We recently connected with Michelle Hamilton and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I’ve wondered what it would have been like if I had started sooner. But looking back, I honestly feel like I started my business at the right time for where I was in life.

Before launching, I spent years building my skills and learning through different experiences. Those moments—both the good and the challenging ones—helped shape how I approach my work and how I connect with people. When I finally decided to start my business, I remember feeling both excited and nervous. It was a big step, but I knew if I didn’t try, I would always wonder “what if.”

If I had started earlier, I might have had the passion but not the same level of experience or perspective that helps me today. And if I had waited longer, I might have stayed in my comfort zone and never taken the leap.

So in hindsight, I believe the timing worked out the way it was meant to. I was prepared enough to build something meaningful, but still motivated enough to take the risk.

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.

Before starting my business, I spent 21 years working as a nurse. Healthcare taught me a lot about people, trust, and the importance of truly caring for others. Over time, I became more interested in the ingredients people were putting on and in their bodies, especially when it came to everyday products like skincare. That curiosity eventually grew into a passion for creating simple, natural products that people could feel good about using.

That passion led me to found Dandelion Naturals, where we manufacture and handcraft small-batch skincare products. What started as an idea grew into something much bigger than I ever imagined. Today we operate out of a commercial building that we purchased in 2024, and we have an incredible team of seven women who help bring our products to life every day.

Our focus has always been on creating high-quality, thoughtfully made skincare using carefully selected ingredients. Everything we do is rooted in the idea that skincare should be both effective and approachable. We’re proud to manufacture our products ourselves and keep a hands-on approach to the process so we can maintain the quality and care that our customers expect.

One of the things I’m most proud of is how far the brand has grown while still staying true to its roots. Our products are now carried in over 600 stores nationwide, which is something I never could have imagined when I first started. But even with that growth, we’ve stayed committed to small-batch production and the values that the company was built on.

At the heart of Dandelion Naturals is a commitment to quality, transparency, and genuine care for the people who use our products. As a former nurse, that mindset of wanting to help people feel their best still guides everything we do. I want customers to know that behind every product is a team that truly cares about what we’re making and the people we’re making it for.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building our audience on social media has really been about consistency, authenticity, and staying true to who we are as a brand. From the beginning, we knew that if we wanted to grow online, we needed to show up regularly and have a plan rather than just posting randomly.

One of the best decisions we made early on was hiring help for our social media. We recognized that building a strong presence takes time, creativity, and strategy, and having someone dedicated to that made a big difference. It allowed us to stay consistent with our messaging and keep our audience engaged while we focused on running and growing the business.

We’ve also always believed in being transparent and authentic. Instead of trying to chase every trend, we focus on sharing who we really are as a company—our process, our products, and the people behind the brand. We manufacture our products ourselves, so showing that behind-the-scenes side of the business has helped people connect with us in a real way.

Another important part of our growth has been staying engaged with our community. We make it a priority to respond to customer questions and interact with people who follow us. Social media shouldn’t just be about posting—it’s about conversation and building relationships.

We’re also really proud that our growth has been organic. We’ve focused on building trust and letting that trust grow naturally over time. Because of that, our audience truly believes in our products and our brand.

For anyone just starting out, my biggest advice would be to stay consistent, have a plan, and be genuine. People can tell when a brand is trying too hard to be something it’s not. If you focus on showing up regularly, sharing your story, and connecting with your audience in an honest way, the growth will follow.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Yes, we manufacture all of our own products. From the beginning, that was something that felt really important to me. If it has our label on it, it’s something we’ve made ourselves. That level of transparency and control matters a lot to us and to our customers.

When I first started, I didn’t have a large manufacturing operation or a big team. Like many small businesses, it started small and has grown over time. As the business has grown, manufacturing has constantly evolved. One of the biggest challenges we face is space—we’re always figuring out how to better use the space we have and what the next step looks like as we continue to grow. In 2024 we purchased our own commercial building, which was a big milestone and allowed us to expand our production and create a more permanent home for the business.

Quality control is a huge reason why we’ve chosen to continue manufacturing everything ourselves. When you make the products in-house, you can ensure that every batch meets the standards you’ve set. That hands-on process allows us to maintain the consistency and quality that people have come to expect from us.

Over the years, we’ve had a lot of opportunities come our way. We’ve been approached about third-party drop shipping, outside manufacturers offering to produce our products, celebrity endorsements, and even companies wanting to represent us for distribution in large retailers. While those opportunities might sound exciting, many of them just didn’t feel right for us or align with our values.

We’ve seen what can happen to brands when they scale too quickly or move production away from the people who created the products in the first place. Often the quality changes, and the brand loses the heart that made people fall in love with it. That’s something we’ve always wanted to protect.

Our goal has never been to become the biggest brand out there. Instead, we want to continue growing in a way that feels intentional. We want to stay connected to our community, keep our products feeling handmade, and continue using quality ingredients while maintaining the care and attention that small-batch manufacturing allows.

At the end of the day, we believe that staying true to our process and our values is what keeps our brand special.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dandelionnaturals.com
• Instagram: dandelion.naturals
• Facebook: dandelion naturals