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Monday, 9 September 2013

On Discovering Your Passion + Hawaii + Cooking Salts.... with Aukele from 91 Dash

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Aukele from the blog 91 Dash and I'm so excited for you guys to get to meet her too! 

She has instilled a burning desire in me to visit Hawaii as soon as humanly possible as well as provided plenty of fabulous advice, from the serious business of pursuing your passions in business and life to handy tips for throwing an awesome party!

I asked Aukele a few questions so we could all get to know here a little better..... enjoy! x



First of all, can you give us a bit of background about you, your blog and your business? 

Sure. I am a twenty-something woman that is in love with family, friends and helping others. When I'm not at my 9-5 I'm either spending time with my family, getting competitive while playing a fun board game (or Cribbage or Trumps), catching up on favourite shows via DVR (PLL, Grey's, RHONJ - just to name a few), or indulging in one of my many hobbies. 91 Dash is my second blog (originally I was at InstantMommie.com). I started it as a party blog where I would talk about parties, invitations, favours, menus, etc. because I do LOVE event planning and have a knack for it. However, as you can see today, it has definitely taken a different course and is coinciding perfectly with my upcoming start-up consulting business. I still enjoy talking about my favourite things (recipes, inspired collections, life) but I do get to share my passion for business and success and how my readers can adapt it into their lives as well.

You have so many interesting things going on! How did you get started in the salt business and how do you find selling a product like that on Etsy, a marketplace dominated by artists and crafters?  

Yes, sometimes too much. The salt business is all about my Dad and his love for cooking, food and his Original Salt. The recipe is my Dad's creation and it was famous in his sphere of influence. Dad always gave it to people for every occasion and when they'd turn in bottles for refills and they would encourage him to sell his salts. After my Dad passed away in 2009 from squamous cell carcinoma, I knew that I'd carry on his legacy through his salts. Most of my sales are from regular buyers that bought from me before I opened up shop online, so I'm definitely still feeling the domination. Broadening the product line has helped me get the original salt into customers hands through "THANK YOU SAMPLES".



It sounds like an interesting journey you have taken to reach where you are currently at. Did you always know what you wanted to do or has your business evolved in a surprising way? 

It's funny you ask that.  The answer is yes and no.  I got my first taste of business when I was 11, working at my Dad's office in the summer running errands and pasting pictures to paper and making colour copies for reports.  When I was 15, I started doing more administrative duties and knew I wanted to own a consulting business. After graduating from college I found Etsy, and thought I could open business doing something.  To date, I've opened four Etsy shops, trying to find that light bulb to go off. While I love the salt shop, it didn't turn on that light bulb for me (I still do it for my Dad though, with love!)

You talk a lot about passion on 91 Dash, which is a topic close to my heart! Why did you decide to write your Living Your Passionate Life series? 

When I finally realised what I was supposed to do, what my business would evolve to, a rush of ideas came through and this series was the first one I decided to tackle. It all came back to that initial dream of owning my own consulting business when I was 15. I've started work on developing a site to offer services and hopefully it will be open soon. The fire ignited in me so much that I just wanted to share with everyone else about finding that passion so that they can experience the fire and joy that I'm experiencing right now. That is how the series came to be.



What's your number one tip for someone trying to work out what their passion is and how they can bring more of it into their lives? 

One? Only one. That's tough. If you're trying to figure out what your passion is, take a look at your past, your present and where you see yourself in the future and try to find the constant. You can't just think about it, you need to get out a big piece of paper and write it all down so that you can see the big picture!  

If you've found it (or when you do) and you want to bring more of it into your life, my tip would be to exercise your passion in different settings. If your passion is to cook, cook everywhere you can. Besides cooking at home, try to volunteer your time at a homeless shelter or for a charity event; get together a bunch of people and cook a meal to send to families in need; send special care packages to your boss, friends, other family. Cook everywhere you can and you might find yourself further developing that passion and defining its niche.

On a completely different note, I love your name!! Does it have special meaning in Hawaiian? 

Oh thank you, quite original. Funny story. My Dad is from Canada and Mom from Hawaii. When Mom was pregnant with me she had a hard time coming up with a name.  My grandma from Canada 'searched' Hawaiian names and thought Aukele was nice.  My Mom did too.  When my grandma came to visit after I was born she held me and said, "Hello little Audrey!" Mom said, "Her name is Aukele."  And my grandma, replied, "I know, she's named after me!  I'm big Audrey (Aukele) and she's little Audrey (Aukele)!"  Audrey means noble strength - and so that is what Aukele means!  PS: It is pronounced ow-ke-lay!



As a born and bred Tasmanian, I love the idea of island living and have always been drawn to other island communities when I've travelled. What does being Hawaiian mean to you and what do you love about living there?

Oh, you know, I could not be any more prouder than I am to be Hawaiian (though I'm mixed with 5 other things: Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, English and Irish).  From family, community, culture, food - it is hard to replace. The best thing about living in Hawaii is the spirit.  I can't explain it, you just need to experience it for yourself!  There is a saying here that says, "You can take the girl from the island, but not the island from the girl." So wherever this life takes me, Hawaii will always be in my heart.

Find Aukele here - Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram




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