Behavioral Therapist Turned Indie Rises Above At Gift Show
When I found out that Indie Beauty Network member Danielle Flemming of Danielle & Company had won "Best In Show" for her Organic Soap Garden at Extracts earlier this month, you would have thought I won. You see, Danielle has been was a member of the Indie Beauty Network since from February 2003 through 2008, and I have watched her business grow by leaps and bounds over the past several years.
Danielle's Organic Soap Garden contains 2 full size bars of organic shea soap and 3 travel size organic shea body washes, packaged in a biodegradable planter pot made from rice and grain by-products. It comes with a matching biodegradable saucer which doubles as a cap. The soaps are wrapped in acid free lotka paper that is embedded with wildflower seeds so it can be planted. The Organic Soap Garden comes with organic soil so you can plant the lotka paper and seeds in the lovely pot. It's completely reusable. Nothing goes to waste.
I asked Danielle to tell me a little about her journey from kitchen soap maker to award winning bath and body product leader.
dM: What did it feel like to win best in show?
Danielle: It was amazing. I was so excited and it was my 30th birthday so that made it even more special. I was smiling from ear to ear!
dM: How did you find out you had won?
Danielle: It was judged on Monday, the 4th by trade and consumer magazine editors, and I found out I was the winner on the 5th, selected from 150 other entrants. I was informed when the show organizers and judges came to my booth to present me with a pretty glass award. They took photos and posted one of them on a huge sign in the lobby of the exhibition center.
dM: What did you do to celebrate?
Besides jumping up and down in my booth, we had a party at my office so that I could celebrate the award with my whole team. It was a team effort, and we all deserved a pat on the back.
dM: What does winning the award mean to you?
It means that we are making our way in the beauty world. It is great to see all of your hard work pay off. It felt like winning an Oscar in the beauty industry. These are the moments that keep you going. There are times when you wonder why you are doing what you are doing. Those times are hard but when you look at achievements like this, it rewards you and helps you to keep on going.
dM: How did you come up with idea for an organic soap garden?
Danielle: I wanted to create something that was completely sustainable, no waste, no harm. It just came to me little by little and then it all fell together nicely.
dM: How are you juggling life as a behavioral therapist and a business owner?
I am not practicing as a therapist at the moment because I am in a PhD program in Human Development at Marywood University in Scranton, PA. Between school and the business, I don’t have time for my private practice. I spend much of my time in my company researching and creating the scents and how they effect our moods and behaviors.
Juggling my family is easy because my mom, dad and 2 aunts work for me, so I see them at least 50 hours a week! I don’t have any kids, but 2 dogs and a boyfriend are also a very important part of my daily life.
dM: What do you love about being Indie?
Danielle: I am very happy being Indie. There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with being a younger female Indie. We are a strong group and together, are really making a difference in this world.
Living In Possibility
Danielle has found a unique way to combine her educational background with her passion for scent and bathing. Instead of simply dreaming about success, Danielle is living in an endless wave of possibilities that have taken her from a mixing bowl to an elite award circle where she serves as an inspiration to all of us.
You can buy Danielle's products at Danielle & Company. I will let you know when the award winning Organic Soap Garden is ready for pre-order. Meanwhile, you can get lots of other goodies, including soaps and body washes in fragrances like Fresh Fruit Stand, Spearmint & Patchouli and Fresh Off The Line.
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