GET IN TOUCH
Platte City, Missouri
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Jean Lozada and her husband Angel warmly ushered us into their immaculate home.? The living room opened to the kitchen where windows looked out to rolling hills and sunlight streamed into open rooms. Jean gestured to this serene environment and told us this was where she made her products.? The only hint that it was her workshop was a lingering sweet scent in the air.
Jean grew up in a family that loved and valued fragrance.? Her great grandmother made her own homemade herbal blends.? Like the love of fragrance, entrepreneurism is also a family tradition. Jean?s brother works as an independent real estate agent, a career that Jean briefly flirted with herself.? While she didn?t continue in real estate, she referred to her brother as her business role model.
Jean Lozada at her home in Platte City, Missouri with an assortment of her Soy and Shea Butter Body Massage Candles.
Jean described herself as a former company girl.? She was very loyal to a large company but suddenly found herself part of a massive downsizing. At that point she knew that she wanted to work for herself, and Jeanie Naturals was born. Hers was a sentiment that we heard a lot in our journey meeting entrepreneurs across the country; the time Jean puts into her business doesn?t feel like work.? She told us that when her husband is working out of town, she can be engaged in creating her product for ten and twelve hour days.? It doesn?t feel like her previous desk job, where she would be ready to punch the clock at five. Since founding Jeanie Naturals, Jean loves having control over her own work schedule.
Jeanie Naturals is an eco-friendly company that manufactures natural and organic products for the home and body.? All of their formulations begin with a base of herbal teas and botanicals.? The Jeanie Naturals line includes soap, lotion bars, candles, and body massage candles; each product comes in a variety of natural scents.
On the home front, Jean treasures the support of her husband, Angel, and her family.? She is also actively involved with the Indie Beauty Network, and cites Donna Maria Coles Johnson as another mentor. The low cost of living in Missouri, the love and support of her husband and freedom of being her own boss allows Jean the creative reign to experiment and play with new products.?
Jeanie Naturals relies on word of mouth, and social networking sites to promote products.? Jean measures Web analytics and adapts her marketing based on that information. Recently Jean made the major decision to reduce the amount of products she offered.? She wanted to keep Jeanie Naturals a one-woman show, and it was difficult to keep up with demand.? She thought carefully about what she enjoyed creating most, and what products made up the majority of her sales.? And there was a connection. Jean enjoyed her time making candles, and knew that she crafted each one with love.? When she realized that the candles were also the biggest selling product, it was easy to trim her product line.
For Jeanie Naturals, the company motto is to have fun doing what you love.
An Intimate Portrait of the American Entrepreneur Project is sponsored in part by the automated marketing gurus at Infusionsoft
and is championed by the spirited zeal of The Toilet Paper Entreprenuer and TPEs across the universe.
