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The Essential Herbal
Owner:
Tina Sams
Editor's Note….Tina Sams of The
Essential Herbal. I’m not sure exactly when I met Tina….some
time around ‘94 I think. And
we’ve covered a lot of territory in that time span.
Stop by her website and check out her magazine and books….the
newest book, Wild Foods for Every Table, is definitely a
must
have if you like to graze.
Business Name:
The Essential Herbal – the magazine by, for, and about herbie
people and the things they love – HERBS!!!
Founded:
January, 2001
Location: Lancaster, PA
Employees: Just me, but I trade some soaping labor for
help with layout.
Q: How did you start (or become owner) of the business?
Initially there were 3 of us. After the first issue the other 2
completely lost interest, and didn’t seem to have any concern
that we had accepted pretty many annual subscriptions. They
gladly handed it over to me. For the first year, all
subscriptions were sold via word of mouth or setting up a booth
at herb festivals. I don’t think I sold advertising until the
second year, because it would not have been worthwhile for the
advertisers.
Q: What made you
choose this type of business? Three things I love –
writing, herbs, and people! Also, initially it was
something I could do while working fulltime and raising my
daughter.
Q: What is your
background? Prior to starting the magazine, I’d been
involved in retail herb shops with my sister, and making
and selling (wholesale and retail) soaps. Our newsletter when
we had the shop was our best sales tool. During those
incarnations, I’d had the opportunity to meet a lot of great
herb people.
Q: What are your
biggest challenges as an herb business? I think the
concept that the general public has of herbs is
detrimental to herb businesses, no matter what sort. Between
the shysters, hucksters, and big business, people are scared
away
from herbs. Some people think herbs are a worthless scam, some
people consider them too dangerous, and some people come to
their own conclusions (thank goodness).
Q: What are the
biggest rewards of being an herb business? The people in
the world of herbs have always been interesting
and happily quirky. I really like that. Growing things,
playing in the dirt, getting up to my elbows in rose petals and
lavender buds, learning to eat weeds… all of those things are
extremely valuable. I am also aware that I am showing my
daughter that it is possible
to be happy in your life’s work, and to make it more like play.
Q: What is your
philosophy of customer service? I always try to give
customers what I tell them they will get. If possible, a little
more than they expect. There is a start-up mag right now that
isn’t really in the same field exactly, but I’ve watched them
inflate their figures beyond belief in order to sell ads. Their
advertisers aren’t going to be happy with the results. I want
subscribers and
advertisers to come back because they got more than they
expected – not less. However… hard as it is, I also have to
recognize that
it isn’t for everyone, and not everyone will come back.
Q: What makes you
stand out from your competitors? We have a different
format and are completely customer driven. It was
a goal from the very beginning to try to establish some sort of
community – what I have felt was missing since the internet
arrived, and
in a lot of ways that has happened.
Q: What plans do you
have for your business? There was a time that I really
wanted to go to color and emulate the big boys. Not anymore. I
just want to keep getting better and better content, growing
that community, and continue to love putting it together.
Q: Is your family
supportive of your business? Very much so. My mother gave
me the bulk mail permit one year as a birthday gift, and my
siblings keep trying to pay for magazines. My daughter wrote an
article for the last issue and always helps me get the labels
stuck and the bundles stacked properly.
Q: What do you wish
you’d done differently with the business? I wish it hadn’t
taken so long to realize the value of being a little
different. Instead of trying to look slicker or more together
(sigh), I should have seen the charm that was already there. I
would have done a better job with details.
Q: What do you think
people starting out should know about getting into your type of
business? Unless Daddy Warbucks is your backer, it will
take some time to realize a profit. This company needed
to be self-supporting from day one. It was rocky, too. It was
2 years before I took a cent out of the company. That’s most
types of businesses, I think, but especially in herbs. If you
don’t love what you’re doing, you’ll wind up hating it, because
it sure takes some work.
Q: How has the
internet helped/hurt your business? Some of both, really.
There is so much information available on the web that it is
necessary to find another reason for people to want to read
this. On the other hand, most of my sales come through the
internet and the internet has also allowed me to do some very
cost effective marketing.
Q: How long has it
taken for your website to pay off? It was 6 months before
the first on-line order came in. Some came via the mail at
first after seeing the website, but it was a couple of years
before I saw multiple orders on a daily basis.
Q: What things have
you done to promote your website? Everything reasonable and
legal that I can think of! I write articles for other people’s
websites in exchange for a hot link, maintain a blog, jabber on
internet lists, some print ads, and reciprocal links. The one
thing that amazes me is seeing business people send out emails
without a web address in the signature. Never does anything
leave here without my website on it somewhere….
www.essentialherbal.com - see?
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