Who is Herb 'N Eden?
Welcome to a new month!
We've gained a lot of new followers recently so I thought now is a good time to introduce ourselves to some and re-introduce ourselves to others.
The Herb 'N Eden brand was literally built on love: the love between my husband Quinton and I, and our love for using what the Earth gives us to be well.
We had an opportunity to be guest panelists for an event called Love+Biz: A Conversation About Couplepreneurship where we answered some questions about how we got started and how we keep things going. See the full interview here.
How did you decide to start a business together as a couple?
QUINTON: The very beginning started with us just deciding what we liked to do as individuals. Terran has a love for herbs and I've always had a love for business and marketing, so we just leaned into those paths and committed to diving in headfirst with those skill sets.
What's the story behind Herb 'N Eden? How did you get into soap?
TERRAN: Urban Sprout Farms was like an incubator for us. We began volunteering there and I just fell in love with the process of gardening. From there we got involved with Farmer's Markets. [Urban Sprout Farms Founder] Nuri would allow Quinton to manage a lot of the day-to-day operations, and we learned different styles of farming, harvesting, and then selling the things that we learned how to grow to restaurants. Living those experiences, I just knew I wanted to be there among them selling a product that I produced with my own hands.
So, I started researching different ideas and started learning new things just to see what felt right. I made jewelry, I crotcheted, but I really wanted to produce something that was sustainable. We had become so community-minded and I wanted to be able to provide something essential.
That's when I came across a book about soap making and I decided to give it a try as a hobby. I started posting pictures of my soap on social media as you do when you're learning a new craft, and then people starting commenting that they wanted to buy a few bars.
So, Quinton, who had already started his own landscaping business at the time, started telling me that I should start a business. I hadn't been exposed to entrepreneurship in a way that made me comfortable with the idea, but luckily he was already into branding and marketing, so I knew he would be the best partner no matter what on this journey.
What has been the biggest challenge for Herb 'N Eden so far?
TERRAN: The hardest part is keeping up with the daily grind of entrepreneurship. So many things go wrong and there's so much to do that it can be draining on your energy. But the energy you put in is what you get out so you have to be full-on even when things get crazy.
When we first started the business, our first big order was a 4,000-bar order. We had just transitioned from working jobs to doing this full-time so it was really shakey for us financially. There were times where we had to let utilities get cut off to make sure we had enough to keep our online store going or to buy materials.
Of course, financial problems cause arguments during that time. Looking back at it now, we can laugh because we have no idea how we survived.
QUINTON: Our most challenging moment for me was finding the balance between personal expenses and income and business expenses and income. That led to the humbling experience of having to move back in with my parents. Twice. That was such a personal blow for me because as a husband, it felt like a major step backward. It was mentally tough to keep going and just appreciate that I had my parents' support.
What has been the most rewarding part about starting Herb 'N Eden?
QUINTON: It's rewarding to be able to say we made it through that tough time. What was toughest for me was that I cared what people thought too much. It bothered me what people would think about me living with my wife in my parents' basement.
But I kept reminding myself why we were doing this and to be thankful that I had the support I needed from my family to build this dream. So, being on this side of it all is rewarding.
TERRAN: What's most rewarding for me is being able to work with a great partner in my husband, who knows and does so much for the business. Then it's seeing the business hit and surpass certain milestones and goals. We've been growing like crazy and we're showing no signs of slowing down. People love our brand. We get daily messages from people telling us how our products have helped their skin challenges. I've had people shed tears telling me how I've helped their loved ones with confidence. The community support has really been the most rewarding.
How do you make business and love successful?
TERRAN: For me, it's important that we still focus on spending time together outside of the business. Like, let's actually dress up and go on a date or do something nice. We work on the business the majority of the week, so it's important to do things that don't involve business. And Quinton loves to talk about business so my role is to make sure we don't always talk about business.
QUINTON: She's right, my mind is always zeroed in on the business so I need her to remind me to turn that part off. We're closed two days a week and we reserve that time to just be us.
