Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie H. Rustin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Stephanie H., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
When I started my apothecary business in 2017 I had about 6 products on my Etsy page. It was very minimal. But it was all me and I was proud just to have had the guts to open an online shop. I received a few sales mainly from friends and family and that was it. I was promoting myself the best I could and just mixing ingredients, coming up with research posts for Instagram/Facebook and trying new recipes. My famous friend decided to post about my stuff. It was so kind of her to do so. She just generally wants to help everyone. She is such a pure person. Well, that night I had 80 orders! From one snap chat. It was insane. The orders kept coming in after that. I was scrambling to order ingredients, running to the store for containers. It was intense but soooo rewarding. It was a completely selfless thing she did and it really jump started my business. Without her I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a stay-at-home mom that up until last month was also a homeschooling mom to my beautiful 10 year old daughter. I got into natural healing around 2009 when I watch Food Inc. on Valentine’s Day. It changed the trajectory of my life for the better. I began reading and researching everything I could on natural living, once called simply “living”. I started dabbling in essential oils and making remedies for my family and friends. Then I took a 2 year long course to become a certified aromatherapist. I learned so much during that course that it gave me the knowledge and confidence to open my own apothecary on Etsy. I make healing salves, balms, infused oils, natural deodorants, butters for pain management, beard oils, just about everything. I help fill custom orders to address specific ailments like migraines, IBS, sexual frustration, sleep help to name a few. My number one goal is to provide 100% made by me products with zero additives or preservatives. I want to heal people naturally with no artificial side effects. I create, measure, blend, mix, pour, bottle, package and ship by myself. It’s a one woman show at The Whypsy Jaghon.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I entered the corporate world at an early age. After working your typical retail/restaurant full time gigs I went into the corporate world around 19 years old. It was very educational but after a few years I just knew it wasn’t for me. By 2006 I was 25 and I left my corporate job to become a baker at a tiny bakery in Dallas and I loved it there! I learned invaluable skills that I take with me in my day to day work and life now. I started learning more about natural living in 2009 and that drove me to quit the bakery gig and move to the Whole Foods bakery to have a management position that was more in line with my way of natural living. When I had my daughter, Rhiannon, I cut back my hours to part time and then 18 months later I quit altogether to be a stay at home mom. I started reading everything I could get my hands on from the library about plants, herbs, aromatherapy, gardening, self-sufficiency and the like. This led me to wanting to get a certification in aromatherapy around 2015. Once I started learning in depth about plants and their chemical constituents I decided to open my own Etsy shop and sell my creations. Today I am happy to say I sell about 40 natural items that I created solely on my own. My small business allows me to do something meaningful in this world while continuing to be a stay at home mom and care for my family and home first and foremost.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I have a very special and loyal friend that helped me gain followers on social media. Her name is Chelcie Lynn and she is basically the natural comedic gold standard. She has shared my products several times and that has given me countless followers that in turn have tried out my products on Etsy. Without her I would not be filling out this form. She is a true gem in this world of coal. Instagram has been my biggest producer of followers. On Facebook I will run an ad a few times a year and I run sales to up my following and stimulate revenue, but Chelcie is the main source of my following. I owe her a lot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWhypsyJaghon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhypsyjaghon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhypsyjaghon
Image Credits
Stephanie Rustin