Georgie Stevenson on turning her side hustle into her career

Georgie Stevenson spent six years studying law, landing a great job before deciding to give it all up and follow her dreams and passion down a completely different path.

The entrepreneur and influencer from the Gold Coast co-founded Naked Harvest Supplements just under two years ago, after taking the leap to turn her side hustle in the world of health and fitness into a business.

"I had already started the foundation of my business when I was working in the law firm. And I remember it kind of just got to the point where I was like, I can't keep doing both, I had to pick," Georgie tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

"I already had my side hustle, I was still doing stuff on social media. I released like an ebook, and was doing micro projects.

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"And even though I had just studied six years, and got this position that so many other grads would kill to have, I just knew in my heart that if I don't just explore this other thing, I think I'm really going to regret it."

Georgie shares her five tips for taking that career risk:

A year later Naked Harvest was born, after Georgie had a few negative experiences in the sports supplements world that made her realise there was a huge gap in the market.

"I actually had a really bad experience with supplements myself, where I was actually promoting a brand, which I loved and trusted, and was selling and promoting it to my audience," she reveals.

"And then I found out that this supplement wasn't actually being correct with their labelling. So for example, they were saying 'no refined sugars' and 'vegan', and a test was done and there was refined sugar and there was traces of dairy.

"And it was such a crucial moment for me, because I was like, wow, I actually have a responsibility here, as an 'influencer' and person on the internet."

After having a conversation about the incident with her brother, Cooper Stevenson, Georgie says it was actually his suggestion she start her own company to do things better.

Naked Harvest has now grown to the point where the brand has just this week announced a partnership with its first retail store, meaning their pre workout, protein, and supplement products will now be stocked on the shelves at Elite Supplements.

It's a huge step Georgie is extremely proud of, given her own experiences as a woman trying to find appropriate supplements.

"This is literally the reason why we started Naked Harvest," she tells us.

"I remember walking into a supplement store and there being red and blue products, and lightning bolts, and words like 'jacked up', 'bulking' and all these sorts of things.

"And I was like, wow, the sports supplement industry is so male dominated."

She also remembers trying pre workouts her husband used, which she says made her feel anxiety and worry about how much caffeine was in them.

"Naked Harvest was really about making women seen in the industry. That's why our branding is super feminine. Yes, we are girls and love to get it done, we love to sweat.

"And a huge thing was also making sure our supplements – in regards to the quantities with caffeine and different ingredients – were really aimed at women's bodies, because that was a huge thing missing in the industry that I struggled with."

Check out more of our International Women's Day 2021 coverage here

Of course not every business Georgie approached appreciated that fact, with one person even suggesting she look at placing her product in a Whole Foods store instead.

"Because it's a natural supplement, and definitely I could see it in there. But I was like, No, I wanted to be in the male-dominated stores. I want to feel seen on their shelves, because that's what I feel like was missing.

"And that's important to me in the industry, that females are seen and females are represented, and they don't feel intimidated going into a store like that. And thinking none of these products for me."

Georgie tells us she's had some incredible female mentors in her life, during her law career and since, which is why she enjoys sharing her tips and tricks with her followers.

She hosts a successful self-help podcast called 'Rise and Conquer' and runs the 'Rise and Conquer Project' development program.

"My mentor at the law firm I was under was this really amazing woman who very much held her own and was unapologetically herself. She taught me a lot," Georgie says.

"A huge thing for me throughout my life has been, I've kind of thought that being a female put me at a disadvantage of starting a business or being in law," she adds.

"But what I've actually realised is being a female can be such a credit, and you could use so much of being a female to your advantage, and to really step into a power to go after what you want.

"That has been such a challenge for me to switch to that mentality of how I see myself and my mindset. And now I really see that as my advantage."

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