A lot of people dream about starting their own home-based business. But an Alcester woman has taken the plunge into skin care, becoming a chemist in her kitchen.
The sweet aroma wafting from Pamela Patton's kitchen from infused herbs and oils helped inspire the name of her home-based business, The Sweet Earth.
"It actually represents the kind of person I am. I'm a very earthy woman," Patton said.
This earthy woman has cooked up a complete skin care line right in the kitchen of her Alcester farm house. It all started with an idea to give relatives gift baskets of homemade soaps and lotions one Christmas. They were a big hit, so Patton decided to start selling them.
"I always wanted to do a home-based business. It was something I thought about all of my life," Patton said.
This full-time nurse soon realized the demand for natural products was strong.
"You first have to find out what the need is and you have to be passionate about it," Patton said.
From the packaging to the sales of the product, Patton has had some help along the way. Three of her grown daughters have become involved in the business.
"Making the products is easy. I love doing it. When it came to the business part of it, getting labels, graphic design; that's not something I'm very good at. Thank goodness I have daughters who help me," Patton said.
"I think what makes the Sweet Earth different than anything else is. The passion my mom has for it and the type of ingredients and amount of research she's been able to put into making sure each product has a very specific purpose," Rachel Sanford said.
Sanford is introducing the product in Oklahoma where she lives and she's also a big fan of her mom's concoctions.
"I like the stretch mark cream. She makes a belly balm and I've used it every day and I don't have a single stretch mark and I'm seven months pregnant," Sanford said.
And for Patton, who's invested her life savings in getting this business off the ground, she hopes her sweet lotions and potions will soon also smell of success.
Patton's business is just breaking even at this point. As a nurse, Patton says she's also developing products to help the skin of cancer patients.
Follow the link to learn more about The Sweet Earth.
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