Have you ever had the experience of someone just showing up in your life? Like, you don't know them and then—BAM!—you are talking with them almost every day? This is how I met Jen: it seemed like she appeared all at once. Our babies started at the same daycare around the time as we started Royally Fit's bootcamp together. Soon we began having tiny conversations crossing paths in the daycare stairway, between burpee sets in a high school gymnasium, and on Instagram DMs. Not long after that roller balls and essential oil samples started to appear in my daughter's daycare cubby. 

I've loved getting to know Jen, so you can imagine how fun it was to meet her business partner, Tara. Their business grew from their friendship and I love that they make time in their busy lives (they are both moms who work full-time) to follow their passion and grow something they love.

My favourite thing about their business is their focus on education: serving the customer always comes before selling. This is something that I've tried to do in my work. I truly believe that if you give and share what you know with an open heart, the finances will follow. 

I'm so excited to share more of Tara and Jen's story with you!

What is your small business and why did you start it?

We (Jen and Tara) started J&T Naturals as a way to reduce the harmful effects that everyday products can have on health. After learning just how easy it can be to incorporate essential oils into the home, we decided we wanted to help people make the switch to more natural products. 

When we initially started using essential oils and moving away from generic household and personal care products, we never anticipated creating a business. Once we began making rollers (headache rollers, immunity rollers) and beauty products (lip balms, moisturizers, sugar scrubs) for our friends and family, we started getting requests to purchase more. We thought: why not start a business?

Our primary goal is to educate people on the benefits of essential oils to support digestion, healthy immune systems, hormones, sleep and to reduce toxic load. We also make a variety of products using essential oils and other natural ingredients for those who might find switching to natural products a bit intimidating at first. 

What is your favourite thing about what you do and why?

Our business came from our friendship. We’ve known each other since we were kids. For years we lived in separate cities but would come together for the important life events. It wasn’t until Tara moved back to the Durham Region that we started seeing each other every day again. In fact, we work in the same office!  

We are passionate about empowering people to up-level their health and get essential oils into their homes. We want to give people the knowledge to make healthier choices and know that there are alternative to the big box, brand name products. We provide options: for those who want to use essential oils in their homes and make their own products, we can provide oils (we work exclusively with doTERRA oils) and education. And for those who want to make a positive switch without actually making produce, we can provide the everyday products to swap out the toxins in the home. 

You can find J&T Naturals on Instagram and Facebook. 

Would you like to be featured in my Small Business Spotlight? I love entrepreneurs and think we are stronger together. Send me a note at gillian@gillianbuckley.ca. Let's chat!