REAL LIFE ROSIE

https://www.simplyrustic2011.com

I’m Amanda McAtee, the Owner and Creator of Simply Rustic. All aspects of Simply Rustic are done by me. I have a Bachelor’s Degree and my experience with researching and creating simple, natural, effective, safe and eco-friendly skin care products is self-taught.

My passion is caring for my family, the world we live in and helping others.  I’m obviously a big supporter of natural, organic and safe beauty, skin and personal care products and cleaning products – basically any product that comes in contact with my family and yours, I want it to be safe and beneficial without all the bad stuff.

What inspires you? My family and all my customers, new and repeat.

Do you have a favorite quote? Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead

What are the most pressing issues facing women today? Gender Equality (we have come far but still have a long way to go) and Quality Healthcare. Of course there are the more serious issues in the US and Globally: Violence Against Girls and Women, Access to Clean Water, Access to Knowledge & Resources which would lead to Self-Sufficiency and Human Rights in general.

What are the biggest keys to your success? My customers and staying within what I can handle on my own (for now).

What are the biggest keys to the advancement or success of women? Resilience, Compassion, Networking, Inner Strength, Determination, Uniqueness (Be Yourself), Knowledge

Where did the inspiration for your business come from? We have been discovering how to live more simply, naturally and environmentally friendly for about 12 years now.  We are not perfect. We always try to feed our kids healthy foods and our bath and beauty products, cleaning and laundry products are natural and/or organic and we are very conscious of our environment and the need to protect it and improve our use of it.

Then, four years ago, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with a form of chronic leukemia…it was quite a scare for us, and one way of coping with all the unknowns was to research endlessly. It was through this that made us realize how much our environment has been altered, and how much harmful stuff is out there that is almost impossible to avoid. Essentially, for ourselves and our children we’ve tried to reduce as many of the harmful things we’re exposed to in our daily lives, as well as reducing our footprint on the world.

One of the offshoots of this awareness was the desire to see what I could create on my own; simple, natural, effective, safe and eco-friendly. It was through this desire that Simply Rustic was born. The body butters and lip balms became the starting point because that is what we use most in our home.  With a family of six, buying natural and/or organic products can be expensive. After some time to experiment and perfect, I had something I enjoyed making and loved to use. Before long I was sharing with family and friends and the logical next step was to try and share it with others who might be searching for a simple, health, effective and all natural product that is both affordable and easy on the environment. Simply Rustic’s packaging is recyclable, even the labels are made from recycled material; most are 100%. Today, my creative wandering has expanded, and now there are body scrubs and facial care too…who knows where I’ll go from here.  My small bit of caring for my family and the environment. Oh, and my skin—it loves me for it!

Where is your product sold (if applicable)? www.simplyrustic2011.com
What advice do you have for a woman who is considering starting a business? Do your research and have short and long term goals…you don’t have to do it all at once (being able to grow and expand feels great).
What are the biggest hurdles you’ve faced in starting or growing your business? How did you overcome these? Simply Rustic has existed for almost 2 ½ years and I’m happy it is still supporting itself. I’ve been able to expand twice, once with adding more body care and then this last year-a facial care line.  It’s hard to be patient sometimes and not wanting to create more but every time I have a new customer or a repeat customer, I feel like I’m doing something right. Taking everything one day at a time.