Melissa is the owner and creator of HoneyBee Gardens.  Thanks so much Melissa for taking the time to do this interview with me! I love your company and products!   I am so happy the universe put you in my path.

1.  (BWM) What motivated you to start an all natural body care and cosmetic line?   My husband.  When we first got married he hated to shave.  His skin would become red and irritated with the first swipe of a razor.  I set out to create a solution for him using the fresh herbs from my little garden.  I made potion after potion for him, and he patiently tried each.  One day he came to me and said, "this stuff REALLY works".  No more redness, no more irritation, no more bumps.  Our Herbal Aftershave was born.   
 
2.  (BWM)What was one of the challenges you faced while starting your own business?   Cash flow.  Isn’t that the problem with all small start ups?  I worked a full time job and had started my company as a side project.  We were young and didn’t have much.  But I really believed in what I was doing.  I saved enough money to put little classified ads in the back of herbal publications and soon we started getting requests for information and even orders.  I saved every penny I earned and reinvested it in the company.  It took a long time but persistence, making the right decisions and strong conviction paid off.   
 
3.(BWM) I love the name Honeybee Gardens, how did you decide on that name?   HAHA!  Well, as you know, "Melissa" means "honeybee" in Greek.  I lived in my garden.  It was my passion.  It was just a small 10′ X 4′ raised bed, but it was MINE.  I treasured every plant in it.  And was fascinated by what these plants could do.  My husband came up with the name.  He said, "all this was born from your little garden - Melissa’s Garden" which translated into "Honeybee Gardens".   
 
4.(BWM) What makes your products unique?  We don’t make products just for the sake of having an item in our line or because it’s trendy at the time.  Our products serve a purpose - they solve a problem.  Our Deodorant Powder works just as well as the leading brands on the market but it’s 100% natural!  Our Truly Natural Mascara gives you gorgeous weightless lashes and it’s paraben free.  Plus we make sure all of our products are affordable.  How can we tell people to use natural cosmetics and personal care products if they can’t afford them?  And of course there’s always the element of fun.  I want natural cosmetics to no longer have that stigma of having only ‘earth colors’ or ‘just a few boring shades’.  We strive to have lots of color choices from matte and classic to cute and sparkly.  Make-up should be as timeless as it is fun.  
 
5. (BWM) What is your favorite Honeybee Gardens product?  Oh, that’s a tough one.  Wow.  There are a few I can’t live without.  Our JobaColors Eye Liner is awesome.  Even when I drag myself to the gym in the wee hours of the morning, I can apply a little of that liner and look almost presentable.  And the Alcohol Free Hair Spray.  I’ve been using that for years.  Nothing else seems to hold my long hair so well yet look like I don’t have any product on.  Then there’s our lip balm….I guess I’d better stop here!   
  
Please visit www.honeybeegardens.com for more information on this amazing company! We love you Honeybee Gardens!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.