IU senior Suzanna Mitchell was never a fan of
beauty products that use lots of chemicals. Since
most store-bought beauty and hygiene products contain
unpronounceable chemical ingredients, she decided to
make her own versions of these products using all-natural
ingredients.
With the help of her cousin, CIU senior Sarah Bateman,
Mitchell decided to sell her products so that others
could benefit from them, too. Her all-natural lip balm,
“BALMble Bee,” is part of the business she calls
ShoShana Natural. (The name shoshana comes from the
Hebrew word for “lily.”)
“I started getting into natural things and started
making my own makeup, my own shampoos, my own
everything,” Mitchell explained. “[Lip balm] was one of
the things, and I figured, ‘Why not sell it while I’m at it?’”
Their first product, BALMble Bee lip balm, is made
from only seven ingredients, as opposed to more than
20 ingredients found in a comparable mass-produced
lip balm. It comes in three flavors: Lavender/Orange,
Peppermint and Grapefruit.
“I think [natural products] can be just as good as or better
than products that have a lot of chemicals in them,”
Bateman said.
Mitchell and Bateman mix the lip balm, package it, and
ship it to those who order at their online store at
etsy.com,and sell it in CIU’s new on-campus store, the
Ram Shack.
“We want students to know that we’re promoting other
students and their work,” Ram Shack manager Kathy
Weathersby said. “We’re not in it to profit the store; it’s
just a promotion of the students.”
Fellow students give the lip balm a thumbs-up. Freshman
Seth Hall compares BALMble Bee to well-known brands
and gives it a 7 out of 10 saying, “Most of all I have
enjoyed the unique grapefruit flavor.” Junior Mylea Hardy
called the grapefruit flavor “wonderful” and added, “It
had a refreshing fragrance (and) was smooth.” Seminary
student Rachel Weaver, says of the peppermint flavor,
“The scent was nice, not too overpowering, and I liked
the cooling effect on the lips.”
Though ShoShana Natural is limited to lip balm at the
moment, Mitchell and Bateman hope to expand the
business in the future to include more products. They
have discussed selling headbands and face masks and
they note that there are plenty of other possibilities in the
future.
“The options are endless of things we can make and put
on etsy,” Mitchell said.
As both women prepare for life after graduation and
future ministry, they say ShoShana Natural is valuable
experience for them as they pursue missions and other
creative ministries.
“I feel like it’s preparing me because if I ever work in an
orphanage, I want it to be self-sustainable,” Bateman
said. “It’s helpful to learn how to make your own products
and sell them so that [you] can be self-sustaining.”
Though running ShoShana Natural does take time, both
women say that starting a business wasn’t as complicated
as they thought it would be.
“I think it’s a cool experience, just seeing how a business
can be started,” Bateman said. “It’s kind of cool to see
how anybody can do it. It doesn’t have to be a big
corporation, but anyone can start a business if they want
to.”
C
A Natural Thing
Going into Business “a Cool Experience” for Cousins
By Melissa McCutchan, CIU Student Writer
16
ENTREPRENEURS AMONG US
CIU Today
Summer 2015