Client Name: Em Dewey
Business Name: Garden of the Moon
Business Website: https://gardenofthemoon.co
Industry: Health & Wellness
Location: Plainfield, NH
SBDC Advisor's Name: Casey Trio
With Garden of the Moon, Owner Em Dewey has essentially found a way to make mother nature work with mother.
While some may think the idea that people act differently during a full moon is a superstition, those who study the cycles of the moon say it’s true and in fact every cycle of the moon plays a role in the way we think, feel and behave. More interestingly, a woman’s menstrual cycle is believed to reflect the four phases of the moon.
Like many young women, as a teen Em struggled with difficult menstrual cycles and the “fix” was to put her on birth control. Em saw this as figuratively slapping a band aid on the issue, not a fix. So, she dug deeper into studying her cycle, so she could learn how to live with it and make it work for her.
Through cycle tracking, a practice in which she took daily notes about how she felt (her energy, emotions, mentality, etc.), she discovered several patterns. Em shares, “When I had those lightbulb moments, it completely changed everything.” Once she started to identify and understand how her body has seasons just like the earth, it deeply shifted her appreciation and relationship to her body. She adds, “It really set me off on this path of ‘okay, everybody needs to know this. This feels important’.”
With an interest in herbalism and working with plants, Garden of the Moon was birthed out of an herbal apprenticeship Em did in 2018. In this nine-month program, she found a deeper appreciation for plants and herbs and how our bodies can be supported by them. In the apprenticeship, she also studied tea making and blending, which is where things really clicked for Em. “It felt like such a beautiful blend of an art and a science,” shares Em. So, for her final project, she combined her passion for tea with the knowledge she gained to create what is now her signature product, the Cycle Support Kit.
The kit includes four herbal teas & four flower essences for each of the four phases of the menstrual cycle to help women with periods reclaim their power and magic through each of the inner seasons of their cycles. Named after the four phases of the moon, each of the kit’s components are curated with ingredients specific to the cycle’s phase.
Garden of the Moon officially launched in 2019. Em reflects, “Since then, it's just been this kind of like wild ride of having so many beautiful conversations and being able to share something that feels truly like this was gifted to me.”
Em connected with SBDC through River Valley Community College’s “Co.Starters” program where she had the opportunity to work with SBDC business advisor Casey Trio. She says,
“The weekly meetings and advising that came along with the program showed up at a crucial time when I was pivoting into my business with more time & attention. Having Casey as a resource has felt like finally having someone "on my team" in my business that can support, guide, and hold me accountable!”
Casey has helped her better understand her expenses and provided strategic and moral support. Em says, “A huge part of Casey's role with Garden of the Moon I think has just been like, ‘Okay, this is your next step. I'm gonna hold you accountable to this’.”
In addition, Casey helped Em secure the funds she needed to improve her marketing through a grant from NCIC (Northern Community Investment Program). The $2,000 grant allowed her to hire a photographer to capture photos of her products for her website. Em calls it “a huge up-level on the way my products show up online.”
Casey also connected Em to SBDC’s FAME (Financial Accelerator Marketing Expeditor) program, which connects SBDC clients with financial and marketing consultant partners for up to five hours at no cost. Under FAME she has been working with a bookkeeper who’s helping her gain a better understanding and organization of her QuickBooks account.
“Being an entrepreneur can be wildly isolating, scary, and full of a lot of bogus ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ energy, but I don't think we should go it alone,” says Em. “Working with the SBDC so far has helped me understand that there are resources and people out there to guide me and buoy me up when I feel like I'm floundering.”
Today, Em is looking forward to sharing Garden of the Moon at more farmer’s markets, festivals, and events this summer and fall. She will also soon be offering digital offerings and coaching, as well as wholesaling teas and Cycle Support Kits to brick and mortar shops. Em says, “Needless to say, I’m pretty psyched about what’s ahead.”