Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Hamilton.
Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I launched my business website in October 2022. I started working on the concept of Dandelion Naturals in January 2022 after big, unexpected changes to my 21-year nursing career which led me to embrace my love for natural living and to start a full-time career creating all-natural body care products. Eager to create and share impactful, intentional natural products, I dove right in with the support of my faith and my husband, Matt of 21 years.
Bright yellow dandelions are widespread on our homestead in southeast Minnesota in the early spring. These tiny wildflowers, representing the return of life and the rebirth of growth and green after a harsh winter, display abundant strength and power. For me, the dandelion symbolizes resilience, hope, and healing. They remind me of the time of year my daughter was born, a season blossoming with life. Dandelion Naturals is a sweet reminder of the bounty and resilience of nature’s beauty and the love we can show our skin using ingredients picked from the Earth.
My passion for natural living began in 2011 after a visit to a holistic chiropractor which opened a door to a whole new world of wellness. This sparked my passion for the power of eating real food which has evolved into a natural, holistic way of living. I have created many remedies and personal care products for my family over the years; I am self-taught through reading, researching, and experimenting. The business product that I am most proud of and fascinated about is our cold-process soap bars. Each bar is truly unique and a work of art; there is something so simple, yet beautiful about experiencing a nice hot bath or shower with a pure bar of soap. For me, a bar of soap offers a very simple way to honor our planet through zero-waste packaging and to nourish and care for our bodies with high-quality, intentional ingredients.
Dandelion Naturals is only 6 months old; I have come a long way in that short amount of time and I’m excited about the challenges and changes that will naturally come. I have built a strong online customer base through our website as well as my Etsy shop; I’m very active on Facebook and Instagram which I believe have helped the most to get my business name out there. I have attended several pop-up markets since last fall; though these require a lot of time and energy, they are where I get to meet our customers in person and talk about my products. I learn a lot of valuable information through these conversations. I also provide wholesale options to businesses; currently, my products are in 10 brick-and-mortar stores throughout the Midwest and several online apothecary-type websites. I’ve also started dabbling in custom orders and have been grateful to work with a handful of local businesses on custom employee appreciation gifts.
I have a lot of dreams for Dandelion Natural’s Future. My family and I live on a 10-acre homestead in SE Minnesota.
We envision a building that would house a storefront on our property that offers a wide variety of all-natural products for our community, a larger work studio, and a place for folks to gather for learning about all-natural living.
We are also ambitious to grow a variety of medicinal herbs on our property.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t know anyone that has said starting a small business is a smooth road! It’s full of challenges and many new obstacles that require resiliency to figure out a plan and how to navigate those obstacles. Starting my career over in my 40s with a toddler at home full-time has been one of my greatest challenges in life but also one of life’s greatest opportunities and joys. It was scary to start over and it’s still scary at times there have been so many days that I just want to quit because it’s so hard, but something deep within just keeps me going. It takes a lot of grit, determination, and motivation to make it happen.
Small business owners wear many hats; I think this is one big thing I took for granted when I worked for someone else. As the owner of Dandelion Naturals and currently the only employee, I am responsible for supply management, finances, production, design, marketing, social media content and engagement, event planning, product inventory, product development, and whatever else comes up. I have worked countless 16+ hour long days and have put self-care on the curbside which is so ironic to me because that type of lifestyle is what inspired me to start this business. I know this is just a season of life and it will look different soon enough as things grow and evolve. I’m starting to look for help so that I may continue propelling my business forward. It’s an exciting time!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Dandelion Naturals brand is 100% all-natural, that’s what it is all about and I promise to never compromise that, ever. Our brand is completely plastic-free in our products, packaging, and shipping. I care deeply about our environment, our planet, and what we put in and on our bodies. I don’t strive for perfection; I’ve learned that doesn’t work. I simply strive to do better. Our business tagline “For You by Nature,” truly encapsulates the products I have to offer. I currently handmake, in small batches over 50 different varieties of bar soap in both scented and unscented options, tallow lip balms, tallow lotion bars, medicinal salves, tallow balm, powdered laundry soap, all-natural stain sticks, solid dish soap bars, and animal shaped kid soap bars. We also offer a variety of skin care accessories that complement our products and are selected for their eco-friendly materials.
I believe our 100% all-natural brand, transparency of ingredients and process, and top-notch customer service are what sets us apart from our competition. Not all handmade soap bars are made alike! Our customers rave about our soap lather, how wonderful our soap smells, and how our soap nourishes their skin instead of stripping the natural oils from their bodies. We only use essential oils or herb-infused oils for scent. We do not use artificial fragrances.
When I was in the creative phase of my business I went back and forth on whether or not to use artificial fragrance.
The fragrance is so personal and nostalgic for people, and I thought that essential oils would be limiting in obtaining certain fragrance profiles. I ultimately decided not to use fragrance oils and I’m so happy with my decision. I’ve been able to create some unique essential oil blends and we have customers requesting those scent blends to be used in other products.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
Our customer satisfaction is what matters most to me. It’s important for me to create products that are safe for the whole family to use, and I am proud to build customer relationships around this trust and transparency. It’s amazing how much of my nursing career experience has transferred over into this new career path either through using science and math with product development or through listening and empathizing with customer stories of dealing with skin disorders and conditions that traditional medicine has not been able to fix.
Through conversations about my daughter’s history with severe eczema either in person or on my social media pages, I have met so many people going through the same thing or know someone that has dealt with this or something similar. Our products have helped soothe these skin inflammations and have been effective at keeping skin issues at bay for some folks.
The testimonials that I receive are really what motivates me to keep going. It helps to know that I’m on the right path and that I’m using my God-given talents to help other people in a more natural way. I invite you to enjoy nature in all its remedies, no matter how simple.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dandelionnaturals.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandelion.naturals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dandelion-Naturals-113217124739024
Image Credits
Seelhammer Media
