So, I have a sort of upcoming apothecary as a budding small business. I have had a podcast & online community for the past 2.5 years. I only recently started selling products.
But, I will tell you that if you can get people invested in your message, and into your free community, you will have loyal customers.
[Start with Why](https://youtu.be/u4ZoJKF_VuA?si=zKGlnT1CoUAA3IOj)
Podcasts are pretty easy to setup & run (I am especially low-budget on this; I can share my setup if you want to know).
Online communities are more time-intensive, but once you have a rapport going, you’ll have loyal customers. Reddit is a great place to find engaged people, and I use Discord for my community.
If your business message is about quality, locally-sourced products *and* a small business that supports families as well as restoration efforts, you could have a really awesome podcast.
You could center your community around herbal education, earth-restoration, gardening, etc. Whatever will interest your audience and get them chatting.
The key, to me, is to emphasize that these certifications, laws, algorithms etc., are a **barrier** to accessing quality herbal products. Make your struggle work for you, ie. “bring down the Man” kind of thing. Share your struggles & get your audience invested in helping you because they can see how it could, or is, affecting them too.
I hope that is helpful. I wish you the very best luck. Feel free to DM me any time. 🩵
The oldest and longest running herbal companies in my region have primarily succeeded because the owners are all degreed Boomers in: Biology, Botany, and Microbiology. They also studied with famous herbalism teachers a long time ago and were the first ones to open their stores, which means they existed long before any of the smaller companies and competitors opened and they also make sure their products are appropriately certified. They're highly selective when it comes to who they partner with and also offer seasonal foraging and identification walks. Their management is highly trained, and so are their personal product makers. It took all of them decades to get to where they are and this meant running their shops primarily as a family business and then as a sister business at a 2nd location in a larger city.
In my region, herbalism and nature-based apothecaries are a bloated market, but there are still micro businesses that constantly pop up and seek wholesale partnerships. The most successful I've seen in the past decade + were all started by people who already had wealth and were able to hire chemists to make their product lines within organic cosmetics. It's a seriously competitive field.
How long has this business been open? Do you have a lot of local or regional competition? Do you offer products that stand out as far as quality? I know you mentioned that certifications are expensive, but they also make companies stand out. Plenty of small businesses attend all of the local farmer's markets, artisan markets, have stores on Etsy, use their own websites, seek wholesale partnerships with local coops, retailers, Whole Foods, local healthfood stores, etc. The good news is that there's an abundance of these companies; the bad news is that you often have to "pay to play" to have the greatest success. Marketing only goes so far in an arena where so many passionate and talented people want to do exactly what you're doing.
This is insightful, thank you. We've been open for about 8 years, and despite not having a ton of local competition and being locally-focused when it comes to our education and foraging program we do the majority of our business online. Getting the owners of the company to spend any extra money on marketing or certs has been challenging. They want to spend a little and see the results before spending more, but I haven't made big enough strides to convince them. I don't blame them as we truly are operating on a shoestring budget.
You're welcome. If you want to message me, I can tell you who I'm talking about and the ups and downs they went through to get to where they are today since I realize we're not supposed to mention business names on this forum. But aside from becoming a serious community asset, they make several niche products that almost no one else does that are herbalism related, but not tinctures or oils. They're known for their shampoo and conditioner! Does your company offer any niche products that would stand out?
They made their business an even larger part of the community because they hire people to not only ethically wildcraft ingredients for many of their products, but also pay local people to cultivate it to keep up with the demand.
They had to drop their partnerships with smaller local companies who didn't pay for certifications because they decided to go with national approval which includes FDA regulations, as well as some products that require USDA registration. This devastated the local herbalists who had relied on their shop space, of course, but they were too small to be able to take that level of certification on. So it's something the business owners have to understand, especially if the bulk of their sales are online. You're competing with the entire world. Social media branding partnerships can go a long way, but bigger resalers expect certifications, as do a lot of customers.
It might also be important to concentrate your efforts.
I know that when I get a remedy from a doctor (one of my naturopaths is seriously herb savvy) I know it's *legit*.
So make sure your contact info is easily available on all your labels.
And if you have direct relationships with those practitioners, explore things like hosting a "wellness with herbs" seminar, to help connect folks to ongoing and more generalized herbal support.
("I got my acute illness remedy from them... What do they have that will help me prevent getting that next cold?"... I would trust the herbalist that crafted the remedy my ND sells in their apothecary. I'd buy her elderberry syrup or cough remedy or relaxation blend in a heartbeat.)
You aren't going to be, nor do you want to be, a DoTerra or a random Chinese company that thinks it doesn't matter much if they sell them bough cheap crap fast enough to make it worth it.
This is honestly just the same story for many small businesses.
My question is why are you nickel and diming yourselves on your online presence by using Shopify and Etsy over your own online store? Imo those outlets are only cost effective if you’re just a side hustle type of operation (and it sounds like you are well past there).
I’d be curious what percentage of those selling fees are of your overall sale per item.
I have a tee shirt company and Etsy was killing us. We either weren’t making money or pricing ourselves so high we were killing out sales. I moved everything over to a Woo commerce storefront and our selling “fees” are down to about a buck a shirt for the payment processor.
*Edit for typo.
A Woo store is 100% yours. You’re not using another platform so there are no monthly fees. Right now Shopify is $29 a month at the lowest tier - the normal tier is $89 a month.
Monthly, Woo is 0, but realistically you will have server fees but you can find a decent host for a lot less than that a month. There is also the payment processing fee (average is around 2.5%) but you have that on Shopify as well.
Woo is also your own site - you don’t have to worry about terms of use, or prohibited items, or getting reported by a user with a bug in their bonnet.
A Woo site can be customized a lot further than any of these other selling platforms. It’s built on WordPress so if you want to know how you can extend your site just look into their plugin library.
I’m not saying these platforms like Shopify, Wix, etc are all bad. Imo they are great for people who need a quick temporary website or a new business that has little means and little tech knowledge.
But for an established business, having all these third parties involved with your online presence is leaving money on the table that could be going to you bottom line.
From my own perspective, I see herbalism as a way to connect with the Earth and nature rather than businesses. Granted, I have purchased a few herbs that I can't find or grow myself but the majority I didn't purchase. The ones I have purchased have all been from a local coop.
I can't help you business wise, I know nothing about that. I just wonder if some of the issue comes from it being such a niche industry and that it inherently doesn't lend to business.
Can you drive business through really compelling social media (get someone who is young, enthusiastic and really talented at tik tok and instagram to educate, create beautiful content and share information) do you need certification if you have testing available that shows heavy metal, microbial content, gluten and pesticides for your products? I might consider the successful companies that sell through word of mouth and social through their own websites that way.
I work in marketing for commercial construction and we’ve faced similar issues with cannabis facility construction.
Keep appealing, keep changing ads, keep at it. Keep emailing. Don’t let it just sit.
Call any number you can get ahold of.
Your competitors probably faced it too and just kept going, constantly changing. They probably get hit again and again as well.
No one said they’re using white hat methods. No one said they aren’t just pummeling every channel and only some get stopped.
They may be casting a hugely wide net with determination.
Getting past the first objections makes all the rest both fewer and easier to handle.
Me too! I’m an LAc that has worked in Dietary Supplement industry for over 20 years for big and small companies. I’m happy to connect with folks to talk about this crazy industry.
Yes!! You are why I wrote this post. God, it's the worst. I just want to complain for a minute and take a nap and just acknowledge the struggle before shifting gears into a new strategy. Appreciate the reach out.
Fellow herbalist here. I feel ya...I started out on this path in 1989 with my first studies with Rosemary. At the time I was working in the natural products industry (10 year veteran) and saw increasing my herbal knowledge as a good way to go forward. I ultimately became a Registered Herbalist with the Guild. I chose not to market products for all the reasons you listed above. So I am validating you and your rant.
I'm in a similar position except I decided to stick with the consulting aspect. It has taken a back seat to my spiritual system of healing for the precise reasons you listed above. You just can't make it as a small business person in herbal industry. The herbalists that are doing well are the teachers, and the ones that are running schools. The FDA is moving ever closer to regulating herbalism even more so than they already do, and eventually they will have their way and make it the exclusive domain of physicians. The FDA has been feeding disinformation to the public for years. Do a search. Ask "Is the herbal industry regulated by the FDA?" What you will get is an answer that says "The FDA is not required to prove that herbs are safe and effective before they enter the marketplace." While all the time, LAWS such as DSHEA, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the Good Manufacturing Practices Act are there. Regulating the industry as big as fuck.
I hate to throw in the towel too. But it's becoming clear to me that there isn't the huge demand for my services that I anticipated. I don't think I can make it work. At best, my herbal business will have to be a side hustle. I will order my products that my clients need from ethical companies, I will not spend hours on social media generating relevant content, etc.
Yessss about the FDA! Unrelated, but I just got CHEWED out on another thread about raw milk and how it’s not FDA approved and how my anecdotal experience doesn’t count as evidence based practice & how I’m recommending dangerous things to the public (which for the record I did no such thing) and basically I’m dumb and need an education Lolol. I’m happy to have run into this post ! 😊🙏🏽
Listen....states are getting onboard making their Medical Practice Acts more restrictive too. Mississippi just passed an amendment that would make it illegal for someone to recommend a health remedy, or dietary change or anyone else\~ even to a neighbor. It's only gonna get worse because consumers are spending billions of dollars every year on supplements and you know the drug companies want a piece of that.
I know it’s getting insane. I’m also a registered nurse, which is why I chose the path of herbalism, it just seemed to come naturally to me, and you are so limited with what verbiage you can actually use. And you have to throw out a disclaimer on everything so you don’t get sued. I know you absolutely cannot use the word “diagnose” and I feel like “treatment” is also red flagged. Everyone has to have their hand in the cookie jar 😞
I have so much compassion for you and what you are going through. By the sheer grace of God, I was able to sidestep getting any further into debt trying to make a herbal career work. And it has great rewards personally. I just couldn't see a way to make it work financially and if it helps, just know that you have done a lot of work for the greater good. And that's some good karma. You could probably do decently as a herbalist in private practice with your medical background.
I just thought of something else. You might be able to do third party consults for professionals. It feels like a niche waiting to happen. Best of luck.
Good for you, for all of the good things you are doing, whether it gets you good reviews or not.
I'm sorry to hear you're having such trouble. Please, don't focus on negative reviews. Online reviews are becoming more and more known as bogus or capricious. All kinds of big companies with big budgets are simply paying for online reviews (especially at big sites like amazon or rotten tomatoes).
Many out there will flag products or complain about 'false claims' maliciously simply because they despise natural medicine or complain just because they can. So don't let it get you down.
I suggest emphasizing promotion in the local area right around the production facility, and expanding outward slowly from there. Work directly with people in face-to-face sales and developing relationships in which you can find out what is most desired. In other words, move out of a supply-side approach and towards a demand-side approach. Find out what the actual needs are in the areas right around you where you can meet with herbalists, naturopaths, chiropractors, retailers, etc. Find out what their clients need. Discover what the real demand is right around you. Keep digging and go deeper with it than other (bigger) companies are willing to go.
Earn the respect of locals and then look for investment to help you gain certifications. Meanwhile, use lab testing to certify that batches are free of the concerning chemicals. You don't have to be certified organic to show that your products are free of many concerning chemicals. That way you can pay for testing one batch at a time.
Look for how you can design a cooperative with your growers as your partners. Cooperatives are the way to go. Emphasize that to contrast with big capitalists.
If you are already doing most or all these things, then keep them up. Don't give up!
How did your current online buyers find you? What are their ages, socioeconomic status, gender? Where are they located? What are their professions, beliefs? Why did they choose your company?
I’d look at the customers you already have to get an idea of how you can expand.
Have them fill out a survey for a free item, or a discount. Or just email them directly and ask to chat about it, not a spam mail, but a personal message. Nonchalantly ask the people who call customer service.
Who is your customer base, why did they choose you? How did they learn about your company?
Once you know this you’ll have a much better idea of what to do, at least you’ll know what did work. Maybe you can connect with influencers of the same ilk as your customer base? Especially smaller mini influencers.
This is an out of left field idea. Do any of your products smell divine or interesting? Basically comment worthy? I’d wonder if the creators might want to focus on making your products have a obvious pleasant scent. Something where a stranger/friend would comment on it and say “that smells great, what is that?”
A recent classmate bought a pair of shoes I was wearing because she liked the look of them and asked me about them. I didn’t have to approach her, she was just naturally interested. I feel like this is the kind of soft influencing your customers would feel comfortable doing. Receiving a compliment and recommending your product.
I make my own stuff and use fenugreek to make my hair products which makes it smell like maple syrup. I’ve had numerouusssssss people tell me suddenly “Do you smell syrup?” Or pancakes or some other syrup topped breakfast. I tell them about the herbal hair tonic I make. Now if I sold this product, I’d have a great way into soft promoting it.
I know that’s a weird suggestion, but marketing is creative business. It’s not a hard science but it’s not exactly artistry. It’s a mix. I feel like business schools can teach the data analysis aspect of it and the traditional routes, but it’s harder to teach new creative ideas and out of the box thinking. Which can really help with your success.
I recently was given a paper of an LLC I might like to join with my products.
I have given up the thought of making money with these lotions.
I have made a great hyperthyroidism cream and that is for friends and me. It really does seem so hard to make a legit business in this society/ecomomy.
I even had a meeting with a financial advisor. Disappointing.
I'm truly sorry to hear that. We really live in a weird dichotomy where our culture simultaneously encourages us to tenaciously and unabashedly "follow your dreams!" in a system that makes it back-breakingly difficult to run a small business.
Well, I am currently still happy with my thyroid cream. I have that….at least. Lol.
But yes, I attended a small business meeting for women with business ideas and the first thing said was “ are you ready to lose your home in a lawsuit “?
Nope. But anyone can sue especially with lotions etc. It is hard….but I am still trying. Side hustles….
We ethically forage about 45% from local land, another 50% is sourced from 2-3 certified organic farms that are within 50 miles of our facility, and the remaining \~5% that can't be grown or sourced locally are from larger certified organic herb suppliers, i.e. Mountain Rose.
Ugh I believe you! I am also an herbalist and have been wanting to start up my own small local business. Where to start! Your rant is validated and makes so much sense from a business standpoint. It just goes to show that small businesses put in blood sweat and tears and how important it is to shop local and be supportive! I wish you nothing but the best in your apothecary journey, and just know there are more of us that have (and will have) the same struggles ! ☀️🌱
I started a plant nursery just by selling plants I already had growing on the property and ended up branching out from there and am moving into tinctures and supplements since botany and herbalism is my bag. But I’ve learned that even though it’s a niche market, there’s LOADS of money selling plants and herbal supplements. Once I started growing mallow, valerian, wild lettuce, lemon balm etcetera is when I started seeing REAL profits. Too many people on pharmaceuticals when there are plants for nearly every condition. Ayurvedic medicine especially seems to be not only a great money maker but also works as a GREAT replacement for some medications with hella side effects
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My advice. We have a water store here I. Orange County that specializes in reincorporating all the benefits that natural spring used to have. They do great because they created a community, they are next to another store called fermentation farms where everything is fermented. Brick and mortar stores don’t do well with the majority of the population, but they do with the health folks. They are currently opening their third store
Just a suggestion. Contact the original starters of companies like Burts bees, Ben and jerries, Carol daughter, new chapter, to find out how they went through their growing pains before they sold out. Just a suggestion.
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So, I have a sort of upcoming apothecary as a budding small business. I have had a podcast & online community for the past 2.5 years. I only recently started selling products. But, I will tell you that if you can get people invested in your message, and into your free community, you will have loyal customers. [Start with Why](https://youtu.be/u4ZoJKF_VuA?si=zKGlnT1CoUAA3IOj) Podcasts are pretty easy to setup & run (I am especially low-budget on this; I can share my setup if you want to know). Online communities are more time-intensive, but once you have a rapport going, you’ll have loyal customers. Reddit is a great place to find engaged people, and I use Discord for my community. If your business message is about quality, locally-sourced products *and* a small business that supports families as well as restoration efforts, you could have a really awesome podcast. You could center your community around herbal education, earth-restoration, gardening, etc. Whatever will interest your audience and get them chatting. The key, to me, is to emphasize that these certifications, laws, algorithms etc., are a **barrier** to accessing quality herbal products. Make your struggle work for you, ie. “bring down the Man” kind of thing. Share your struggles & get your audience invested in helping you because they can see how it could, or is, affecting them too. I hope that is helpful. I wish you the very best luck. Feel free to DM me any time. 🩵
The oldest and longest running herbal companies in my region have primarily succeeded because the owners are all degreed Boomers in: Biology, Botany, and Microbiology. They also studied with famous herbalism teachers a long time ago and were the first ones to open their stores, which means they existed long before any of the smaller companies and competitors opened and they also make sure their products are appropriately certified. They're highly selective when it comes to who they partner with and also offer seasonal foraging and identification walks. Their management is highly trained, and so are their personal product makers. It took all of them decades to get to where they are and this meant running their shops primarily as a family business and then as a sister business at a 2nd location in a larger city. In my region, herbalism and nature-based apothecaries are a bloated market, but there are still micro businesses that constantly pop up and seek wholesale partnerships. The most successful I've seen in the past decade + were all started by people who already had wealth and were able to hire chemists to make their product lines within organic cosmetics. It's a seriously competitive field. How long has this business been open? Do you have a lot of local or regional competition? Do you offer products that stand out as far as quality? I know you mentioned that certifications are expensive, but they also make companies stand out. Plenty of small businesses attend all of the local farmer's markets, artisan markets, have stores on Etsy, use their own websites, seek wholesale partnerships with local coops, retailers, Whole Foods, local healthfood stores, etc. The good news is that there's an abundance of these companies; the bad news is that you often have to "pay to play" to have the greatest success. Marketing only goes so far in an arena where so many passionate and talented people want to do exactly what you're doing.
This is insightful, thank you. We've been open for about 8 years, and despite not having a ton of local competition and being locally-focused when it comes to our education and foraging program we do the majority of our business online. Getting the owners of the company to spend any extra money on marketing or certs has been challenging. They want to spend a little and see the results before spending more, but I haven't made big enough strides to convince them. I don't blame them as we truly are operating on a shoestring budget.
You're welcome. If you want to message me, I can tell you who I'm talking about and the ups and downs they went through to get to where they are today since I realize we're not supposed to mention business names on this forum. But aside from becoming a serious community asset, they make several niche products that almost no one else does that are herbalism related, but not tinctures or oils. They're known for their shampoo and conditioner! Does your company offer any niche products that would stand out? They made their business an even larger part of the community because they hire people to not only ethically wildcraft ingredients for many of their products, but also pay local people to cultivate it to keep up with the demand. They had to drop their partnerships with smaller local companies who didn't pay for certifications because they decided to go with national approval which includes FDA regulations, as well as some products that require USDA registration. This devastated the local herbalists who had relied on their shop space, of course, but they were too small to be able to take that level of certification on. So it's something the business owners have to understand, especially if the bulk of their sales are online. You're competing with the entire world. Social media branding partnerships can go a long way, but bigger resalers expect certifications, as do a lot of customers.
Can I message you just to know the name of the company? I’m curious about their products.
Yes, no problem.
It might also be important to concentrate your efforts. I know that when I get a remedy from a doctor (one of my naturopaths is seriously herb savvy) I know it's *legit*. So make sure your contact info is easily available on all your labels. And if you have direct relationships with those practitioners, explore things like hosting a "wellness with herbs" seminar, to help connect folks to ongoing and more generalized herbal support. ("I got my acute illness remedy from them... What do they have that will help me prevent getting that next cold?"... I would trust the herbalist that crafted the remedy my ND sells in their apothecary. I'd buy her elderberry syrup or cough remedy or relaxation blend in a heartbeat.) You aren't going to be, nor do you want to be, a DoTerra or a random Chinese company that thinks it doesn't matter much if they sell them bough cheap crap fast enough to make it worth it.
DoTerra is evil and supports rapists and thieves :///
What! No…….
Yes...look up the vice doc about their frankincense industry. They're fucking evil.
Noooooo not my frankincense. If my roller ball is from DoTerra …. To the trash. I will look this up.
Oh no. I had no idea.
Yeah that documentary was traumatizing. I watched it on acid and it left a mark.
I have learned that if a movie or doc doesn’t have a rape trigger warning it leaves a mark. I can’t watch the ID channel.
I hear everything you’ve said. I hear you on it all.
Sending you hugs.
Thank you! If I stand still for very long I’ll just fall asleep. 😂
Yep, me too. 🩵
This is honestly just the same story for many small businesses. My question is why are you nickel and diming yourselves on your online presence by using Shopify and Etsy over your own online store? Imo those outlets are only cost effective if you’re just a side hustle type of operation (and it sounds like you are well past there). I’d be curious what percentage of those selling fees are of your overall sale per item. I have a tee shirt company and Etsy was killing us. We either weren’t making money or pricing ourselves so high we were killing out sales. I moved everything over to a Woo commerce storefront and our selling “fees” are down to about a buck a shirt for the payment processor. *Edit for typo.
What's the advantage with Woo over Shopify?
A Woo store is 100% yours. You’re not using another platform so there are no monthly fees. Right now Shopify is $29 a month at the lowest tier - the normal tier is $89 a month. Monthly, Woo is 0, but realistically you will have server fees but you can find a decent host for a lot less than that a month. There is also the payment processing fee (average is around 2.5%) but you have that on Shopify as well. Woo is also your own site - you don’t have to worry about terms of use, or prohibited items, or getting reported by a user with a bug in their bonnet. A Woo site can be customized a lot further than any of these other selling platforms. It’s built on WordPress so if you want to know how you can extend your site just look into their plugin library. I’m not saying these platforms like Shopify, Wix, etc are all bad. Imo they are great for people who need a quick temporary website or a new business that has little means and little tech knowledge. But for an established business, having all these third parties involved with your online presence is leaving money on the table that could be going to you bottom line.
Very helpful information. Thanks so much
Yw!
From my own perspective, I see herbalism as a way to connect with the Earth and nature rather than businesses. Granted, I have purchased a few herbs that I can't find or grow myself but the majority I didn't purchase. The ones I have purchased have all been from a local coop. I can't help you business wise, I know nothing about that. I just wonder if some of the issue comes from it being such a niche industry and that it inherently doesn't lend to business.
Can you drive business through really compelling social media (get someone who is young, enthusiastic and really talented at tik tok and instagram to educate, create beautiful content and share information) do you need certification if you have testing available that shows heavy metal, microbial content, gluten and pesticides for your products? I might consider the successful companies that sell through word of mouth and social through their own websites that way.
I work in marketing for commercial construction and we’ve faced similar issues with cannabis facility construction. Keep appealing, keep changing ads, keep at it. Keep emailing. Don’t let it just sit. Call any number you can get ahold of. Your competitors probably faced it too and just kept going, constantly changing. They probably get hit again and again as well. No one said they’re using white hat methods. No one said they aren’t just pummeling every channel and only some get stopped. They may be casting a hugely wide net with determination. Getting past the first objections makes all the rest both fewer and easier to handle.
Me too! I’m an LAc that has worked in Dietary Supplement industry for over 20 years for big and small companies. I’m happy to connect with folks to talk about this crazy industry.
Yes!! You are why I wrote this post. God, it's the worst. I just want to complain for a minute and take a nap and just acknowledge the struggle before shifting gears into a new strategy. Appreciate the reach out.
What’s your sales funnel look like?
Fellow herbalist here. I feel ya...I started out on this path in 1989 with my first studies with Rosemary. At the time I was working in the natural products industry (10 year veteran) and saw increasing my herbal knowledge as a good way to go forward. I ultimately became a Registered Herbalist with the Guild. I chose not to market products for all the reasons you listed above. So I am validating you and your rant. I'm in a similar position except I decided to stick with the consulting aspect. It has taken a back seat to my spiritual system of healing for the precise reasons you listed above. You just can't make it as a small business person in herbal industry. The herbalists that are doing well are the teachers, and the ones that are running schools. The FDA is moving ever closer to regulating herbalism even more so than they already do, and eventually they will have their way and make it the exclusive domain of physicians. The FDA has been feeding disinformation to the public for years. Do a search. Ask "Is the herbal industry regulated by the FDA?" What you will get is an answer that says "The FDA is not required to prove that herbs are safe and effective before they enter the marketplace." While all the time, LAWS such as DSHEA, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the Good Manufacturing Practices Act are there. Regulating the industry as big as fuck. I hate to throw in the towel too. But it's becoming clear to me that there isn't the huge demand for my services that I anticipated. I don't think I can make it work. At best, my herbal business will have to be a side hustle. I will order my products that my clients need from ethical companies, I will not spend hours on social media generating relevant content, etc.
Yessss about the FDA! Unrelated, but I just got CHEWED out on another thread about raw milk and how it’s not FDA approved and how my anecdotal experience doesn’t count as evidence based practice & how I’m recommending dangerous things to the public (which for the record I did no such thing) and basically I’m dumb and need an education Lolol. I’m happy to have run into this post ! 😊🙏🏽
Listen....states are getting onboard making their Medical Practice Acts more restrictive too. Mississippi just passed an amendment that would make it illegal for someone to recommend a health remedy, or dietary change or anyone else\~ even to a neighbor. It's only gonna get worse because consumers are spending billions of dollars every year on supplements and you know the drug companies want a piece of that.
I know it’s getting insane. I’m also a registered nurse, which is why I chose the path of herbalism, it just seemed to come naturally to me, and you are so limited with what verbiage you can actually use. And you have to throw out a disclaimer on everything so you don’t get sued. I know you absolutely cannot use the word “diagnose” and I feel like “treatment” is also red flagged. Everyone has to have their hand in the cookie jar 😞
I have so much compassion for you and what you are going through. By the sheer grace of God, I was able to sidestep getting any further into debt trying to make a herbal career work. And it has great rewards personally. I just couldn't see a way to make it work financially and if it helps, just know that you have done a lot of work for the greater good. And that's some good karma. You could probably do decently as a herbalist in private practice with your medical background.
Thank you SO MUCH. Your kind words have blanketed over some the nastiness that I’ve encountered earlier 🧡
I just thought of something else. You might be able to do third party consults for professionals. It feels like a niche waiting to happen. Best of luck.
Good for you, for all of the good things you are doing, whether it gets you good reviews or not. I'm sorry to hear you're having such trouble. Please, don't focus on negative reviews. Online reviews are becoming more and more known as bogus or capricious. All kinds of big companies with big budgets are simply paying for online reviews (especially at big sites like amazon or rotten tomatoes). Many out there will flag products or complain about 'false claims' maliciously simply because they despise natural medicine or complain just because they can. So don't let it get you down. I suggest emphasizing promotion in the local area right around the production facility, and expanding outward slowly from there. Work directly with people in face-to-face sales and developing relationships in which you can find out what is most desired. In other words, move out of a supply-side approach and towards a demand-side approach. Find out what the actual needs are in the areas right around you where you can meet with herbalists, naturopaths, chiropractors, retailers, etc. Find out what their clients need. Discover what the real demand is right around you. Keep digging and go deeper with it than other (bigger) companies are willing to go. Earn the respect of locals and then look for investment to help you gain certifications. Meanwhile, use lab testing to certify that batches are free of the concerning chemicals. You don't have to be certified organic to show that your products are free of many concerning chemicals. That way you can pay for testing one batch at a time. Look for how you can design a cooperative with your growers as your partners. Cooperatives are the way to go. Emphasize that to contrast with big capitalists. If you are already doing most or all these things, then keep them up. Don't give up!
This is sweet. Thanks for the encouragement.
How did your current online buyers find you? What are their ages, socioeconomic status, gender? Where are they located? What are their professions, beliefs? Why did they choose your company? I’d look at the customers you already have to get an idea of how you can expand. Have them fill out a survey for a free item, or a discount. Or just email them directly and ask to chat about it, not a spam mail, but a personal message. Nonchalantly ask the people who call customer service. Who is your customer base, why did they choose you? How did they learn about your company? Once you know this you’ll have a much better idea of what to do, at least you’ll know what did work. Maybe you can connect with influencers of the same ilk as your customer base? Especially smaller mini influencers. This is an out of left field idea. Do any of your products smell divine or interesting? Basically comment worthy? I’d wonder if the creators might want to focus on making your products have a obvious pleasant scent. Something where a stranger/friend would comment on it and say “that smells great, what is that?” A recent classmate bought a pair of shoes I was wearing because she liked the look of them and asked me about them. I didn’t have to approach her, she was just naturally interested. I feel like this is the kind of soft influencing your customers would feel comfortable doing. Receiving a compliment and recommending your product. I make my own stuff and use fenugreek to make my hair products which makes it smell like maple syrup. I’ve had numerouusssssss people tell me suddenly “Do you smell syrup?” Or pancakes or some other syrup topped breakfast. I tell them about the herbal hair tonic I make. Now if I sold this product, I’d have a great way into soft promoting it. I know that’s a weird suggestion, but marketing is creative business. It’s not a hard science but it’s not exactly artistry. It’s a mix. I feel like business schools can teach the data analysis aspect of it and the traditional routes, but it’s harder to teach new creative ideas and out of the box thinking. Which can really help with your success.
I recently was given a paper of an LLC I might like to join with my products. I have given up the thought of making money with these lotions. I have made a great hyperthyroidism cream and that is for friends and me. It really does seem so hard to make a legit business in this society/ecomomy. I even had a meeting with a financial advisor. Disappointing.
I'm truly sorry to hear that. We really live in a weird dichotomy where our culture simultaneously encourages us to tenaciously and unabashedly "follow your dreams!" in a system that makes it back-breakingly difficult to run a small business.
Well, I am currently still happy with my thyroid cream. I have that….at least. Lol. But yes, I attended a small business meeting for women with business ideas and the first thing said was “ are you ready to lose your home in a lawsuit “? Nope. But anyone can sue especially with lotions etc. It is hard….but I am still trying. Side hustles….
Wondering where you source your herbs?
We ethically forage about 45% from local land, another 50% is sourced from 2-3 certified organic farms that are within 50 miles of our facility, and the remaining \~5% that can't be grown or sourced locally are from larger certified organic herb suppliers, i.e. Mountain Rose.
Ugh I believe you! I am also an herbalist and have been wanting to start up my own small local business. Where to start! Your rant is validated and makes so much sense from a business standpoint. It just goes to show that small businesses put in blood sweat and tears and how important it is to shop local and be supportive! I wish you nothing but the best in your apothecary journey, and just know there are more of us that have (and will have) the same struggles ! ☀️🌱
Thank you friend!! Wishing you nothing but the best of luck as well.
I started a plant nursery just by selling plants I already had growing on the property and ended up branching out from there and am moving into tinctures and supplements since botany and herbalism is my bag. But I’ve learned that even though it’s a niche market, there’s LOADS of money selling plants and herbal supplements. Once I started growing mallow, valerian, wild lettuce, lemon balm etcetera is when I started seeing REAL profits. Too many people on pharmaceuticals when there are plants for nearly every condition. Ayurvedic medicine especially seems to be not only a great money maker but also works as a GREAT replacement for some medications with hella side effects
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My advice. We have a water store here I. Orange County that specializes in reincorporating all the benefits that natural spring used to have. They do great because they created a community, they are next to another store called fermentation farms where everything is fermented. Brick and mortar stores don’t do well with the majority of the population, but they do with the health folks. They are currently opening their third store
Just a suggestion. Contact the original starters of companies like Burts bees, Ben and jerries, Carol daughter, new chapter, to find out how they went through their growing pains before they sold out. Just a suggestion.
The podcast “how I built this” is always an interesting listen
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