We recently connected with Dori Bell and have shared our conversation below.

Dori, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The mission of my work is to act as a bridge between where you are now and where or who you want to be. In more specific terms, I help you identify the source of your stress (be it mental, emotional, or physical pain), and give you tools and guidance to reach a more vibrant state of wellness. My mission is also to help you open paths to your innate creativity and unique ways of expression, so we can all create more beauty in this world and reconnect to God. The tools I offer are meant to bring ease and joy back into your everyday life, to help clear the internal space and relax your nervous system enough to hear the voice of Wisdom talking to you. That is what my study and practice of aromatherapy has done for me, and I hope the same for my clients and loved ones.

Dori, 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?

I’m Dori Bell, owner of The Blossom Bar. I’m an aromatherapist with 23 years of education and practical experience in aromatherapy. In my aromatherapy practice I focus is on the safe, sustainable use of essential oils for emotional and mental well-being. I specialize in helping faith-based and heart-centered entrepreneurs manage their emotional and mental health with aromatherapy, and providing them natural, holistic tools to raise their work to its highest level. Along with private client work I lead educational workshops on aromatherapy and fragrance design, most recently one on anxiety, and am a recurring speaker at Believe Inspire Grow and Women in Entrepreneurship, two women’s entrepreneur networking groups.

Because I work in the wellness profession and have an extensive background in marketing (I also have a website design, copywriting, and SEO business) I often find myself helping clients with business coaching coupled with aromatherapy tools to help them reach their goals.

To all my work I bring the ability to see the potential in others and to understand their needs. I use this ability to create aromatherapy products and guidance that are tailored to each individual. My products are infused with love and intuition, and they are designed to assist you in your healing on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

I am passionate about aromatherapy because it is a powerful tool for promoting healing and transformation. I believe that through the intentional use of essential oils, flower essences, and other health-promoting modalities, people can live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. I am committed to providing my clients a means of bridging to a more vibrant life.

If you are looking for a way to improve your life, I encourage you to try aromatherapy. It is a safe, effective, and natural way to encourage positive change in your body, mind, and spirit. I am here to help you on your journey to wellness.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I began studying aromatherapy back in 2000, after a search on this new thing called the Internet revealed that I lived just a few miles from a woman who taught it. I had been feeling an overall dissatisfaction with my life and remembered how lit up I had been when smelling an essential oil a few years previously. This was before essential oils were available at Walgreen’s and diffusers were running non-stop across America.

I enrolled in a class, thinking aromatherapy would provide a distraction from the numbness and lethargy I was feeling, and ended up full-on studying it for the next 23 years. What essential oils (and subsequent study of flower essences, basic herbal care, reflexology, and more) started in me was a journey to vibrancy, creativity, and the Divine. What it didn’t start, not immediately, was a steady income source.

My corporate career in marketing communications led to work in graphic design, web design, and then search engine optimization. I was a faithful aromatherapist through these years with family and friends but didn’t have the bandwidth or marketing skills to launch The Blossom Bar until 2013. Being laid off in 2017 was the catalyst for putting serious effort into the work of my heart, aromatherapy entrepreneurship. I was going to make a go of it, finally!

Much of the skills I learned in my corporate jobs over the years I was able to apply to building The Blossom Bar website and marketing plans. Because of my SEO background, I knew how to build a solid website that would attract my ideal clients. I’d love to say that this immediately translated to a thriving business bringing in steady money. Not so. Entrepreneurship, especially for heart-centered, service-based businesses, requires dedicated and on-going work. Many people give up at this point when they don’t see the immediate positive results. Instead, I doubled down and dove into the world of business coaching, joined networking groups, and became more deeply invested in other entrepreneurs’ successes.

That’s where I found my niche. By combining my aromatherapy skills with my marketing and business coaching experience, I could offer faith-based and heart-centered entrepreneurs what I didn’t have: a means of expressing their missions and building a healthy business, while still taking good care of their own needs.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Prioritizing relationships and generosity are what have helped me establish myself in my market. By leading with service and taking the time to really see people and listen to them, I’ve built up a lovely community of friends, clients, and other aromatherapists. I make a point to note on my calendar when I want to follow up with someone and the topic. If someone shares with me that they are having surgery, or have a big client presentation coming up, I’ll make a note to follow up about it. I do this because I genuinely care, and the result is people trust me with their vulnerability. I am honored that they do!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theblossombar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblossombar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblossombar
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorieldridge/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbFZyHeKDqUOSLzxX7ul5IA
• Other: Blossom Creative LLC (my digital marketing business) https://www.blossomcreativeonline.com

Image Credits
Clara Wang Photography