With summer officially in full swing, I find myself chatting with my coworkers about weekend camping trips, relaxing days by the pool, visits to the beach, and strolls through the local farmers' market. Lunchtime has become a show and tell of what was BBQ'd on the grill the evening before, as the smells declare who on staff deserves the real bragging rights.

The best thing about working for a small business is getting to know my coworkers, each of whom seems hand-curated for their unique talent, and each of whom is an important part of the Luxiny team. 

With the Fourth of July just days away, I have thought a lot about our country's independence and the American Dream, and how far we as a nation have come since we first declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. 

The American Dream is a self-fulfilled vision for your own future. It's a belief that here in the United States you can build your own success, no matter where you come from, no matter who your family is, no matter how many times you may have failed in the past. The American Dream is the belief that opportunity is created from within oneself, and each individual decides the meaning of success.  

Luxiny is a small business that was founded by and is led by women. While American history does show that women have been running businesses (often inherited) since before The Declaration of Independence, it took nearly 150 years for American society to evolve enough that little girls could, too, dream of becoming anything they wanted to become, including an entrepreneur if that is what they were to choose.

Small business owners are the realization of the American Dream as well as a provider of opportunity for others to realize their own American Dream. Small business owners often hire talented, creative, hard-working individuals who work together to attain success professionally and personally. 

Here at Luxiny we make skincare products from natural ingredients. We personally handcraft these items with devotion. We passionately believe that luxuriously natural skincare is better for our customers and the environment. 

We are fervently committed to making products that are cruelty-free. None of our products have been or ever will be tested on animals. We are also committed to keeping our products Vegan because we believe that even the smallest animal deserves to live unharmed by humanity. Our products are purely plant-based.

We are lucky enough to have team members who truly care about animal welfare, team members who volunteer their time to fight for the welfare of animals.

We as an organization would like to support those team members in their passion for animal welfare, and the global mission to end animal testing. We know that takes more than just producing a product that is Vegan and Cruelty-Free, but we would like to spread the word that the American Dream doesn’t have to come at the expense of animal welfare. 

Here at Luxiny, we may not all fill our day with the same tasks, as we each have a different skill set, but we each fill our day ensuring that the products we make are of the highest quality, that the products we make meet our customers' satisfaction and that the products we make are all-natural & plant-based. 

For us, our commitment to our customers' satisfaction is our success. Our customers' satisfaction helps us each reach our own version of the American Dream, and we are proud that that success does not bring harm to any living creature. 

What is your definition of success? What is your American Dream? 

If you would like to learn more about what you can do to support the global effort to end animal cruelty check out www.leapingbunny.org. 

*Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Always check the ingredients of products to avoid potential allergic reactions*