We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Esther Salata a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Esther, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

A customer came to us with the problem of mosquitoes in their backyard. The customer stated that they cannot go outside without covering themselves in synthetic mosquito repellents. The customer expressed their frustration of not being able to even sit outside on the back deck of their house in the last four years of owning the home due to their mosquito problem. The customer also expressed frustration with getting at least “six mosquito bites” whenever they mowed their yard. As we all know, mosquitoes create an uncomfortable environment that makes it hard to spend time outside. This customer had concerns about using products that had harsh chemicals to control the mosquito population because they had two dogs. A product that was safe for their pet was necessary. Benesafe® Solutions Yard & Garden Spray is an alternative to harsh chemicals pesticide sprays, its plant-based formula has been tested and proven to be as effective as synthetic pesticides. Unfortunately, the majority of products that exist on the market contain ingredients that have adverse effects on human and animal health as well as the environment; negatively affecting wildlife and water quality far beyond the reach of the areas of treatment. Benesafe® Solutions is a solution to the problem. It provides a worry-free way to enjoy your outdoor space without being bothered by mosquitoes, fleas, & ticks.
The product is easy to use and is a do-it-yourself spray. It requires a garden hose to attach to the bottle sprayer to dispense the formula. To use the product just, “Shake, Spray, and then Play, the Benesafe® Way”. In less than 5 minutes, you can treat up to 5000 square feet. It is necessary to apply the product twice within the first 3-10 to fully control the life cycle of the pests. After the initial treatments, the product should be used when needed to control the bug population around your yard and garden. The product can be used on decks, landscaping, and on the side of homes, it has worked on treating ants, gnats, spiders, and chiggers. The benefit of this product is that people and pets can roam freely on the treated area after application. The product is safe to use around bees and other beneficial pollinators because of its plant-based ingredients.
The customer who could not sit outside on their deck for four years tried Benesafe® Solutions and provided us with honest feedback saying, “I can’t tell you how happy I was to spend time outside yesterday sitting on my back deck while the pups laid in the yard. I haven’t been able to do this in the four years I’ve lived here”. The customer also spoke about the ease of using the product, stating, “The application process was exceptionally simple and well documented on the label. I used it twice as directed. This past weekend, I spent over four hours in my garden. I didn’t receive one bug bite. My dogs were relaxing in the grass without being bothered by bugs.”
We are happy to provide peace of mind to people who struggle with annoying mosquitoes in their outdoor spaces. Benesafe® Solutions provides a safe and effective

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Esther Salata and I am the owner and founder of Benesafe® Solutions. I created this business and products to solve the problem of mosquitoes in my backyard. I was fed up with personal sprays and other devices that did not seem to actually solve the problem of annoying mosquitoes long-term. I wanted to treat my property for the biting insects, however, the products I found locally had ingredients and warning labels that concerned me. When looking at existing products, I thought, “How are ingredients that I could not pronounce and how can warning labels that made claims of killing more than what was targeted pests be sold in these stores?” I wanted to find a way to treat my property for the problem while using a product that was safe to use around my dog Benny, when I could not find such a product in the market, I created one, hence the name, Benesafe® Solutions. My educational experience is in conservation and environmental science. I’m passionate about sustainability and my career has been focused on environmental education. Teaching people why it’s important to conserve and protect the environment is my life goal. The reason I started the business was to solve a problem. I created a product that was in line with my personal values. Benesafe® products are made from plant-based ingredients that are proven to be effective in treating mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. Our product is tested to be as effective as the leading synthetic brand in the market. Our goal is to be the next household backyard bug spray brand that people turn to when treating their property.
I’m very proud to be a minority-woman business owner in the pesticide manufacturing field. I hope to continue to bring change to this industry and make a positive impact on the lives of those who use our products.
If you are looking for a safe alternative to treat your property for mosquitoes, consider using Benesafe® Solutions. Learn more at www.benesafesolutions.com
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We hope you join us in our commitment to using eco-friendly products.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

One strategy that’s worked for Benesafe® Solutions is going to vendor fairs, networking events, and community programs. We set up a booth for our business to share our brand and our products. We attend local networking events focused on entrepreneurs and business owners. We volunteer with organizations in our community as well as make donations to organizations in need. It’s important for a small business to have a community focus. At the start of any small business, involvement in the local community should be a priority. No one will support you like your local community, so get out there and meet them! Be sure to give back, participate, volunteer, and form lasting relationships with organizations whose values align with your values. I believe that when people know, like, and trust you, they will support your business and product. They will even go a step further and share your business and product with their network. The goal is to have a product that is effective and to form a customer base of people who are willing to share their experiences with the product.
Get out there, make connections, and always express your gratitude to everyone who helps you along the way. No small business can be successful alone. For me, it has been the assistance of mentors, friends, and family that has helped grow the business and I’m forever grateful for their continued support.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started Benesafe® Solutions because I wanted to solve the problem of mosquitoes in my backyard. What initiated the business was when I was part of a mass layoff from my job. I did not know what to do at the time and felt completely defeated. The layoff was unexpected and was not done in a way that I felt was respectful. It hurt and the time and energy I put into my job seemed like it was for nothing. When I think about resilience I think back to that time, the time when I felt I was worthless because of how easily a company was able to let me go.
I had the idea of creating a pest control spray for my yard the summer before being laid off but did not pursue the idea because of my commitment to my job. I took all my anger and frustration from the life-changing experience and channeled that into creating a business that valued what I stood for which was being sustainable, impact-driven, and effective at solving a problem.
Since then, I’ve moved from Pennsylvania, where I started the business to Ohio where I had to restart the business and create a new network. I have experienced setback after setback but I have resilience which is the ability to keep moving forward. When a setback occurs, you might feel like defeat is the only way to move forward, but I encourage you to only admit defeat on a good day, and never make that decision on a bad day. I believe we all possess the ability to persevere and create positive changes even when it seems impossible.
My advice is to maintain a network of people who you can fall back on when you are not feeling your best, and tap into this network when needed. We all need cheerleaders and remember, owning a business is not easy, but you have to get out there to find ways and utilize resources to make it easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://benesafesolutions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benesafesolutions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benesafesolutions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/benesafesolutions/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ttbYDIWCmLu7wWwf_OYbA

Image Credits
Alex Miller Photography