Member Article

Overcoming mental illness and addiction: Entrepreneur Launches Weirdly Relatable Campaign

A Texan food entrepreneur based in Newcastle Upon Tyne has kick-started a campaign to help aspiring entrepreneurs and young people overcome mental health and addiction issues.

Lizzy Hodcroft, 29, the founder of the alternative condiments company, The Sweet Beet, has made no secret of her battle with depression and self-medication and wants to share her story, inspire others and promote well-being.

Lizzy, the current reigning North East Young Entrepreneur of the Year and a regular speaker at high-profile business focus groups around the country, explains: “I’ve launched this campaign because I am trying to articulate what others feel in a way that can be accessible and relatable, they are weirdly relatable!

“It’s easy to find success stories about people overcoming their demons but it’s much harder to find comfort from others that are open admit to they are battling mental health in the present. In society, saying something like, “I was a mess” is perfectly fine but for some reason bringing that statement into the present and admitting to being a mess now, is still not widely accepted.

“Entrepreneurship - and life - has a side of vulnerability. You’re putting your hard work, ideas and plans out into the world and regardless of how amazing your product or service is, it’s a really scary process and you will not always receive the kind of response you might be expecting.

“But instead of looking at how we can push that fear aside or hide it way, I want to try and empower you guys and others to embrace the worries, insecurities and doubt and learn how to use that energy for positive results.

“Learning to accept yourself. Ideally, mastering the art of loving who you are.”

The Sweet Beet was born in 2017 and has gone from strength to strength, inspiring home cooks across the country with the confidence to explore and invest in their own kitchens, whilst bringing Lizzy the excitement and passion of entrepreneurship where she is quickly being recognised as one of the rising stars of the industry.

The Sweet Beet has won numerous awards including a Great Taste Award 2017 for Maple Bacon Jam and listings in speciality wholesalers such as The Cress Co and Divine Fine Foods alongside online retailer Ocado. Having found her own beat through entrepreneurship, Lizzy is also on a mission to inspire and nurture other creative start-ups, building on the success of being awarded North East Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2017.

Lizzy adds: “Celebrating the success we do achieve, reflecting on the failures in order to learn from them and having an intrinsic knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses is one of the most powerful tools you can access.

“It might sound selfish, but I’m still on a path of recovery and self-discovery, so part of this new campaign is for myself.

“I’ve found that working through my issues publicly is actually incredibly liberating. However, most the reason behind this madness is to empower and motivate others. Being the voice for those that are too scared to admit their faults and helping to bring to life what we’ve all felt a one time or another is a real passion of mine.

“Expect a little insight, a little motivation and the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jane Crosby .