About
I PATCH UP DAY AND NIGHT FOR HEALTHY LIVING WITHOUT THE USE OF SUGARS AND PHARMACEUTICALS - steve croke.
I have sold four companies I created from the ground up in the Health and Wellness space (The Friendly Patch being the 5th ), so I am the epitome of a serial entrepreneur. If you open your medicine cabinet, you will see the patented child-resistant container (amber pill bottle, used at the pharmacy for dispensing prescriptions) used at Walmart, CVS, etc.… The name of that company was Friendly & Safe Packaging. As you can see, “Friendly” is an excellent word with tremendous meaning and once again used for this company—The Friendly Patch Co.
I believe vitamins and supplements should be worn, not digested. Like a nicotine patch that has been around for 20+ years, wearing vitamins will continue gaining traction over the next few years and will be as common as energy drinks. Why Patches? Because you lose most of what you digest in the gut (in some cases up to 80-90% loss) as opposed to wearing a supplement patch, which goes directly into your bloodstream through your skin, it gives your liver and kidney a break. The added benefit is that the skin absorbs the vitamin and supplement over time, so there is a steady metered release to your body, giving you more energy, sleep, and overall improved health. Patch UP and start feeling a new you. I hope you enjoy my story, as there is a face behind the brand, and I truly appreciate your business.
My love for places like Baja, Mexico, the Grenadine Islands, and Eleuthera Bahamas allows me to understand the importance of protecting our oceans. In hopes to live out the remainder of my life surfing, paddleboarding, and diving with whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, all my resources are donated to charities that help keep their home clean and alive. Without our ocean’s health, our planet will suffer enormously.
The Friendly Patch affirmations: Words have meanings, and I view my affirmation words daily when I wear my patches.
ATTITUDE PATCH:
As a young Entrepreneur, I was fortunate to work with the Crawford family. They are outstanding entrepreneurs in the manufacturing and logistics businesses. Eddie and Matt Crawford took me under their wings when I was only 27, and we built the third-largest prescription packaging company in the United States in under four years. Eddie had these ‘Attitude’ pins we would wear on our suits when calling on large pharmacy chains like Walmart and CVS. Walmart especially loved these pins and what we stood for, and we landed their business as one of the first large chains to use our child-resistant prescription bottle. I had asked Eddie early on what the significance of wearing the Attitude Pin was, and he replied, “Confidence...no one wants to do business with someone who doesn’t believe in himself, a product, or a company.”
Confidence is crucial for an entrepreneur, and you need to wear it on your sleeve or, in this case, your chest, wrist, or arm. Attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically reflected in a person’s behavior. It also refers to a person’s overall outlook, perspective, or mindset towards something or someone. It involves a combination of beliefs, values, feelings, and behaviors that shape how a person responds to situations, people, and events.
Starting a business from the ground up is one of the most challenging endeavors and many obstacles can leave you sleepless, which is why 49.7% of companies fail within the first five years. Confidence is a feeling of self-assurance in your abilities in a realistic, secure way. It’s a quiet inner knowledge that you’re capable. So, in honor of the Crawford’s, I wear the Attitude patch (very similar to the pin) with a tremendous sense of gratitude for their belief in a young entrepreneur and for allowing me to pursue my dreams and passions. We sold the business after four years, and our patented Friendly & Safe Packaging child-resistant containers are still being used at Walmart and CVS pharmacies nationwide. Once I caught the entrepreneurial bug, I never looked back, and The Friendly Patch is the 5th company I have created from the ground up, and I hope you enjoy our patches as much as I do! This company would not have begun without Eddie Crawford’s vision and his great team of hard-working entrepreneurs.
Overall, attitude is essential in how we interact with the world and can significantly impact our personal and professional lives. Developing a positive attitude through self-reflection, practicing gratitude, and focusing on solutions rather than problems can lead to greater happiness and success.
BELIEVE PATCH:
To an entrepreneur like me, belief means having confidence and conviction in their business idea, vision, and ability to succeed. Belief is a critical aspect of entrepreneurship because it drives businesspeople to take risks, pursue their goals, and overcome obstacles. Factors such as previous experiences, knowledge, skills, and customer and stakeholder feedback can shape an entrepreneur’s beliefs.
Businesspeople who believe in their ideas are more likely to be persistent, innovative, and willing to take calculated risks to achieve their goals. They have a strong sense of purpose and are committed to creating something valuable for society. However, entrepreneurs must balance their beliefs with a realistic understanding of their industry, market, and competition to make informed decisions and minimize the risk of failure.
‘Believing’ generally means accepting something as true or accurate without proof or evidence. It is a state of mind involving faith, trust, or confidence in something or someone, whether a concept, idea, person or higher power. Belief is often shaped by an individual’s experiences, culture, upbringing, and personal values and beliefs. It can profoundly impact one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, influencing how they perceive the world around them and how they interact with others.
Belief is positive, providing motivation, inspiration, and hope, or negative, leading to bias, prejudice, and discrimination. It can also be influenced by critical thinking, reasoning, and analysis or be based on superstition, dogma, and ideology.
Overall, believe is a fundamental aspect of human experience, shaping our identities, worldviews, and relationships with others and the world around us.
DISRUPT PATCH:
Disruptive innovation typically challenges existing norms, processes, and structures by offering a more efficient, cost-effective, or user-friendly alternative (i.e., The Friendly Patch). It can create new markets, shift power dynamics, and transform entire industries. For example, introducing ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft disrupted the traditional taxi industry and fundamentally changed how people use transportation. I hope to do the same thing with wearable wellness patches because it is a better way to take supplements for most people.
Overall, disrupt is a critical aspect of innovation and progress, driving change and challenging the status quo, but it requires careful consideration and management to minimize its negative impacts.
ZIG ZAG PATCH:
It doesn’t have to do with the rolling papers used in college or my buddy Ramsey who owns Zig Zag Bail Bonds in Northern California. Zig Zag refers to a series of quick and sharp turns or changes in direction, resembling the shape of a letter “Z.” To me, it’s just a cool word that describes my entire life of zigging and zagging. How many times have you made a decision or turned and realized it was wrong, and you had to zag your way back to where you started?
In some contexts, Zig Zag can also refer to an irregular or unpredictable course of action or speech, resembling the erratic pattern of a zig-zag. For example, someone might say a speaker’s argument was zig-zagging between different topics without a clear or coherent direction. One could say most Politicians are professional zig zaggers.
Overall, Zig Zag is one of my favorite words, just like the Foo Fighters are a great band name!
JOURNEY PATCH:
I’m not talking about the band Journey (although another great Band!!) The Journey is where the fun is. It’s an experience of traveling from place to place, often involving a physical, emotional, or spiritual transformation. It can be a literal journey, such as a trip or voyage, or a metaphorical journey, such as personal growth, self-discovery, or achieving a goal. It took me such a long time to understand that the begging and the end are just arbitrary points in time, and once you get to the end, it’s not as fun as the hazing it took to get there. Sometimes the hazing is pretty bad when you are in the thick of it, but at some point, down the road, when you can think, you can see the journey, while sometimes incredibly hard, was worth it.
A journey can be characterized by its duration, distance, and destination, as well as the challenges, opportunities, and experiences encountered. It can be a solitary or shared experience involving different modes of transportation, such as walking, driving, flying, or sailing.
Overall, a journey is a multifaceted and dynamic experience involving physical and emotional dimensions of traveling toward a destination or goal.
GRATEFUL PATCH:
Unfortunately, I’m not talking about the band Grateful Dead. I learned to be more grateful when I started doing yoga. It changed my life in such a positive way, in which I am so appreciative. During tough times I would write daily the three things I was thankful for to help get a positive mindset for the day. It worked amazingly. The main reason I put affirmation words on patches is so I’m reminded the essential things and filter out what is not. When I wear the patch, it delivers natural goodness to my body, and the words on the patch help me think positively. Before yoga, I had an issue with negative self-talk, the constant chatter of adverse info was impossible to manage. If anyone were to listen to my internal voice, they would have thought I was crazy. So, these patches help me realize the changes I have accomplished for myself and are such positive affirmations that I don’t take for granted.
Overall, grateful describes the feeling of being thankful and appreciative for something that someone has done for you or for something that you have received. It often implies a sense of recognition for the value or benefit of the thing or action that caused the feeling of gratitude. For example, you may feel grateful for the support and kindness towards a friend during a difficult time or for the opportunity to pursue your passions and interests. Being grateful is a positive and often humbling emotion and can help cultivate a sense of happiness, contentment, and fulfillment in one's life.
FLOW PATCH:
Be the water not the rock, I love to fly fish (catch and release), and it was a challenging thing to master and took a lot of practice. Water flows over the rocks; sometimes, you need to go with the flow and pick your battles. I have always had a good sense of flow and vibe, especially with people and animals.
Flow refers to a mental state in which a person is completely absorbed and fully focused on an activity or task. When in a state of flow, a person often experiences a sense of enjoyment, deep concentration, and a loss of self-consciousness. This state is often described as being “in the zone” or “in the groove.”
Overall, a lot of research has shown that flow can have many benefits, including increased performance, creativity, and overall well-being. To achieve a state of flow, it is essential to find activities that are challenging and engaging, and eliminate distractions and interruptions that can disrupt the state of flow.
GIVE PATCH:
Give is a loaded word with multiple meanings. If we all were to “give” a little more, me included, the world would be better. To “give” is to freely transfer or deliver something to another person, often as a gift or act of kindness. It can refer to giving physical objects, such as a present, a donation to charity, or a financial loan, or it can refer to providing intangible things, such as advice, support, or attention.
Overall, the act of giving is often associated with generosity, kindness, and compassion. It can be a way of expressing gratitude, building relationships, and helping others in need. Giving can also bring personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose, strengthen social connections and create a sense of community.
These are my words, and I’m sticking to them!!!!