Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is not an easy feat but neither is being an entrepreneur. And Jessica Herrin has done both.
Herrin is an explorer at heart, having founded accessory company Stella & Dot in 2004 and Ever Skincare in 2015, which offers clean products for premenopausal women. While she’s been hard at work on both businesses, turning 50 marked a major milestone for her that called for an epic trip.
“It’s a reflective time and I was like, ‘I want to do something epic that takes me out of my comfort zone that I’ve never experienced before,’” Herrin said.
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With extra time before heading off to her sophomore year of college at Stanford University, Herrin’s 19-year-old daughter, Charlotte, decided to join her on the journey to Tanzania, which they scheduled just a few months ahead of time.
“We did it on a bit of a whim and I’m so glad I didn’t really research it or I might not have undertaken such an endeavor,” Herrin said, explaining it also gave her an opportunity to spend quality time with her daughter. “Giving myself that gift of time with her, this was something I will hold for the rest of my life.”
Herrin is glad she took the risk. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro motivated her both personally and professionally.
“It ended up being a catalyst to focus on my own health,” she said. “The journey to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro was really the journey of finding myself again, getting myself back, getting my energy, my strength back.”
To prep for the 19,340-foot climb, Herrin began strength training, hiking regularly, and went on a trip with her husband where she hiked 10 miles daily.
But the advice she received regarding the mental strength required for the trip was most salient. “One said, ‘It’s not a question of if it’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt, so you’ve got to imagine yourself persevering while it hurts,'” she said.
Persevere she did. The climb, which took five days, came with its challenges: steep ascents, high altitudes and lack of sleep, to name a few. Rather than focusing on the struggles, Herrin and her daughter reminded themselves that they were able to complete the climb.
“Affirmation has to come from within,” she said, a key mantra, too, when it comes to building a business. With this personal affirmation, not comparing your journey to others is essential, whether it be a business venture or a climb.
“There are different paths. They go at different paces to get to the same spots. That I think is such an important thing in life so you don’t give up, especially as an entrepreneur,” Herrin said. “It’s a twisty road. It’s a long road. It’s a hard road, but you can find a path to get there.”
While climbing the world’s sixth tallest mountain and running a business are seemingly different, the strength required for each is similar. “It’s a mindset of, ‘That’s doable,'” she said. “You’ll have unexpected challenges you’ve not experienced before, but you have to imagine yourself moving through them and that is definitely business-building entrepreneurship. It’s challenging all the time. You’re uncomfortable, but what I find was so inspiring about Mount Kilimanjaro it’s doable.”
Taking time away from her businesses also left a lasting impact.
“So often as an entrepreneur and a CEO, you tell yourself you don’t have time to step away from your business,” said Herrin. “When you purposely step away, your perspective shifts… On the mountain, there’s this view from the top and you’re at the highest point and you see this view. I will remember that feeling of wanting to make sure I keep that in my daily life, not just looking down at the what’s beneath my feet, but to look up and around.”
On the excursion, Herrin also recognized the importance of community and lifting each other up.
“The most amazing analogy was the realization nobody reaches the summit alone,” she said, noting climbers cheered each other on throughout the trip. “They’re singing in the night. You realize that that’s what cheering other women on is, it’s the energy…In business, I want to be that way for other women. It’s like, ‘You’re almost there. You got this. It’s OK if it hurts. Yes, you can keep going’ and being the light [for them].”
At the end of the trip, Herrin’s guide asked her what climb she’d do next. While she didn’t have an answer then, she has one now.
“Now that it’s been a month and we’re showered and have slept in a mattress, I would do it again,” she said. “I would go back and do it again.”