Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Homebody MN, located in Minneapolis, MN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Homebody MN is a small trans-owned business committed to giving back and ethical sourcing. I started by handmaking candles with 100% soy wax, and I've expanded to cover more homebody essentials with used books! I offer individual candles, as well as quarterly subscription boxes for both candles and curated used books.
Tell us about yourself
I found myself in the candle-making world after reading about the potential health and environmental impacts of mainstream candles. I wanted to learn how to make candles and committed to sourcing them in a way that I could really trust my product and the impact of its sourcing.
From the start, I've really focused on creating an ethical business. There are so many ways to interpret the term ethical business, and I wanted to grapple with that. It has led to ideas like fundraisers as a core part of my advertising approach. I realized that I'd rather give money to small nonprofits to help spread the word about my small business than to places like Facebook.
So I started partnering with organizations to hopefully help my small business grow and to support the work that they are doing! At the end of the day, the prospect of being able to grow my small business to a point where I'm making significant donations to organizations is a huge motivator for me.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I wouldn't say there is one accomplishment that feels like the pinnacle of my business' success. Overall, I'm most proud of the business continuing to exist and grow. To be able to be a proudly trans-owned business in a world where so many narratives about trans people are about struggle or our loss of rights is an honor experience and demonstrates trans success. However small my business may be.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Running an eCommerce business, by myself, out of my home, it is challenging to connect with other people who are thinking about similar issues on a day-to-day basis. It can be challenging to find other small business owners, which means I'm not as exposed to new perspectives as I'd like to be.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Well, these aren't exactly tips, more like questions that I continually ask myself and have provided a lot of clarity as I've made decisions.
- What is your end goal? Are you trying to become as big as possible? Are you trying to have a side hustle that gives you some extra cash?
- What lifestyle do you want? Do you want to be working 10 hours a week or 80 hours a week on your business?
- What kind of work do you enjoy/are you best at?
Running a small business, you have so many options that it can be overwhelming. I find these questions grounding as I make decisions that move me towards having the business and lifestyle I'm working towards. Also, give yourself the freedom to let these answers change!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.homebodymn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homebodymncandles/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homebodymncandles/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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