We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Guerrieri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

When asked if I have a hero, two people come to my mind right away: My parents (Stephen and Susan Guerrieri)

I am a teacher and Small Business Owner and my parents are both teachers as well. I can’t even begin to name all of the lessons that my parents have taught me over the years and continue to teach me into adulthood. Growing up, my mom and dad always made sure that my brother and I were taken care of first. They always made sure that we had the tools and opportunities to succeed in life whether it was in sports, school, or family activities. In my teens and early twenties, the lessons my parents taught me paved the way for me to succeed in my career as a teacher and gave me the courage to start my own Small Business, Bee Well Brittany.

Without the two of them, I have no idea where I would be. They are my biggest supporters, influences, and now two of my best friends as well.

Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Brittany Guerrieri and I run a Small Business called “Bee Well Brittany” or BWB. I am originally from the Poconos in Pennsylvania and moved to Baltimore, MD 6 years ago for my teaching job. I have always loved Maryland and knew from a young age that I would live here someday.

When people ask me what type of products I sell, I respond with my business motto and I tell them that I ‘create happy items for a happy you’. I like to make products that make people smile, remind them they are loved/important, or just give them the boost of serotonin that we all need. The physical products I make range from bamboo/glass cups with happy designs and sayings to keychains, bracelets, tote bags, coasters, and stickers.

My day job is to teach students who are blind/visually impaired and when I started BWB, I was making braille keychains and dog tags for guide dogs to sell on Etsy. I still make and sell these products but I have expanded to many other products and ideas as well and now have my own website too!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Bee Well Brittany has had many faces over the last three years and has created a natural pivot in the business aspect. I began this business in 2019 only selling braille products such as keychains and dog tags for guide dogs. My products were exclusively sold online and I never put my face out there. In 2020 during the pandemic, I began creating more and more to relieve my stress of the unknown in the world! Eventually I started designing my own digital products and started looking for blanks to put them on. Beer can glasses became very popular and I knew this was something I could sell- again still only online.
In 2021 I received an email from a lady who had followed my Instagram and wanted me to come to a vendor pop-up. I had never thought about selling my products in person because I was so afraid to fail, but I decided to take the jump and join. Looking back, I am beyond happy I did.

Now in 2022, I have a show almost every weekend selling my products in person. I love meeting my customers in person, seeing their reactions to my products, and getting to tell my background to them face-to-face.

Without this major pivot in my business, I wouldn’t have sold half the products I do. I am so thankful for the change!

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

I still consider myself a very “new” business and I am just shy of 1,000 followers on Instagram. I feel that I am one of the people who is just starting out and finding their footing in the social media world.

I think social media is the best way to get your business out there. Having multiple accounts such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook can be taxing but I think it is extremely beneficial to get your name and brand out there. Think about how many times we see Nike ads everywhere or iPhone commercials. Building a brand requires you to put yourself out there and social media is the easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to do that.

One thing that I think is the most beneficial is creating posts/ posting things that I would want to see and not just your product photos. I mix it up and post positive quotes, cute designs, and happy pictures to stay true to my motto: “creating happy items for a happy you”. I also try to post often (1-3 times a day) t0 make my presence known on social media.

My advice for anyone starting fresh is to just post and not worry about the amount of likes you get or if people will judge you. Do whatever makes you happy and the rest will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beewellbrittany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beewellbrittany
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/beewellbrittany