Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mikael Walter-Campbell, owner of Sage & Thistle Handmade Goods, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I craft artisanal soaps and other natural home and body care goods in small batches, using the best all-natural ingredients, including from my own urban garden. My products appeal to people of all ages & genders. I think it's because I am very honest with my customers about why I make what I make and why I choose my ingredients and packaging, which sets me apart. I truly want to create better, less wasteful, and more helpful products because I care about what is happening to our communities and our planet. I also make product donations to groups supporting marginalized communities. I think people appreciate that I am trying to make this business about something more than just money.

Tell us about yourself

Before I started Sage & Thistle, I was a new immigrant to Canada and a full-time stay-at-home mom, looking for natural body & home products to replace mass-produced, plastic-packaged products. Frustrated at not finding what I was looking for, I started creating my own baby products using organic ingredients.

I loved making products for my young children. Still, when I discovered soap-making, my creative side & love of gardening and herbalism really blossomed. I found myself pouring years of learned experience into something that had a very practical use. I was inspired to turn it into something more, but I didn't expect it to grow into what it is now. I started doing small markets in my neighborhood. Before I knew it, I was expanding my offerings, getting my products into local shops, setting much bigger goals. Once my kids were all in daycare and starting school, it became my full-time work.

Crafting my artisanal soaps turned the functional necessity of body care products into a really creative process involving learning the best ways to clean and nourish skin while also creating something beautiful. Science meets herbalism meets art meets function! Getting to learn and create every day and provide for my family doing what I love is something I am truly grateful for. I know that each day I will learn or try something new and improve on something I'm already doing.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Owning and running a business with no business education is nothing if not a constant learning experience! It's one thing to love making products, but quite another to turn that passion into a profitable business, all while balancing my personal life and my young family. I think what makes me most proud is that I try every day to meet the varying challenges of running a business on my own with curiosity and an open mind. I love learning new things, and I find that with an end goal in mind, subjects that used to really intimidate me, like website design or using accounting software, are now much more interesting and even fun sometimes. Owning a business has also created such a beautiful connection to my community. It has allowed me to connect with other small businesses around the world in ways I never even considered.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Because I run every aspect of my business, from product design and creation, to advertising and marketing, to working in-person markets & corresponding with wholesalers, to packing and shipping orders, it can be very overwhelming. Some days I feel like I'm drowning in uncompleted lists, but others, I feel the exhilaration of completing a complex project or accomplishing a goal. I also work from my home studio, so it can feel like work is constantly staring me in the face, and it's hard to turn off the work and shift to family life or prioritize my personal downtime. It's something I work on improving every day so that I can stay happy and fulfilled in the work that I love while giving my kids and partner equal energy and attention. Balance is continuous work, but it's essential to any level of success.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I would say, first and foremost, follow what inspires your curiosity and creativity so you don't lose interest in what you are doing or creating! I also think creating boundaries between your work and personal life is key to the longevity and growth of your business and, even more important, your mental and physical health. Thirdly, I think asking for help when you need it is incredibly important - no one builds a business alone, and community and support are as important - if not more so - as sales and financial growth.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://sageandthistlehandmade.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SageAndThistleHandmadeGoods/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sageandthistlehandmadegoods/

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.

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