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

Lisa , appreciate you joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

That’s a great question, and one Matt and I thought through for a long time when we started Full Leaf Tea Company. We went back and forth with the pros and cons of essentially, “asking for help”, but when we launched our website in 2014, we decided not to share the news with our family and friends. Sure, those closest to us knew what we were up to, but we made a tough decision to not ask or encourage our family and friends to purchase from our website when it went live.

Some people’s views would suggest by having family and friends promoting your products, it could be the first marketing strategy via word of mouth. So why did we make this decision? Matt and I agreed we wanted to create a brand and a product that others wanted to come to and be a part of without us asking. The idea of not asking felt like a missed opportunity at the beginning, but looking back 10 years later, I think it was a smart move.

By not relying on the initial sales of family and friends, it stretched us to be more creative. On September 7, 2014, we didn’t get the excitement and the rush of sales. There wasn’t a single Shopify “cha-ching”, we heard crickets. There are two options, give up or grind. We started with a $50 advertising budget and had a return of $150. We continued to re-invest our sales into advertising and it was the beginning of Full Leaf Tea Company, (not reliant on family or friends).

I do have to admit, our first customer was my Aunt Sue. I don’t think I told her she was the first customer for years! But she was and is still our customer 10 years later.

Having encouragement from our closest family and friends was a blessing, but I don’t think their purchases from Full Leaf in the beginning would have given us the same support that their words and love did.

I can’t speak to where I think asking family and friends is too much, but from being on the other side of the “ask”, my perspective is that promoting your brand and your business is a great idea! Where I would draw the line is when your personal relationships start to feel like they revolvearound your business and not your true friendship. If you realize you are calling your family and friends to promote your product and not calling to genuinely talk about how they are doing or feeling,it’s time to take a step back.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Full Leaf’s beginning was a humble one. In 2014, Matt and I were barely making it by each month. Some months we would have our garbage can taken away or our cell phones shut off. We were living on my salary and trying to help keep his family’s construction business afloat. We knew it was time for a change. Matt was trying to “kick coffee” and turned to tea to feel energized. The difference it made was incredible! He no longer had jitters and crashes, his stomach was feeling better, and he was feeling hydrated throughout the day.
When we started researching the tea industry, we found there weren’t many “big players”, and many tea companies were using artificial flavors, additives and tea dust as their product.

Matt was experiencing the healing benefits of tea as he was kicking his coffee addiction, and we loved the idea of bringing wellness to the forefront. With no background in e-commerce, marketing, photography, or product development, we put our heads down and used what little resources we had to get Full Leaf Tea Company up and running. (talk about $2500 credit card?)

Full Leaf specializes in USDA certified organic loose-leaf teas and Japanese matcha green tea. All our blends are developed in house making us a one-of-a-kind brand. If there’s ever an ailment in our office, headache, heartburn, joint pain, etc., we often joke saying, “we have a tea for that!” But we really do!

Along with our wellness line of teas, we also carry classic teas like Organic Earl Grey, Organic Chamomile and Organic English Breakfast. For our more adventurous classic tea drinkers, we love to create classics with a twist! For example, Our Organic Kingston Earl Grey is a combination of organic black tea, organic bergamot oil and organic grapefruit oil.

What sets us apart is our commitment to organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. We also use state-side packaging made with biodegradable PVA. It is a bit more costly, but I 110% believe it is worth it. Loose leaf tea is already a more sustainable option than bagged tea but we wanted to ensure our commitment to the environment extended beyond our products.

What I am most proud of is our commitment to our customers and our products. We are more than a tea website; weprovide exceptional customer service and educate our customers through our website. Full Leaf aims to be the go-to source for all things tea and wellness. From instructional content about the best way to steep your tea to educational content about the numerous benefits of herbs, we try to cover everything a customer could need to begin and enhance their tea journey.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Digital advertising has been our most effective strategy for growing our customer base. Whether it is Google Ads, social media marketing, or email campaigns, each one captures a different audience and allows us to have multiple points of contact. But as times change, so do we. Moving forward, we are going a little “old school” and using mailers and TV advertising to connect in a new way. We have a wide range of customers so being open to new marketing strategies is key. I am very excited about the results we have seen and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Word of mouth has also been a big player for us in marketing. Our personal touches have set us apart and our customers feel it! From handwritten cards to surprises in packages and personal emails, we give our Full Leaf Fam personalization we are proud of, and it does not go unnoticed. People are excited to post their box opening, leave raving reviews and share their stories about how Full Leaf has helped their lives in one way or another.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Matt and I met in the Summer of 2005 in Corvallis, Oregon. Ironically, I was a coffee barista. We were both attending Oregon State University.
I called Matt my “Coffee Stalker” because every time I would be working in the drive thru coffee stand, he would always come by to get his iced soy mocha.
We dated for two years and got married soon after finishing school.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://FullLeafTeaCompany.com
• Instagram: fullleaftea
• Facebook: fullleaftea
• Twitter: FullLeafTeaCo
• Youtube: @fullleaftea

Image Credits

Full Leaf Tea Company