“I love how popular the things from my home country have become in America,” says Peruvian native Sandra Manay. “But it’s important to buy and use them responsibly—that way, you are helping to make others’ lives beautiful, as well as your own.”

Sandra would know. As the founder of Luna Sundara, she imports the self-care favorite Palo Santo, plus essential oil blends, incense holders, and more from her native country—and she hires local workers to make sure every ingredient is wildcrafted (aka foraged from the wild), consciously harvested, and respectfully purchased from local communities close to her childhood home. (She’s even donated to healthcare nonprofits to help COVID-19 recovery efforts in rural South American communities.)

With help from Amazon, we sat down with Sandra to discuss her life as an empresaria and her goal to build a better economy through beautiful living.*

You trained as a designer. Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur instead of working for a big fashion label?
It was never a question. I come from a single mom, and she always had businesses. She ended up coming to the US because of the economy in Peru. She lived without us here for many years. Seeing her always having small businesses in Peru really motivated us. When I was 11, I told everyone in school, “I’m going to be a CEO.”

What did the other kids say?
They thought it was cool, but the teachers would say, “Oh, but that’s so hard.” And I was like, “So? I can do it. And even if it is hard, I would rather have my own small company so I can be independent.”

Palo Santo is used traditionally in your native Peru. How do you feel about it becoming a more popular wellness practice in America?
Oh, I love it! You know, the summer I was graduating from college, I went to a place in upstate New York. I found this “art church” that does events for summer solstice and vernal equinox and things like that, and they were burning Palo Santo! I was like, “It smells like home here!” But then immediately, I thought, “Oh gosh, where did they get it?”

Why is it important where Palo Santo comes from?
Because you want to make sure the farmers and the community where it comes from are being paid fairly. That’s very important. The community makes a business plan. The [Peruvian] government says, “You can pick this many kilos.” And that’s the Palo Santo you want—the kind straight from the communities with no middle man, no chances for abuse or black market ties. You want to make sure it’s consciously harvested. It can go wrong so many ways if you’re not there to make sure your sources are excellent. But I’m from there! I know everyone! And if you’re using Palo Santo, which is supposed to help bring positive energy and a clearer spirit and mind, it has to be harvested that way. Otherwise, it’s not going to work. You only want things with good energy and intentions in your house, you know?

Absolutely. So how does Amazon help you with your goal?
It has made all the difference. When we launched, it was the summer of 2014. You put up a website and nobody knows you. That was very hard! We didn’t have any visibility, so we couldn’t get press—but we were afraid that if we ran big ads, we wouldn’t have the inventory to fulfill them, because we’re a small business! Then Amazon gave us this opportunity. Their flexibility is amazing. People in other countries can find you. Europe, Canada, Singapore—it’s very easy. With Amazon, people buy our products when they’re available, and we can ship them worldwide with a much lower rate. It lets us stay small and reach more people, which is perfect for me.

What advice did you hear, but never listen to, until you became an entrepreneur?
In high school, my teacher once said, “You can’t make money without spending money.” And I was like, “Ugh, that’s dumb, whatever.” Now I think about that every day. You can make money without spending a lot of money, but oh my gosh, it’s easier when you can!

What’s something you never knew about being a CEO until you became one?
It gets lonely! I’ve always loved having a dog, but now that I run my own company, oh my gosh, I am so grateful when I’m working all by myself at home, because I always have a friend.*

*This post is sponsored.