Susan Eisen, Founder of Tick Tock Naturals
Name: Susan Eisen
Founder: Tick Tock Naturals
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
I am a Wellness Lyme Literate Chiropractor who doesn’t want anyone to get bitten by a tick and develop a severe infectious disease like I did.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
I am holistic chiropractor who had the misfortune of being bitten by a tick and developing an acute severe case of neurological Lyme disease which included a very bizarre set of symptoms including OCD. As a healthcare provider, I literally diagnosed myself before walking into the office of a medical doctor for proper antibiotic therapy. After proper treatment, my OCD resolved never to return. I found this fascinating.
It was this along with my background in biochemistry that set me on the road to develop a clean product that could truly prevent tick and other insect bites for many hours that could actually compete with the synthetic sprays. A little more about me. I am a contributing author to a book Integrative Sexual Health published for the Weil Integrative Medicine Library Series and I am in private practice in Manhattan, New York. My professional has life has always been about helping people live their best lives. Many of my patients and friends work in the fashion and entertainment industries and it was through one of these friends that I was introduced to Ally Hilfiger who I discovered was very sick with chronic Lyme disease. Ally introduced me to a world I never knew existed. The sheer numbers of people being sickened by this disease is astonishing and little is being done to counter it in comparison to other illnesses. Lyme disease compromises the immune system and our innate ability to fight disease even with the strongest of antibiotics and I knew that using toxic synthetic chemicals with their own known stressors impacts this even further.
As a result of this experience, I have become very involved in the Lyme community and in 2021, I was interviewed by Coforma for inclusion into the LymeX round table by the Department of Health and Human Services to find solutions to this epidemic. I was the only chiropractor selected for this prestigious round table. I have also become involved as a board member of Sam’s Spoons Lyme Foundation (Pennsylvania) started by the former national ambassador for Project Lyme, journalist Carrie Perry and I am a past member of the Benefit Committee for Global Lyme Alliance also started by two women in Connecticut. My brand Tick Tock Naturals® has become recognized and affiliated with top Lyme Foundations across the United States and was also recognized by Health and Human Services as a leading and effective natural insect repellent in 2021.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a member of FoundHer is everything that I have supported and worked toward as a woman entrepreneur. I feel that us women must support each other in order for us to survive and thrive. Since October 7, I feel this more acutely as we find ourselves in a more inhospitable environment.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I have been a longtime supporter of women owned businesses for the many varied solutions that they bring as well as for the strength we can bring to support each other in a male dominated world. I feel that women must work twice as hard and I have found that when women support each other, we all thrive. I am an executive member of NYWIFT in my base city of New York.
Who is a female entrepreneur you look up to and why?
Okay this is a tough one. I’m going with Martha Stewart. She is truly someone who is self made and has reached her height of success with true grit, determination and a refusal to fail all with grace, steadiness and a sense of humor.
What are the first five things that you did when you were starting your business?
1. I found a mentor.
2. I found an angel investor.
3. I found a great IP Attorney.
4. I researched best ingredient sourcing/manufacturing.
5. Marketing ( still working on perfecting that ).
Who is someone who has helped change or shape your business for the better and what did they do to help you?
Ally Hilfiger who literally spoon fed me to the Lyme Community at large. She consulted with me initially to give her blessing to the finished product.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
I am handling my social media with help from a graphic designer and my IT person. The biggest challenge is time and accuracy.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
My entire formula is based on the opposite chemical principles in my market (natural insect repellents) and it is for this reason that it outlasts every other product in this category while remaining clean, nonGMO and organic. Thinking outside of the box is essential.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
I would ask for more money from my first angel investor.
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
1. Make sure your product can have disruptor status in its space.
2. Never cut corners.
3. Be persistent.
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