Life Is Bigger - Moon Flower
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Riley Queen, co-owner, and founder of Moon Flower, located in Buckhannon, WV, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Moon Flower is a female-owned, seed-to-sale craft cannabis company. On our farm in the mountains of West Virginia, our hemp plants are raised from seed to harvest with endless amounts of love by three generations of women. Our customer base spreads across the entire United States, seeking an all-natural source of relief for various needs. With a cannabis market full of grey areas, Moon Flower can provide an amount of transparency that many cannabis companies across the nation cannot. We do this through our seed-to-sale, vertically integrated operation. Because all of our products are grown and made in-house, we can guarantee quality and consistent, reliable dosing. We use our social media outlets and website to display and share the entirety of our process, from our all-natural grow methods on the farm to use the cleanest form of extraction. Our packaging offers thorough information and is completely biodegradable.
Tell us about yourself
Moon Flower started its journey in December 2019 and has been operational for around 2.5 years. We dove into the cannabis industry because we believe in its true potential to change the way we look at our health and its ability to transform the state of West Virginia. West Virginia is the leader of the nation's opioid epidemic, caused by drugs prescribed by doctors to help with the pain. Cannabis is not only known to help with symptoms of withdrawal but also pain. We believe that it can be the answer to many of the outcomes caused by opioids, starting at the route of the problem-- having a more natural and nonaddictive option for pain management.
Along with this, the cannabis market is expected to be valued at 92 BILLION dollars by 2028. We see this as an opportunity to bring in more jobs to the mountain state and allow West Virginians to make a name for themselves. Every day we get to help people leave their prescription medication and move toward a solution that can be taken as needed and has no addictive compounds.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As business owners, our most significant accomplishment thus far has been helping thousands of people across the United States improve their quality of life. It feels incredible to know that we have grown plants that are helping provide relief for customers struggling with everything from anxiety/depression to cancer. We are also grateful to have created a career that allows us to get our hands in the dirt in the West Virginia sunshine. Being in charge of how we spend our time is a privilege-- it's worth more than gold.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
We have had to dedicate hundreds of hours working on expanding and operating Moon Flower. Although it seems as though we are "in charge of our time," which, in a sense, we are-- owning a business tends to take up every essence of your mind at times. It has been tough to "turn off" after the workday ends, knowing the number of things we have to do the next day and that we must do to keep this business expanding.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Set boundaries. Allow yourself to step away every once in a while without feeling guilty about it.
- Utilize the triple bottom line practice. A sustainable business requires a balance of economic growth and sensibility, social equity, and environmental quality. Dedicate your business to something more than just selling a product. If you don't have a cause, create one.
- Utilize every single resource that you have and never say no to a potential opportunity (at the beginning of your journey especially). We once said yes to presenting at our local college, which led us to a professor who was the mother-in-law of the journalist who ended up writing an article on us for the Washington Post. This article caused over 200% growth in our sales over one weekend.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Moon Flower operates completely online as of now! However, we are in the process of our first brick-and-mortar site, which we hope to open by September 1st! This location will house our entire operation, including our lab, kitchen, shipping warehouse, grow room, and retail. The retail space will offer our entire current product line, fresh infused baked goods, freshly infused teas, and an educational space to learn about all things cannabis.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.moonflowerhemp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonFlowerHemp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonflowerhemp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-queen-55b181163/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.