We were lucky to catch up with Milly Powers recently and have shared our conversation below.

Milly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I love being a business owner & honestly can’t imagine ever going back to a 9-5 job. The last “real” job I worked was at a canna farm training trimmers on how to efficiently trim weed because I needed the money during the pandemic.
I was eight months pregnant when I caught COVID AT work, & the day after I tested positive my boss asked me if I was still able to come in…. to touch people’s medicine, while sick & pregnant. I just knew I was never going to work for anyone again no matter what I had to do.
I threw myself into my business & now I’m more successful than ever & happier than ever getting to run my business AND raise my daughter full time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I became an herbalist after dropping out of college in 2018, where I had been taking classes to be a veterinarian technician. I knew I wanted to work with healing animals but I quickly realized that the thought of watching animals die in a hospital all day was going to suck the life out of me. I started looking into more natural ways to heal animals, which led me to acupuncture, aromatherapy, & herbalism. Nature has always really spoken to me & I connected to it right away. As an herbalist I create herbal remedies like teas, bath salts, oils, balms, salves, syrups, & more. Its important to me to create things that are not only natural & safe, but that make people feel good, physically & emotionally. Every time I recieve a message from someone saying my remedy knocked out an issue they have been struggling with, I’m reaffirmed that I’m doing what matters- helping people.
After having my daughter I became passionate about post partum support & have since started an entire line of self care for new mothers. I am a learning post partum doula & hope to have my lactation consultant certification soon.
Ever since following my dream, we’ve bought ten acres of land to start a homestead on, had an amazing & beautiful daughter, started a non-profit women-centered organization with my friends, & am working towards hosting wellness retreats. Its beyond my wildest imagination & I’m only 5 years in!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I was working at starbucks making very little money. I was raised by frugal parents & saved every penny that I was able to. When I decided to start my business, I dumped out my saving account- a little under 1k. I bought a domain name, filed my business with the state, & spent nearly 700$ buying jars, herbs, & oils. Honestly? I was really scared that I was making a mistake. But there was an excitement in my stomach that I decided to trust & I just went with it.
In my first full month of selling my goods on facebook to local people, I made that 700$ back. I trusted the process & the process paid me back. My savings account did not stay empty for long.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was making what I thought other people would want over what I wanted at the beginning. That quickly burnt me out & I actually “quit” for a few months after only running my business for about 8 months. I was questioning whether I was cut out for this. In my down time I was still creating, but things that excited ME. I felt the passion that I had felt at the beginning, & after sharing some of my new creations & getting some fantastic feedback, I realized the key to running a business you love was creating what you love. Now I’m less rigid about my products; I create whatever I desire from whatever grows in my garden & in living authentically, my business has a much more authentic audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: Natural-powers.com
• Instagram: Naturalpowers
• Facebook: Natural Powers