Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Hunter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My name is Angi and I have been married to my best friend for 29 years. I have 8 children and am the proud Granny of 6! My husband and I are both nurses and we moved to Texas from New York via the military. My husband is originally from Jamaica, and so I love the food, culture and the whole shebang. I love to vacation there and drink up all that nature, fruit trees in the yard and just a really natural vibe. We became aware of a need for us to change the way we ate some years ago when my husband was diagnosed with a difficult health condition. We learned about green shakes and warm lemon water in the morning. Continuing our journey, we moved out to the country and learned about gardening. And oh my God, I was so hooked on what a little seed could do.. That was over 20 yrs ago and I’m still amazed watching the whole seed to plant, garden to table, process unfold. I fell real deep as I learned about Jamaican herbs and “Bush Baths” from my husband. The journey to better eating led us into using safer products on our skin. I learned to make soap from my homesteading friends and I never bought store soap again. From there I used herbs to make lotions and deodorants and everything we needed for our daily hygiene. I used my love for herbs and what I learned about old traditional “Bush Baths” and was just blown away at how my sensitive itchy skin wasn’t so itchy anymore and I was softer too. I shared with everyone whatever I made and it led me to where I am now. From Nature to Body… nature inspired body care. And my favorite part is seeing the herbs in our products, and the smell of the essential oils. So that’s what I share, a love and a need for natural skin care, that highlights herbs that our customers can learn about and discover their many uses.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I decided to launch my business I felt it was very important to use ingredients sourced from nature in the most ethical way. Being a natural soap maker, I decided that I wanted to use only essential oils for scent and herbs and clays to create the color. I wanted to use simple sustainable packaging option and really build around a very true all natural experience. I feel my passion comes from wanting to see others find relief for skin sensitivity, often caused by synthetic ingredients because I myself found healing for my own skin by using my products. I also found peace In just taking time out for myself to soak in the bath but my skin couldn’t tolerate the synthetic traditional bath care on the market, so I created my own. Being a mom to 6 medically fragile children ( I adopted) i wasn’t always able to get out much to the movies or things others may do to relax so I created self-care spa like products to relax both mind and body from the comfort of my home. And it didn’t have to worry about my sensitive skin breaking out or itching or being dry so it was a win win.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

On my business journey I never knew how difficult it would be to market. When I started I didn’t know anything about social media. It has been very expensive to have a business when you need to keep running, but not making sales. I found myself in debt that was uncomfortable for me. I continue to work as a nurse as I take different mentorship programs. Having such a weak foundation made this journey very hard and super expensive. Trying to learn marketing and fundamentals while caring for medically fragile children, life does not stop while you need to keep learning, and continue making product. And trying to be visible and viable. Even when sales are not coming in. A lot goes into sending products to creators or influencers who may not speak your vision. You still have to pay and keep on to the next person. I suffered the loss of 2 children, had my own life threatening diagnosis but all clear now, than you Jesus! And everything in between. So it’s harder to be in this stage when you have nothing to go on except the reason you started. You find that it’s less likely to have support from your loved ones as they just wait until you come to your senses and give this all up. It has been a strain on my marriage and my finances I have no time for my grandkids or to hang out and shoot the breeze with friends because as long as you are in the stage where you aren’t converting, there is no time you feel really comfortable not trying or learning something else until you reach your audience..

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I try to stay engaged with current customers through biweekly emails and sms messaging. If I see abandoned carts I will call that person to find out why they didn’t purchase to find out if there’s any hinderance in the checkout process or anything that I may do to improve the shopping experience. Most times I find that they just were distracted and so I will offer them a code to use within 24hrs. I find that they enjoy and feel good about getting a call that really says what can I do for you?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.myteagardens.com
• Instagram: Mytea_Garden
• Facebook: MyTea Garden

Image Credits
Caroline Bugsby