Shizu Okusa, 22, was a lucrative proprietary trader at Goldman Sachs until she terminated her position in 2012 to form her own health and wellness brand company. The lucrative position was exceptional, especially for her age, but the 100-hour weeks were hard to handle. Her strategies for coping with daily stress were not healthy, and she decided to change her trajectory.
In her words, “I was drinking alcohol every single night and then jacking myself up with coffee the next day.”
Now 35, Okusa states that “It wasn’t sustainable. And I looked back to my roots and believed there was a real solution to using nature in medicine.”
The lessons Okusa learned from past ventures gave her the vision to form a sustainable and highly successful career.
Apothékary
Okusa’s parents were born in Japan, and though she was raised in the United States, she was raised in a Japanese culture. The traditions included her mother’s reliance on herbal remedies to treat common colds and other illnesses. This tradition led to Okusa starting Apothékary, a New York-based wellness brand, in 2020.
According to CNBC reports, the wellness brand was not profitable initially but now earns $20 million annually. Apothékary is projected to gross at least $35 million during the 2025 fiscal year. This monumental task has been achieved through sheer determination, hard work, and perseverance.
Determined Beginnings
Okusa took a drastic pay cut when she started her venture in 2012. She willingly left behind a $150,000 salary to pay herself $30,000 annually. This came after three years at Goldman Sachs, where she started her journey at 19. The Canadian native cold-emailed her employer at the time, Ted Goldthorpe, that she had an
entrepreneurial idea that she wanted to pitch in person.
To Okusa’s surprise, Goldthorpe was open to the idea. So, she hopped on a flight to New York and spent an entire workday with prospective employers. The next day, she received a job offer.
Okusa graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce that paved the way for her Wall Street career. After two years at the prestigious Goldman Sachs, she left the company to find herself and travel. This leg of her remarkable journey led to the founding of her first company, a juice brand named Jrink.
Entrepreneurship
Osuka was free to make her own financial decisions and flourished. As a new entrepreneur, Osuka paid herself $30,000 annually and had to live in a studio apartment with a roommate. She developed her juices for Jrink from the little kitchen in her apartment. She states that it was challenging but rewarding.
The full-time position led Osuka to open sustainable brick-and-mortar stores, including two Whole Foods locations. But, the personal profit was not enough for Osuka to stay afloat.
She said,” We could never get above $5 million in revenue” and,” When you have margins of 50%, you can’t really afford much, and if you have spoilage on top of that for fresh juices, it eats away at the money.”
Osuka sold the company to Puree Juice Bar in 2019, which opened the door for Apothékary.
New Ventures
Though Apothékary and Jrink shared a sustainable ethos, Okusa says she had to do things differently for her new startup. One of the primary changes was to get out of her way. The lessons learned from her first venture led to hiring people more suitable for aspects of the business she was unfamiliar with. Strategic planning has made Okusa’s new venture more successful than the first.
The Apothékary brand offers over 20 products and collaborates with medicine experts. The line is also available at 400 Sprouts grocery stores in the United States. Okusa ships the products in-house, saving on shipping costs. The successful company has given her a new focus on life and many satisfied customers.
