We recently connected with Rachel Parrett and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve always had a passion for mental health. From experiencing mental illness myself and walking alongside those who were struggling – I have this urgency to do something. To take these mental health resources I have access to and share them with people.

After some brainstorming, Mend began – a lip balm with a mental health resource on each label. The hope is for this natural and organic lip balm to end up in the right hands at the right time. Maybe the person who has it in their pocket needs the grounding exercise. Maybe the person who finds a lost lip balm on the ground is in need of a hotline number.

Our goal is to do our part in breaking the stigma surrounding mental health while providing resources you can keep in your pocket!

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 would have never guessed I would spend my mid 20s making and selling lip balm! Mend is a passion project I kind of just fell into. I had the initial idea, went into creative mode, and 30 days later launched my business! It’s been a whirlwind ever since but I absolutely love it and have a deep passion for it.

Since Mend began in February 2021 we have expanded to 9 different flavors, donated to several mental health organizations, and provided resources to countless people.

Hearing things like, “I always keep my Mend in my bag for when I’m feeling anxious.” or “I had a panic attack recently and remembered what was on the lavender lip balm and it helped me calm down.” is what makes everything worth while.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I currently manufacture my lip balm myself. When I started I had no clue how to even begin the process. I spent many hours watching youtube videos, reading articles, testing out different ingredients, and going through dozens of formulas. After several rounds of friends being my “testers”, I found the perfect formula!

The best advice I can give to someone taking on a venture like this is to give yourself grace. When you fail it shows that you’re trying!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social media! This also goes hand in hand with referrals from existing customers. When customers share pictures of our product on their social media profiles it expands our reach. This is how our following has grown over the past year.

I have a high investment on our instagram account and it shows in our sales. A majority of our website visits come straight from our instagram account. I have also been able to connect with businesses who are interested in selling Mend by messaging through instagram.

Contact Info:

• Website: mendlipbalm.com
• Instagram: @mendlipbalm