Inspiring Conversations with Janessa Bookout of Fifty Skies

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janessa Bookout.

Hi Janessa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I am a professional artist who started out working in restaurants to support myself until my professional career took off. 

During that time in the service industry, I developed a passion for great coffee and allowed myself the luxury of an expensive coffee drink almost every day if not multiple times a day. 

Even as I became a professional fine art gallery manager and business owner myself, I never let go of my barista-level passion for great coffee to start my day… Even if I had to pay high prices and wait in long lines at the neighborhood coffee shop… I was addicted to corporate coffee shops, so I just did what I had to do to get my fix. 

It was then, during the great upheaval of the 2020 “stay-at-home era,” that all of this changed for me. After a few months of trying everything from French press to drip coffee makers to plastic coffee pods, I was about to give up on the idea of delicious coffee at home. 

Luckily, I didn’t give up, and I was finally introduced to the incredible product line that I fell in love with during the summer of 2020. It later became my newest passion. Eco-friendly, gourmet quality single-serve coffee and tea. 

This premium quality product line was also surprisingly affordable and easy to use, so after enjoying it myself for many months, I finally decided to make it available for everyone on my website at fiftyskies.com 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have found it difficult to compete with big corporations that can outdo me on almost every level of paid advertising. 

Once I can get people’s attention through social media, paid ads, and good old-fashioned website SEO, I find it very difficult to get people to make the change in their morning routines. 

I know we are all creatures of habit, but it’s typically people who get to experience the magic of my product line in person who are the easiest to convert. 

I am proud to say many people are making the switch, though, as I have been selling and shipping eco-friendly paper pods with a unique pressurized paper pod brewer across the nation for almost 4 years now. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Fifty Skies is still a one-woman show here in Southern California. I built my own website and process every order myself. 

I truly believe in the saying that we should be the change we want to see in the world, so I have done my best to eliminate single-use plastic in almost all areas of my life. 

There are no more plastic cups, lids, or straws being used from daily coffee shop orders. There are no plastic pods being tossed into the landfill and no plastic water bottles being used at all. 

I have committed to a life of walking the walk of a tree-hugging artist and nature lover by using a high-quality water filter in combination with my Fifty Skies coffee and tea set up at home. 

I have basically eliminated all single use plastic from my daily beverages so there will be less microplastics released as a result. These decisions are small daily actions that add up over time, and I am proud to help other people do the same. 

Less plastic is better for the environment, better for our health, and better for our budgets. I hope my small business will be the small drop in the ocean that sends ripples out into abyss for many years to come. 

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I am originally from Oklahoma and have built everything I own from the ground up. 

In addition to my online coffee and tea business I am also a professional artist and certified life coach, so I am able to help artists on many levels. 

I now offer technical studio training in combination with personal development life skills and therapeutic art techniques to encourage artists on all levels. 

I have been working with artists 1-on-1 for a while and am launching my new online course, which is being developed as a 30-Day Challenge on June 1, 2024. There is more information available on my artist training website, learn.janessabookout.com 

I also created a nonprofit to encourage therapeutic activities inspired by the surf culture of Southern California. I partnered with several creative friends, including my husband, who makes surfboards, so we fundraise for that organization on operationstoke.org 

Pricing:

• $97 for a pod brewer and 3 free boxes of paper pods
• $8.99-9.99 for a single box of coffee or tea pods
• $97 for a 30-Day Challenge
• $125 for 1 hour of 1-on-1 artist training
• $14.95 for my book “Artworkaholic” on Amazon

Contact Info:

• Website: fiftyskies.com
• Instagram: @fiftyskies
• Facebook: Facebook.com/fiftyskies
• Other: learn.janessabookout.com