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

Michele , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

My journey to become a certified aromatherapist started two decades ago. In my 20s, I became passionate about natural living and holistic care. If I had an ailment, I would seek out a natural alternative to mainstream medicine that could offer a complementary solution. I felt that nature always provided an answer rather than relying solely on synthetic chemicals.

For years, I frequently blended my own creams, sprays and oils to treat any health and wellness issues that I experienced. I even created special blends for close friends and family. All welcomed and praised my homemade tinctures. They smelled great and more importantly, they worked!

I also read books about aromatherapy and took classes at local wellness centers. I eventually studied one-on-one with a seasoned aromatherapist. This sparked my interest in becoming a certified aromatherapist and I searched for a school that would provide me the education I craved. I found it in The School for Aromatic Studies, one of the first online schools offering NAHA certified aromatherapy certification. The coursework was dynamic and engaging.

Getting certified helped me better understand the science and therapeutic benefits of essential oils. I felt like I already had a good handle on the art behind blending, but my more intense coursework really helped me to master my craft. I now had the confidence to practice aromatherapy beyond my trusted circle of family and friends.

The next step in my journey was to realize a dream I had since I was a child – owning my own business. I’ve always had a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Even when I started my full-time career in marketing & advertising, I was always drawn to companies that embodied the notion of entrepreneurship and celebrated thinking outside of the box.

In October 2019, I finally decided to turn my dream into reality and created Full Moon Blends. My objective was to be a clean beauty brand, meaning I would only offer products with natural ingredients. Transparency was super important to me, as was using recyclable packaging and ethically sourced ingredients.

It was a headache to file all the necessary paperwork to become an official LLC, but I did it and Full Moon Blends was ready to take the world by storm in 2020.

And then Covid happened….

Despite the world pretty much shutting down, I knew people were still shopping online. That’s when I decided to open an Etsy Shop and also created a Square site to sell my products online. That summer, once people were vaccinated and masked, I started participating in pop-up events like craft fairs and artisan markets. It was amazing to interact with my customers face-to-face to hear what they thought of my products. It also helped spark ideas for future product offerings.

I am now in my third year of business and the positive momentum continues. I have several ongoing relationships with retail shops for bulk and wholesale orders, expanded my product lines, widened my portfolio of essential oils that I use and now offer one-on-one aromatherapy consultations, group workshops and blending parties.

I do still work full-time in a role that I love in a company I respect, but my side hustle really taps into my true passion. I love being a part of someone’s wellness journey and helping to spread the word that Mother Nature can heal so many things naturally. It’s so exciting to see how aromatherapy can make a positive impact on people’s lives.

To anyone starting out in any field, I would say that knowledge is power. Learn as much as you can about your craft and then practice and share it with your trusted circle until you’re ready to share it out widely.

Keep an open heart and an open mind and you will find your way.

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.

I recently became a Certified Aromatherapist, but my aromatherapy journey started two decades ago when I initially became interested in learning about essential oils.Studying At The School for Aromatic Studies helped me better understand the science and therapeutic benefits of essential oils. My certification gave me the confidence to practice my craft beyond my trusted circle of family and friends.

I created Full Moon Blends in 2019. My product line was inspired by the lack of similar chemical-free products offered on the market. I strived to create a clean beauty brand offering skincare made with natural, plant-based ingredients. Transparency is super important to me.

At Full Moon Blends, we make body care products that not only smell good, but are good for you and the world.
– We use the highest quality ingredients in all of our blends, which are vegan, all natural, plant-based and often Certified Organic.
– We never test on animals and would never sell a product that we wouldn’t use on ourselves or share with family and friends.
– Our packaging is recyclable and made from recycled material where possible.

All Full Moon Blends products are hand blended in my home studio in Philadelphia or in my satellite studio in Bethany Beach, DE. You can find Full Moon Blends products for sale at select shops and online at Etsy and Square.

As a certified aromatherapist, I offer one-on-one consultations and have lead aromatic workshops and blending parties for groups as large as 24.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Having a great product is one major piece of the puzzle, but marketing is definitely the other. People need to know about your products, so you need to get the word out.

Advertising costs money and it’s hard to make big investments upfront, especially as a small business. Make sure to take advantage of setting up in the digital space since you can do it with little or no financial investment. Establishing an online presence is key and creating accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter are free. They just take time. And quality is more important than quantity in terms of posts and content. You don’t have to post every day, but you r content should be authentic and true to your brand. Your customers will appreciate that. Also make sure to set up your free listings on Yelp and Google if relevant. I’ve gotten quite a few fruitful leads through Google searches.

Word-of-mouth marketing is also so important, but especially for a small business. Building relationships with your customers is the best way to keep them engaged. And engaged customers continue to support your brand. Take time to converse with them if you transact face-to-face. If you only sell online, try creating a digital relationship with them through interactive posts, creating interesting video content and tutorials, sending loyalty emails and more.

Finally, never underestimate the power of consumer research. If you can’t afford to organize a formal focus group, take advantage of talking with your customers whenever you have the chance.

I enjoy working at markets and events where I can meet customers face-to-face and hear about their lives. It helps me determine what essential oils and products they could benefit from using. Conversations with my customers also helped to spark ideas for many new products and ways to improve upon existing ones. I usually appear at the same annual events and it’s thrilling to see the same people year after year excited to talk with me again and buy my products. People also seek me out online via my Etsy shop and I have many repeat customers. Building a good rapport also encourages good word of mouth marketing whether through posting a positive review, purchasing items as a gift or referring a friend.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I really love what I do and it shows. I’ve been told countless times that my energy and enthusiasm are contagious. When I meet customers, face-to-face, I love explaining the benefits of aromatherapy and essential oils and how my products can help people. I also take the time to learn about my customers’ lives to guide them on what essential oil blends can benefit them the most.

Taking time to get to know my customers has really helped me to build long-lasting relationships. I often see the same people visiting me at annual events and local markets or reaching out online.

I’ve also slowly built a solid online business as well. Many of my Etsy customers are repeat buyers that have given me good reviews. That has certainly helped spread the word about Full Moon Blends and helped build my positive reputation on Etsy and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fullmoonblends.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullmoonblends/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullmoonblends
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/2c5hxG2ifn
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FullMoonBlends
• Square: https://fullmoonblends.square.site