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INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER YOUNG BY JUDI SWANSON
Sometimes in life during moments of reflection the Universe will guide you to the place where you are supposed to be next. This is what happened to Jennifer Young, owner of What’s Good in Fairport, New York. Jennifer had taken the summer of 2018 as a needed time of restoration after leaving a toxic work environment. After spending much needed time to care for her spirit and soul, which included adopting two beautiful rescue dogs, she pondered what was next for her. Over the years Jennifer has kept a “Notebook of Ideas” where she keeps her musings for possible projects. As she was going through her book of ideas she reflected on things she felt passionate about. Family, dogs, skiing, cycling, and gardening. One idea stood out. It was Jennifer’s life-long commitment to earth and peoplefriendly products. Her friends tease her about being the Eco-queen and her family tolerates it! At the same time Jennifer was focusing on having her home outfitted with healthy Earth friendly products. She thought about her own frustrations and experiences in trying to find better products. Having to purchase these products from multiple stores, navigating false eco claims, lack of transparency and detailed product information, along with inflated prices. Jennifer, being Jennifer, thought she could solve these problems and make it easier for other like-minded shoppers.
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Jennifer was also recognizing the impact her mother truly had on her. Jennifer’s mother, who died in 2016, had always believed in all the potential Jennifer had. When Jennifer was small her mother owned a health food store during a time when society did not support these endeavors. It took a lot of guts to be a female entrepreneur, especially a divorced single mom. Her mom struggled to find work and even an apartment to rent. This did not stop Jennifer’s trailblazing mom. Her mom was fierce in her determination to be
with an occasional in-store shopping experience. Each product offered at What’s Good was carefully vetted by Jennifer before being offered for sale. Jennifer researches who is making the products, how the products are made, where the products are made, the packaging, and even the downstream effect. She takes the time because there are some products retailers sell as being “green” that are not green. The term I learned from Jennifer is called being “greenwashed” where labeled eco-friendly products are not truly green. At What’s Good each product is fully curated before it is placed for sale. The products for sale at What’s Good are all green. Yes Jennifer, one woman, will take the time and effort to complete the research needed to certify that the products she sells are green.
an entrepreneur. While the business closed after a few years, it’s success may have been in what her mother modeled for Jennifer. “Don’t take no for an answer, follow your passion, do good. When it came time to open her own business, Jennifer realized just how much of her mom’s spirit was guiding her. Jennifer’s mother always made sure that part of her income, which was not very much, went to help others in need. The actual date this business opened was October 14th which was her mom’s birthday.
Another distinctive feature is that Jennifer believes all shades of green are welcome, which simply means we are all at different points in our green journey, we all have different comfort levels, budgets and commitment to swapping our traditional products for greener versions. What’s Good strives to give the consumer the choice of three options in product choice so depending upon the type of green living you can buy a product that fits your green lifestyle. Maybe you’re super green and use soap nuts to do your laundry, or maybe you’re just weaning yourself off of tide pods, or somewhere in the middle. That’s okay, What’s Good has the right product
So what is What’s Good? It is an ecommerce business, mostly online
