We recently connected with Sierra & Evan Byers and have shared our conversation below.
Sierra & Evan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I, Sierra, have a background in skincare as a Cosmetologist. I’ve been a successful makeup artist for over 10 years and worked on my first bride at 15 years old. I’ve always been fascinated with the creativity and art of makeup, but as I accumulated makeup experience, the more I realized skincare was the foundation of flawless makeup application. A few years and trainings down the road, I was preforming quality facials in the town I grew up in. My clientele was steady, I was supporting myself through college, and decided it was time to open my own space. So, at 22 I left my spa home and ventured out on my own. I was attending classes full-time, pursuing my biology degree in hopes to be a high-school science teacher.
Three months later, COVID came and just as soon as I opened, I had to shut my doors. The landlords locked me out of my space, stealing all my machines, inventory, product, and I was utterly heart-broken. I lost my business, I dropped out of school, and I lost the house I was staying in because I couldn’t afford it anymore. I moved in with my future in-laws, and saw the world and my life spiral into a storm of hopelessness and anxiety.
During the pandemic, my high school sweetheart (Evan) and I got married. Our original wedding got canceled, our backup wedding fell through, and our honeymoon plans literally went up in flames. I contracted the virus two weeks before wedding date, and only tested negative one day before the ceremony. Needless to say, that is a story we are excited to share with our future kids.
After we got married, my health started to quickly deplete. My period disappeared, I gained weight rapidly, my hair was falling out, I had cystic acne, and I was not satisfied with the answers I was getting from doctors. I was diagnosed with PCOS, and the only option I was given for treatment was hormonal birth control. I left the appointment feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and with the promise that “you’ll be back for IVF in a few years because you wont be able to conceive”.
I started exploring the ‘why’ behind my diagnosis, and found that so many everyday products can cause hormonal imbalance for women. Perfume, makeup, laundry detergent, and the biggest culprit? Personal care products. I’d spent my young years slathering myself AND others in endocrine disrupting chemicals, multiple times a day. Slowly, I started swapping out the things in our home for higher quality alternatives. This is a very expensive process, and we were newly weds devastated by the looming doom of infertility. I spent hours reading medical studies, peer reviewed articles, FDA guidelines, and doing deep dives into the 13 letter long ingredients on most products. The more I learned, the more I knew how valuable this information was and started to share on my personal Instagram.
In October 2022 I was wrestling with combining all the things I loved – women’s health, biology, skincare, and education. I was working as a Registered Behavioral Technician providing therapy to children on the Autism Spectrum. The job was fulfilling and draining, and I just knew that it was not was I was created to do. Evan and I were able to go on our original honeymoon exploring Oregon and took that time to pray about our future. Both of our healths had improved, but I knew God had more in store for us.
On the flight home, I started to panic, The overwhelming sense of dread knowing Monday morning I’d be clocking into a job that was harming my health felt suffocating. I said a desperate silent prayer as the flight attendant checked our seatbelts, and held back tears. After our vacation, I felt like myself again — creative, funny, curious and I was on a one way home to feeling like a shell of myself once again.
Then it happened.
I quickly took out my phone to write all the different products I could make, how to connect all the knowledgable providers in our community, how to tie in all the passions and education in a way that would benefit others.
Eve + Eden was born, 2000 miles in the sky. It was truly an answered prayer.
Evan is a civil engineer, math-minded, and as soon as I was done typing the pages of details, I frantically threw my phone in his lap. I halfway expected to be immediately shot down, logically talked into why this was not a good idea, or how it didn’t make sense. Another desperate prayer later, Evan locked eyes with me and said “Let’s do it”. I put in my two-weeks when we got home. January 1st, 2023 we launched our online store and sold out of our inventory within the day, we haven’t looked back.
Sierra & Evan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
At Eve + Eden we manufacture organic artisan skincare and personal care products that honor your biology, the earth, and it’s Creator. All of the herbs and oils we use are organic, third-party tested, have sustainable sourcing, and our tallow comes from local regenerative farms. When we were formulated products we researched the beauty and wellness practices across different cultures throughout history. We took that knowledge, the need for quality skincare, and created products that combine modern convenience with ancestral practices that have withstood the test of time.
Tallow and herbal skincare products are not an original idea, but most of them are over-priced or leave you smelling like a french fry. We stay away from essential oils for the sake of sensitive individuals like myself, but also using whole herb infusions so we access the nutrients in the ratios nature intended. Our goal is stay as close to nature as we can, while remaining accessible in our pricing — quality holistic personal care shouldn’t be out of reach.
Eventually, we’d love to have a brick-and-mortar that had a mercantile of high quality products from other local makers in our community. Practicing midwives, doulas, chiropractors, and herbalist on one side & a wholesome non-toxic spa with massage, esthetics, and relaxing on the other. A cafe that provided nutrient-dense food, and frozen options you could purchase and drop off for a new mom.
Two of the things I’m most proud of with Eve + Eden are our “Table Talk” events and our “Be the Village” fundraiser.
Table Talk is not only a networking opportunity for small business owners, but is centered around connecting holistic providers with their community. We hosted 2 of these events in 2023, the first one was a workshop where a local beeswax candle maker lead us into making our own non-toxic perfumes and educating us on air quality for the home. The 2nd event, I led a class over foundational health and hosted a vendor market. We made high quality food, favors, and memories for both events. At each event, every participant gets a moment to share their business with the room, and have time to connect with one another.
Be the Village looks different depending on the need. We had a local family who had one biological daughter (2 years old) adopt a set of newborn twins JUST to find out they were pregnant with twins of their own. We partnered with local businesses to collect clothes, diapers, toys, and money to support them as they transitioned into a family with 5 kids under 3 years old.
If you remember anything about Eve + Eden, remember that we strive to provide quality products, foster community, and empower you to make educated decisions for the betterment of yourself and those you love.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
We have built a reputation based on transparency, education, and vulnerability.
Transparency about ingredients, quality, the process of making our products is a cornerstone of our business. I don’t trust just anyone when it comes to products I bring into my home, so we try to show you everything! We don’t just talk the talk, you can see for yourself us walking the walk. You’ll see our transparency as young, first-time business owners, working out the kinks as they come up. This gives us an ability to be relatable, while also enriching the relationship we have between manufacturer and customer.
Our Instagram page is filled with education on topics that are not mainstream, but have been broken down so that not only is it easier to understand, it also communicates why it is important. We regularly message with different practitioners in our community to further our own education, so that we can continue to educate our customers. If we don’t know the answer to something, we’ll tell you! This not only reinforces the connection we’re trying to build, but also allows us the opportunity to practice what we preach — no one can do everything alone, so leaning on one another plays a role in learning. Being open to changing your mind, nuances, and admitting to being wrong is a HUGE deal in our cancel-culture society today. Education and learning requires grace, and we value that as a brand.
Transparency and education are important, but the bigger thing that I feel like makes us stand out is how vulnerable we allow ourselves to be. Throughout the educational posts, product reveals, and vendor market details you’ll find our hearts laid before you. I still am wrestling through my PCOS journey, and while our lifestyle changes have made great progress, we’re almost 4 years into marriage and struggling with infertility. I allow myself to share those pieces of our life because at the end of the day, we’re real people, who advocate for products that don’t cause cancer but still love a ice cold Dr. Pepper on occasions. We own a skincare company that is successful, but I still have acne and refuse to filter it out. Being vulnerable on the internet doesn’t always look like crying into the camera, but sharing the parts of your life that shine a light on your insecurities – without filtering them away. I’ve had so many chats with women who have invited me into their infertility journey, whether its related to PCOS, miscarriage, loneliness as a mom, etc. These are the reasons we advocate for quality products and connections, because real people are impacted by these things.
Our transparency makes us trustworthy, our products and education make us valuable, and our vulnerability reminds our audience that we are human.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Once upon a time, in a land far far away called Red Oak, TX there was a girl who had a trampoline and a fence without a lock, and a neighbor with lots of friends. I was that girl, and my husband was buddies with my neighbor who used our trampoline during the hot summer days. I call this our meet-cute moment, we were no older than 11, and since I was the only girl — I wasn’t invited to play that day… in my own backyard.. on my trampoline.
We still argue about it.
Evan and I went to the same high school, youth group, and ran in the same small circle of friends. We were good friends for a long time, and one day after school he had a migraine while we were hanging out at a friends house. The next thing I knew, I was in hospital room while he was being prepared to be careflighted to Dallas because he had blood in his brain. Evan was in the ICU for over a week while my mom drove me to see him almost everyday after school. He was “friend-zoned” until I realized my feelings for him when he was likely going to die. To make a long story, reasonably short, he made a full recovery with no issues to this day. This led to us dating for 2.5 years in high school, breaking up when he left for college, but never really getting too far away from one another.
When I was moving to a 4-year university for my biology degree, the school Evan was attending made the most economic sense. It was God playing ‘match-maker’ when we ended up as neighbors AND being very. involved in the same church. One rom-com movie montage later, we got engaged right after I lost my business and got married in 2020. Eve + Eden came to be in October 2022 and we’ve been packing our car for vendor markets ever since. Evan still works as a manager at a private Civil Engineering and Surveying company, but we hope he can work full-time for us in the next few years.
We are great friends, and we make an even greater team.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eveandedentx.com
- Instagram: @eve_and_edentx
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EveandEdentx
Image Credits
Abby Herron Photography Sierra Summer Photography