We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

This question is a bit difficult, since I do not own a typical brick and mortar store. It’s even more critical to find ways to connect with customers since there’s no “face time” involved. Most folks, when they want to purchase from me, will message me on Instagram with either questions about availability of a certain item, or asking about my Etsy shop. This is my time to shine!

Again, since there’s no face-to-face interactions, I don’t want to approach these interactions as strictly business oriented. I do my best to make small talk with folks, try to see what sort of crystal they’re interested in and why (if they’re willing to share), get a feel for their budget, and send them custom videos with different suggestions on pieces they can add to their collection. Almost a bit like a personal shopper!

I remember once, when I was getting started selling on Instagram, another shop said something along the lines of, “We are not here to be friends with them – we’re a business, and we have to always remember that”. And, wow, if that didn’t just rub me all kinds of wrong ways! Of course, I am looking to make some sort of profit on my sales – I think I would be lying if I tried to deny that. However, there is nothing that is more fulfilling as a small business owner than seeing a positive customer review, or receiving a word-of-mouth referral. Those things are only possible if you treat customers with kindness and respect, instead of as a transaction.

I always want folks to feel comfortable approaching me, whether it’s via an Instagram DM or out at a market or fair. The strong, positive rapport between me and customers is what keeps me in business, and I can’t ever forget that!

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.

As with most things, my crystal business started as a hobby and turned into a side hustle :)

I have always loved rocks. I think a lot of us started with our rock obsessions when we were young, honestly. However, I didn’t really start subscribing to the metaphysical side of things until I was going through some pretty drastic life changes. I thought, “well, what the heck, these can’t hurt. If it brings me peace, it brings me peace! If not, I still have a pretty cool rock!”

I will say that there is a certain peace that overcame me when working with crystals and other metaphysical pieces. I know not everyone believes in that, or finds that particularly logical. But I do believe in the power of nature and positive thinking! And if others approach me and wish to learn more about the metaphysical side of crystals, I am more than happy to share what knowledge I know.

My shop is strictly online, at the moment, with the exception of markets and pop-up shops on certain weekends. I mostly operate on Instagram. New inventory is available to my followers on Instagram first, and after a couple weeks of story sales and other flash sale opportunities, the pieces will move to Etsy. I ship everything from my little home in Bromley, Kentucky using recycled materials, usually the exact same materials from the wholesalers themselves. And I pride myself on working with wholesalers who have been in the mining and mineral business for generations. Many of these wholesalers are families who either have direct access to the mines, or own the mines themselves.

I am constantly getting new inventory in my shop! Many of my pieces come from Brazil, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, the Congo, Peru, Mexico, and India (just to name a few locales), and I do my best to hand-pick the best flats and lots available. Nothing in my inventory is dyed or heat-treated (unless otherwise noted) – everything is natural, just as the earth created it!

I am also happy to help source pieces for folks who are looking for something specific. If I don’t have it in stock, I am happy to try and help find it for you!

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

Social media is a fickle, fickle beast. I wish I had all the answers to this question, but the truth is that there is no magical formula to gain a bunch of AUTHENTIC followers overnight. I’ve been posting on my Instagram feed for a little over 5 years now, and the ups and downs have given me more whiplash than a rollercoaster. I can say though, as I sit at roughly 15.7k followers, that there is no rhyme or reason to the algorithm, and within the last year or so, I’ve stopped trying to fight the need to be seen and instead have just embraced the fun of posting.

When I was starting out on Instagram, the big thing was “hashtags, hashtags, hashtags!”. I think that idea has kind of gone by the wayside, and now we’re embracing key words and reels, different trending audio and flashy videos. I grew to have such a following by participating in group giveaways with other Instagram shops (make friends! some of my best friends are friends from Instagram!), and solo giveaways are always a good idea as well. Engage with people who leave you comments! Show some authenticity in your responses! Again, it’s all about building that rapport.

I used to have a much bigger following, actually. I believe my highest follower count was at roughly 16.5k. I know a lot of accounts talk about the dreaded algorithm, but it’s true. If my content isn’t seen by my followers, it doesn’t get any engagement (likes or comments). This means it won’t be pushed out to any potentially new users who may have an interest in my content. It’s a vicious cycle that can really drive you mad, if you let it.

So don’t let it! :)

Let go of the follower count. Let go of the likes, the views, the reach and engagement. Don’t lose your passion and joy trying to fight against an algorithm that can change on a dime anyway. Just have fun, and your people will find you!

Enjoy the journey!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

If we had been conducting this interview a couple years ago, my answers would be totally different: I would have said that I am strictly an online seller, and that I have no desire to expand to in-person sales.

However, as I mentioned with the disenchantment of social media and the frustrations that come from being discovered or being seen on certain platforms, I had to improvise a bit in order to stay afloat and continue to expand.

I began signing up for in-person markets and fairs a couple years ago. I am originally from just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, so my first in-person event was at a weekend market right around where I grew up. And to this day, it remains one of the best events we’ve had to date!

From there, I continued to work with this market, each month in the summer. This past year I’ve even reached out to local coffee shops for mini “pop-ups”, where my partner and I can come set up a small table for a few hours and lure unsuspecting coffee drinkers in with shiny rocks :)

Through all of this, I have found that word of mouth beats an online sale by a long shot. Each and every single time. I absolutely LOVE going out to an event and someone rushing up and saying, “OH MY GOSH, YOU’RE MENDING MOON??!” like I’m some sort of celebrity or something! No celebrity, just a crazy rock lady! But the feeling is just as exhilarating. It means that someone took the time to share my name, talk about my crystals, shared my contact information, etc.

Not to mention, in-person events give me the opportunity to actually help folks pick out different pieces. We get to search for the best crystal together, and that’s a beautiful thing. Nothing quite like it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.etsy.com/shop/mendingmoon
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mendingmoonapothecary