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

Alright, Kelsi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

I would do a lot of things differently. I didn’t know how to run a business, so every day I was flying by the seat of my pants. I understand how to organize and operate better now, however, it’s still hard to back track at times. I have a hundred Excel files, photoshop artboards, and cosmetic formulas that still need to be better organized and edited, but it’s hard to carve out time for this while trying to stay on top of orders. If I were to start over, I would manage my time, and organize my digital and physical space much better. Switching from manufacturing to office work to shipping is too overwhelming for a day’s work and each carries a different rhythm of sorts. I’ve learned to dedicate certain days of the week to each process. For instance, you’ll never catch me manufacturing on a Monday. This has also helped me create better boundaries with customers because I know I need a certain amount of time to complete an order. I can’t answer emails while I’m in the kitchen working, and this can be disappointing because in this digital era we expect everyone to have 24/7 availability. I was that person for a long time, and it had no benefit.

Kelsi, 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 was bouncing around from major to major in college, so when I heard that Hocking College had a program called Ecotourism that allowed you to travel extensively, I signed up immediately. I’m from rural West Virginia, so I was just really eager to experience to rest of the world. I learned a lot about sustainability and ecology during this time, but we were also required to travel with biodegradable products since we were staying in ecolodges. When I got back to the states, I started having skin reactions to heavily fragranced and synthetic items like soap and laundry detergent. You couldn’t find natural products in my hometown, so eventually, I learned how to make my own soap by watching YouTube videos. I continued learning how to make more and more products, and started selling them at craft shows and farmers markets. This is how I met most of my customers. I’m still learning a lot about formulating, but it feels rewarding being able to produce an item from scratch. This means we have more control over each ingredient used, so I can feel more confident about the products I’m selling.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Business has been extremely complicated since covid. At the beginning of the pandemic, we were transitioning into a retail space, and there was a lot of extra stress associated with costs, and also confusion about how to navigate guidelines. Surprisingly, business was great in our town until the end of 2022. We benefited from people escaping the city and traveling to rural settings. Now that’s over, and inflation has set in. Retail sales became less and less frequent, and paying to keep the store open just wasn’t viable. I also had a pretty painful miscarriage and really needed the extra time off. Even though I miss seeing customers face to face, closing the retail space was necessary for my mental health and made managing the business a lot easier. We’ve since gone back to filling only online and wholesale orders. It’s still a struggle losing one income stream, but I was really proud of myself for prioritizing my health over the business. In the past, I’ve avoided this and it had negative effects on the business, so I’m learning to not force things so much.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have much of a presence on social media today, but when I first started my business about eight years ago, I was still in my mid twenties. I had a lot of energy, and a lot to say. I was so much less reserved back then, and people appreciated that. Although I’m not as active on social media now, I’m still very honest about who I am and what I believe in. People often ask me “what makes my products stand out” or “what makes us better than other brands.” That question makes me a bit uncomfortable. In my line of work, products are often embellished with marketing jargon that drives up the bid and helps brands stand out. I’ve actually become pretty exhausted from the selling aspect because I believe really effective products can be quite simple. When you learn to create cosmetic formulas, you learn how to create what’s called a product story. There’s a lot of additives that go into products that are pretty much useless outside of their marketing advantage. I think that people should be buying within their local economies as much as possible. It not sustainable to rely on one manufacturer or supplier for quality goods. Social media allows people to have a choice in who they purchase from. It makes sense to want to support someone who believes in the same values as you do. I often feel like my customers reflect who I am. It doesn’t matter what your personality is or what you believe in, there will be others out there that can relate to you, and social media has simply helped me build a customer base that I can relate to.

Contact Info:

• Website: silvermarketco.com
• Instagram: @silvermarketco
• Facebook: facebook.com/shop/silvermarketco