Mindfulness. It can impact how we treat ourselves and how we view the world around us.
Mindful Market, a web platform for sellers and buyers, launched in 2018 as an online marketplace for products and services that enrich well-being and are environmentally or socially conscious. About a year and a half ago, before the pandemic, the business shifted to focus solely on becoming a marketplace for "conscious" businesses, or heart-centered businesses that want to make an impact and give back, according to founder Jim Kupczyk.
He said adapting the site’s focus gave it more of an identity and allowed conscious businesses that didn’t sell wellness items and services to participate.
“Something just kind of clicked,” he said.
The platform has about 500 businesses signed up, though not all are active on the site yet, and has over 4,000 product and service offerings. Consumers can select from value filters when shopping such as biodegradable, locally sourced and vegan.
Mindful Market’s pivot, plus the pandemic’s impact, led to growth sales-wise. The health crisis caused more people to take a critical look at the companies they’re supporting and led many to support local businesses.
Sales this year compared to the same month last year are up on average 575%, Kupczyk said.
The site currently doesn’t take in any commission from sales, and there is no fee for businesses’ to upload services and products to the platform. Signing up for Mindful Market for a year costs businesses about $16 per month and includes tools to help businesses like setting up their shop on the site, uploading products for them and promoting them for free.
Growing a two-way marketplace, like an Etsy for conscious small businesses, can be difficult. Businesses don’t want to sign up for a newer marketplace without a lot of consumers and shoppers don’t want to use a site with only a few shops.
“I think we’ve cracked both codes,” he said.
Kupczyk, Mindful Market’s only full-time employee, works with about 10 consultants, including a team that mines data to find potential conscious businesses to join the platform. Meanwhile, Mindful Market has been connecting with groups like influencers and nonprofits to drive sales on its website. For example, Mindful Market provides a code that, when used, the platform will donate part of the profit to a certain nonprofit.
To further grow the business, Mindful Market will be seeking a second seed round. After raising $220,000 from a family and friends seed round and running an $11,000 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, Kupczyk is hoping to raise at least $500,000 in the next seed round.
He is hopeful that once the seed money is secured, the business can grow tenfold because its current model is working.
Long term, he wants to have a giant campus in Buffalo and have conventions, pop-ups and other events in the Queen City.
“My goal is to put Buffalo on the map for conscious businesses,” he said.
