Welcome to our Personality Spotlight, Karen. As owner of
Savannah Moon Natural Relaxation, Bath & Body Care, we
know that you have dedicated yourself to going a natural path.
Please share with us how you got to where you are now.
Since I
was in my early twenties and able to make decisions for myself
I have always believed that a natural lifestyle is what is
best for all of us. I was not brought up in a natural setting
as a child, as a mater of fact my entire family are big
bakers! Lots of candy around too! :o) But I was always the
different one... So my choices as an adult I guess don't
surprise my family, but they don't understand it either.
Along with all of the baking when I was young there was
a lot of cooking and crafting going on also. So being that I
do enjoy cooking and crafting, it's just in my blood, I
thought I would try my hand at making Handcrafted Soap. This
enabled me to enjoy what I was brought up around and
incorporate my love for a natural lifestyle. I then started to
make other natural handcrafted products for my personal use
and to give as gifts. In the spring of 2004 my husband
suggested that I should do the Wadsworth Herb & Craft Fair and
that was the official start of Savannah Moon as a company.
You offer such yummy products that are strictly for the
senses. How did you come up with the products that you
did?
When I did my first
craft fair almost five years ago I only had a few products and
one scent. LavenMint Soap Moon, LavenMint Bath Salts,
LavenMint Eye Packs and LavenMint Sachets, I also sold Catnip
Pillows. As you can see from my website www.SavannahMoon.com
the product line has come along way. I now offer 23 different
products, our essential oil scents include: LavenMint,
Lavender, Chamomil/Lavender, unscented Moonbeam and Baby
Angel, gently scented with Chamomile.
I created my signature LavenMint scent in my early days
of soap making when I tried every combination under the sun.
It turned out to be my favorite, so when the time came to
start my business I thought that was a good scent to start
with, it is still my best seller today! The other relaxation
based scents followed later.
Relaxation is so essential to all of us. Savannah Moon
is about Nourishing the Body, the Mind and the Soul. When you
visit our website you will see that along with our Bath & Body
Care Products we also offer beautiful handcrafted Silk Dupioni
Relaxation Products. Our Eye Pillow and Eye Pack are great to
use during Yoga Savasana or for an afternoon nap, I like to
use mine at bedtime to help me relax. Our Neck Wrap and Back &
Belly Pack also come with a washable 100% Organic Cotton
Velour Blanket. These products truly help to melt away the
tensions of the day. Who couldn't use that?
Which products are your most popular, and what are your
personal favorites?
I would have to say
that our LavenMint Mist is our biggest seller, it is so
versatile. You can fill any room or car with the wonderful
scents of Savannah Moon. Use as a body mist to help refresh
and balance your mood or as a sheet and pillow mist for a
relaxing night’s sleep. You can also use our Mist to cool and
soothe tired feet. See what I mean?
I would have to say that our Soap is next. You can
experience the luxury of a Handcrafted Soap which retains its
glycerin and will leave your skin soft and moisturized. We
never use animal ingredients, artificial colors or
preservatives when creating this fine soap.
I would never be without my Soap and my Body Oil. I
love to put it on after a shower for silky smooth skin to lock
in moisture. I apply to wet skin, then towel dry. It is also
nice for massage. Oh, Bath Fizzers are AWESOME! You have to
try them and experience them for yourself!
The list goes on and on... I love all of my products, I
had decided that I would only make products that I use and
LOVE. Because if I don't, I can't expect anyone else to! :o)
Your site is so enjoyable to visit, everything is laid out so
well. I also enjoy your packaging very much! What
advice do you have for others about the process of branding
their companies?
My product packaging and website was created by my husband, he
is an Art Director & Designer and also a Photographer. I'm
very lucky! :o) I am also a professional Photo-retoucher and
Illustrator, so art is also in my blood. Al does the designs
and then I take care of all of the detail and editing. We have
our own Art & Advertising Studio and Photography business
also: www.AllenKarenStudio.com
www.AllenSeremakPhoto.com
I think that product packaging and website design are
one of the most important parts of your product. It is your
face to the world. It really doesn't matter how wonderful the
product is inside the bottles and jars if your labels don't
speak quality and grab some ones attention. You need to WOW 'em
with the packaging and then WOW 'em with the product inside!
You won't have the chance to WOW 'em with the product if your
labels blend into the background, or worse yet, don't look
professional. It may end up being your biggest expense, but in
the end it will make all the difference in the world,
especially because you want the whole world to know about your
fabulous products!
I also believe that websites should be clean, elegant
and simple. You won't WOW 'em with your website if people
can't easily find their way around. So keep it simple and
display your products in a professional manner, add to that
well written descriptive copy and your ready to sell. And yes,
if that means hiring a copy writer, hire one! Again, this is
your face and "voice" to the world, your silent salesman, make
'em work for you!
I really admire that you have gone so natural with your
products. Every aspect of each ingredient seems to be so
well researched. What have you learned in your quest for
going all-natural, and what advice do you have for others that
are choosing to buy and/or sell all-natural products?
As Savannah Moon
grew, as with many businesses, I branched out into many
different directions. Being that people knew that I made my
own products I had a lot of request to make custom orders for
people. Being the eager new business owner I was willing to do
anything to please my customers. I had quite a few request for
scents that were not available as an essential oil, so for a
short time I did turn to synthetic fragrance oils. I thought
if I could make my customers happy that I would be happy also,
I was wrong. The vision I had of Savannah Moon being Healing
and Nourishing for the Body, the Mind and the Soul, was
compromised because of me wanting to be accommodating. Along
with adding the fragrance oils I also branched out to offer
more relaxation based essential oil scents, Lavender,
Chamomile/Lavender and unscented Moonbeam.
One day I finally realized that I may have had some
happy customers with the fragrances that they wanted, but I
wasn't happy! I didn't like working with the synthetic
fragrance oils, I felt it compromised the quality of my entire
product line. Yes, I did also sell completely natural products
if someone wanted them and then I had the other scents as well
if people wanted them. But It just didn't feel right. I
decided to remove all of the products with the fragrance oils
from my product line, off of my website and off of the shelves
at stores. I then added my Baby Angel line that is gently
scented with Chamomile. I felt that I needed to believe in my
products and that the right people will be drawn them. Also,
one thing I know for sure, you will never be able to please
everyone, so make sure that you are happy! :o)
How hard is it to be surrounded by Lavender, Chamomile
and Mint all day? I'm happy! :o)
Do you have any books or classes that you'd like to recommend?
The single book
that got me headed in the right direction is Creating an
Herbal Bodycare Business by Sandy Maine. The other thing I
would recommend is to follow "your" inner voice, it's never
wrong! :o)
Running a business can be challenging and rewarding.
What examples of each can you share with us?
The challenges are
obvious, the same for most businesses. Not only do you have
supplies to order and products to make but bookkeeping and
billing to take care of. You exert a lot of time and energy,
both physically, mentally and financially. Sometimes you
wonder if it is all worth it...
Then you hear from a customer, they tell you how they LOVE
your products and the wonderful benefits they have noticed
from them. You get the opportunity to participate in 200
"Green" VIP Gift Bags being distributed at a party for the New
York City television industry at the Greenhouse NYC, which
just happens to be the only eco-friendly nightclub in New York
City! Talk about a targeted audience? Then you find out that
you were unexpectedly featured in an article in the Cleveland
Plain Dealer. Then you find out that other people in your
field look up to you... Yah, it's all worth it!
What do you enjoy doing outside of running your business?
Sleeping! :o)
Now it's our chance to dream along with you. Please give
us your version of the perfect relaxing and pampering session.
I would be on a
deserted tropical beach. Laying on a hammock with something
fruity to drink, palm trees overhead. Just listening to the
ocean gently rolling onto the powdery white sand, swaying in
the hammock...
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