We recently connected with Marla Lacey and have shared our conversation below.

Marla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

The most important lesson, I’ve ever learned is that not all growth is good growth. What I mean by this is that sometimes we can grow too fast in business or its the wrong season for that specific type of growth, and it eventually causes more harm than good.
I was given an opportunity to participate in a subscription box service that sent boxes out across the US and had a very large client base. Which meant I had to produce and supply a certain quantity of items within a timeframe to meet this demand. While on the surface, this looked like a huge opportunity that could really get my name & product out there. Within 3-5 months of having committed to this, I realized I had made a huge error in judgement & their business model did not in fact provide any additional customers for me, at least not as it was made to sound. I ended up taking a significant loss, not just in product, but time, money, & peace of mind.

I often tell people, based on this experience that organic growth is always better. While it may be or seem slower, the objective is to retain customers or build a customer base that repeats and helps you grow.

Marla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello loves, I’m a loose leaf tea artist. While my primary function in that of this business is in fact creating artisan loose leaf tea blends, it goes so much deeper than that. I started this company as a side business while working in corporate & never really thought it would grow & become what it is today.
From the days of humble beginnings, when I created our very first blend called ‘Christmas w/ MaraBette’ where it has now become our biggest seller, to days of multi-state stockist to creating over 50 plus blends, it has been a journey. The only reason I can say I am where I am is by the grace of God!

Let me back up a bit, I totally forgot to tell you the name, purpose, etc. of the company. MaraBette & Co; Tea and Hospitality, LLC DBA The French Tea Market is the long official title, but most people just call it MaraBette & Co or MaraBette Teas for short. It’s pronounced like this (Mar=Mare, A=short a, Bett, the ‘e’ on the end is silent), hope that helps.
The business is founded on the principals of home, family, friendship, & relationships. We believe that tea is a tool that can be used to connect us, to bring people together, to build relationships, & to create space for others. It is from this belief that all of our teas reflect attributes or names in line with these principals. For instance one of our best selling blends is called; The Invitation.

Now that we have that cleared up, We don’t just sell tea. Here we give people tools, we create space in the form of events, we encourage people to get out of their comfort zone, to go beyond themselves, to serve others thru tea & to develop community. So we often say; ‘we don’t sell tea, we sell an experience.’

How did you build your audience on social media?

Its funny, this is a great question & one that has come across my plate many of times.
One of the first lessons or things I tell people is that social media is a highlight reel, & its exactly what it says, social. Its just a tool to be used alongside of a more tried & true platform. I also like to remind people that numbers rarely tell the true story on social media.

After those initial lessons, which can sometimes be the hardest to learn, I remind people that social media has a built in comparison factor. It’s not meant to make you feel good about what you do, your business, or your mission. Its meant to share what others are doing & if you are not already strong in your field or even as an individual, getting past comparison will be a big struggle.

As far as I how I grew. In the years when I first begin on social media, namely IG, back when pictures were the thing before performance took over, I grew organically. I talked about my business, I asked people I knew to follow me, with a follow in return. I posted consistently, & even threw in a few giveaways for good measure. I found people relevant to what I was doing, (some of them long gone from social media now). Basically, I invested in it as much as I wanted to get out of it.

Now days, I would tell people the same advice. Be who you are, you can do all the “things” they say to do & still not see growth on social media, you can’t let that be your driving force. I always like to ask people this one question; “Would you rather have 1000 followers & of those 1000 only 10 were loyal customers who actually engaged & supported your brand? Or would you rather have 100 followers, & all 100 were loyal & supported your brand?”
It’s easy to get caught up in all the things, but contrary to popular opinion, again; all growth is not good growth.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Two things;

1. Word of Mouth
2. Feet To Pavement

*people buy & support you not just based on your quality of product, but also based on the integrity of the person behind the brand*

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marabetteteas.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/marabetteandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marabette/