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Honeybee Gardens
Owner:
Melissa Hertzler
I remember first meeting
Melissa many moons ago at a Pennsylvania Herb Business meeting
(ah the days of regional groups). She was quiet and really
didn’t say much. A couple years ago she contacted me about
hosting and when I got to know her and her products I was sooooo
impressed…..a home based business that REALLY made good. She’s
doing Expo East and has her products in so many places. She’s
one business that really gives you hope that it’s possible to do
what you love (and the money does follow)
Founded: August 1995
Location: Leesport, PA
Employees: 4 plus a varying number of
sales reps across the US
Q: How did you start (or become owner) of
the business?
When we first got married, my husband hated shaving because it
really irritated his skin. I used my knowledge of herbs to
develop an herbal aftershave that allowed him to shave without
redness
and irritation. Disenfranchised by the corporate world, I
decided to start my own body care business.
Q: What made you choose this type of
business?
My love of herbs, gardening and cosmetics, and the desire to
have a job that I actually liked and believed in. I realized
early on
that I’d probably have to work for at least the next 40 years of
my life, so I’d better enjoy what I do.
Q: What is your background?
I have a bachelors in English/Communications and went for a
Masters in Business. I initially started out as a news reporter
and
hated it. I then got a job at an architectural firm and
realized I had a knack for business. So why not start my own?
Q: What are your biggest challenges as an
herb business? There are many. Financial, mostly. It’s
tough when your competitors are being sold for $180 million. I
mean, how do you compete with that? Can you imagine what their
advertising budget is? And there you are on the shelf in Whole
Foods right next to them fighting for the same attention from
the store buyers as well as the consumer. The other obstacle is
time – there’s never enough of it. We’re still at a level where
many tasks are distributed among too few people. And as with
any herb business, it’s always a challenge to convert mass-
market-thinking customers to think natural. Our 100% natural
Deodorant Powder isn’t going to stop you from sweating like the
big brand antiperspirant. But it will keep you from stinking,
and besides, your body is supposed to sweat!
Q: What are the biggest rewards of being
an herb business? I love owning my own company. It’s the
most difficult yet rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I guess the
biggest rewards come from the smallest places. A young girl in
Tennessee emailed me the other day to tell me she used my
company as the basis for her class project because she likes our
products so much and believes in my company. How cool is that?
Or the old farmer who came down to see me from Kutztown several
years ago so he could purchase our hand cream. He had a
terrible skin condition and nothing the doctor gave him would
help. But our product did, and I could see the gratefulness in
his eyes. Experiences like that make it all worthwhile.
Q: What is your philosophy of customer
service? To be a successful company, I believe it’s all
about great customer service. You want your customers to feel
good about their purchase, so we go above and beyond to ensure
that happens. I believe that is why we have such brand
loyalty. And that means the customer is always right (whether
you like it or not). You have to keep it all in perspective.
It doesn’t matter how out in left field the comments can be, if
the cost of a lipstick is going to make that customer happy and
coming back to you, isn’t it worth it?
Q: What makes you stand out from your
competitors? I think number one is our level of customer
service and the great relationships we have with our customers.
It’s all about the relationship – if a store owner likes you,
knows they can work with you and feels good about your products,
who do you think they’re going to stock their shelves with?
Number two is value. We strive to produce truly superb products
that are honestly natural and offer them at an affordable
price. People buy our products again and again because of how
good they really are, and they don’t have to sell a kidney to
afford them. Three is our sense of fun and fashion. This is
cosmetics – they’re supposed to be fun, not serious! And how
can we expect the consumer to switch to our healthier make up,
unless we make the same cool, fashionable colors and products
that the big brands make?
Q: What plans do you have for your
business? Wow, there’s so much. In the immediate
sense, we need to upgrade our web site. We just debuted a bunch
of new products at our trade show, which works toward our goal
of consistently creating exciting top-notch products. In
general, the plan is to always upgrade and expand. I want to be
known for having the best cosmetics and personal care, and for
meeting my customer’s body care needs.
Q: Is your family supportive of your
business? Yes. In the beginning, I didn’t tell anyone that
I had started my own company. I knew the negativity from
certain family members would be insurmountable. In fact, I had
been in business for almost a year before I told my father and
grandmother. I didn’t want to hear “You’re a girl! And you
know nothing about running your own company.” Instead, I
listened to my amazingly supportive husband who kept telling me
“You can do this” despite the initial financial hardship it
caused, and the hours and late nights it kept me away from him.
He never gave up on me, even when I was ready to give up on
myself. I don’t know where I would be without him.
Q: What do you wish you’d done
differently with the business? Nothing. Because everything
I’ve been through – good and
bad – has gotten me to where I am now.
Q: What do you think people starting out
should know about getting into your type of business?
If you don’t have a strong conviction, you’re never gonna
make it. It’s so easy to quit in the face of the many, many
obstacles
you’ll encounter. You have to believe in yourself and your
task. And always have a back up plan.
Q: How has the internet helped/hurt your
business?
That’s a no-brainer. Obviously, I personally can’t be in
all places at all times. But my web site can be. I’ll probably
never meet
the woman in the mountains of Montana who just can’t live
without my Jet Set Eye Liner. But because of my web site, she
has
access to her favorite product whenever she wants it. And she
wouldn’t even know about me or this product without the
internet.
Q: How long has it taken for your website
to pay off?
Immediately. Creating a web site was one of the first
things I did when I started the company. It instantly gives you
presence. You can’t reach everyone with an ad in the back of the Herb
Companion. But that guy in Guam surfing the net for herbal
aftershave
just might find you.
Q: What things have you done to promote
your website?
Honestly, not enough. But we do use our web site in all
forms of communication, from responding to emails, to having it
on every
single product package. I’m not exactly sure how or why our web
sales have jumped so dramatically in the past two years. Maybe
it’s because we have more brand awareness. Maybe it’s because
there are a bunch of web sites who mention or sell our products
and that gives us better ranking in the search engines. This is
a major issue I need to address. If you’re going to have a web
site,
I believe you should do whatever it takes to get the most out of
it. Be it linking with other sites, submitting your site to
search
engines, optimizing your site tags or working on your site’s key
words. If you don’t have the time to do this or learn about
it,
find someone who can. Your web site does the work for you while
you’re tucked in bed at night. Give it the attention it
deserves.
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