This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series calledNB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Leslee Johnson Karen of Phytoplankton in Sackville.

I AM DEEP DOWN AN ARTIST AND FEEL THAT BUSINESS IS A FORM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. KEEPING MONEY IN OUR COMMUNITIES GIVES THE MONEY A CHANCE TO CIRCULATE A FEW MORE TIMES. WHEN IT GOES TO A BIG INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, THEY USUALLY DON’T PAY WELL SO THAT MONEY DISAPPEARS.

Being an entrepreneur is much more than profit, it’s a way to create jobs, to be involved in the community you are in, and also an opportunity to express yourself while impacting others positively.

Phytoplankton is curing colitis and fibromyalgia naturally but we’re not allowed to advertise it. Not once during all this did the diet question come to light, and I truly believe what we eat is at the base of health. Both my parents passed away because of a bad diet. I want to end unnecessary suffering caused by malnourishment, and my business is my way of doing that.