ever felt like they shared a similar experience to reclaim their life and invest back into themselves and their health.
My CO-LAB Team
What are some challenges you've had to overcome while running (or starting) your business?
Primarily financial and social.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out on this Business Owner path?
Before you make any decision to start a new job, a new venture, or a new hobby, please ask yourself: What is the legacy you want to leave behind? I have spent so much time punishing and judging myself for not being " exactly where I am supposed to be " in the different areas of my life: my full-time role, my entrepreneurial venture, my education, my relationships, and more. I realized later that while it felt like I was extremely scattered, I actually was directly aligned with my goal to leave a legacy. As someone who goes all into everything that I do, I slowly started to realize the impact I was having in the different spaces I occupied. Now, I reclaim that and can recognize that no matter what pivot I have to make, I am still working each day toward the legacy I will leave behind. what they want and how they can do their job better when you listen to them.
What is your favorite life lesson?
Do not spend a single doing anything other than what you love. And if you don't love what you're doing but aren't in a position to change your circumstances, find the joy in that and literally anything else and focus on that joy to get you to the next step. In my experience, I have found that by reshifting my mindset to focus on joy, I silenced the anxiety and imposter syndrome that was clouding my judgment, to begin with. Also, love without expectation. As entrepreneurs, we need to do whatever we can to pour into our own ventures but as I witnessed here at 1909, the more I have poured into others, the more it has poured right back into me. It is not because I expected it, but because it already exists naturally as a cycle of growth here. Any moment spent pouring into another entrepreneur is spent showing that 1909 love we all stick around for.
Path To College Team
Why is 1909 important to you?
1909 is the family I moved down here for. I moved to West Palm Beach alone. My family stayed with me for a few days to get the chaos figured out but after that, it was just me. I would have moved back a long time ago if it wasn't for the community I have had the privilege of leaning into once I got here. Friends outside of 1909 have come and gone and I think a lot has to do with not finding a reason to stay in Florida. the minute I walked in the door I knew that my time here would not be temporary.
You're grabbing lunch in Downtown WPB - Where are you going and what are you getting?
The Kabuki lunch special FOR SURE. A miso soup to start, lava drops, and beef drunken noodles!
If you could change one thing about West Palm Beach - what would it be? why?
I would change the regulations around businesses with storefronts and their ability to be a vendor at the Green Market. I understand that it is a very significant part of every small business owner's journey. However, this year I have been working with a vendor every Saturday. I walk around and see so many tents that already have existing storefronts in West Palm Beach and sympathize with the small businesses who rely on markets like the Green Market because they are still saving up for a brick and mortar. If the city had more slots allocated to small business owners without storefronts, it could enhance the credibility of the Green Market long-term as a vessel for small businesses to earn enough in a shorter amount of time, therefore expediting their path to a brick-and-mortar and keeping their client base spending in the local economy in West Palm Beach.