13 Lessons I Learned in 13 years in Business

Thirteen is often considered an unlucky number.

But after 13 years of running a handmade skin care and candle business, I’ve learned something important: There’s nothing unlucky about longevity.

Staying in business isn’t luck, magic, or flawless strategy. It’s built on mistakes, adjustments, resilience, and lessons you rarely learn the easy way.

In this blog, I’m sharing 13 lessons I’ve learned in handmade skin care, candles, and sustainability, with tips and products to support your self-care journey.

1. You Cannot Be Everything to Everyone

Early on, I exhausted myself trying to make everyone happy. I adjusted, accommodated, softened, reshaped — all in the name of approval. And when I inevitably couldn’t meet every expectation? I took it personally.

Lesson: Trying to appeal to everyone often weakens what makes your brand unique.

2. Authenticity Attracts the Right Customers

There was a time I didn’t feel financially secure enough to be fully out in my business. Yes, I’m a lesbian. Back in 2016, one of my top customers reacted negatively when I mentioned attending an LGBTQ+ vendor event.

Lesson: The right customers don’t disappear when you show up as yourself. They find you, and they stay loyal.

💡 Product highlight: Our Good JUJU Crystal Candles embody our authentic mission: clean, conscious, intentional self-care. Customers who connect with our values love them.

3. Underpricing Is Almost Inevitable — But Still Costly

Nearly every small business owner underprices at first. Some products take years to perfect:

• Resting Vegan Face Cleanser: ~5 years of development

• Natural Deodorant Line: ~3 years of trial batches

• High5 Cream Serum: ~2+ years of refinement

Test batches cost money. Research costs money. Failure costs money. Your time is not free.

4. Cost Analysis Isn’t Optional

Guessing isn’t a pricing strategy. Understanding your true ingredient costs changed how I price products like High 5 Cream Serum and our natural deodorants.

Knowing your numbers transforms both confidence and sustainability.

5. Growth Often Requires Saying Yes

For years, I said no too often. Fear kept me small. Now, I embrace opportunities.

Lesson: Growth lives outside comfort zones.

6. Proofread. Then Proofread Again

I once launched a product I’d worked on for years… only to realize I misspelled a main ingredient on the label.

Lesson: Proofreading is cheaper than reprinting. Trust me.

7. Burnout Is Not Just Being Tired

Burnout is fatigue that no nap, weekend, or vacation fixes.

Ironically, one of my former employees taught me about boundaries. She noticed me replying to customers after hours and scolded me for not protecting my energy.

Honestly… that tracks.

Lesson: Boundaries are not weakness. They are sustainability tools.

8. Hurry Is Slow

My 7th grade English teacher used to write sayings on the board for us to interpret.

This is the only one I remember:

Hurry is slow.

Rushing creates mistakes.

Mistakes cost time.

Time costs money.

9. Growth Doesn’t Always Feel Like Growth

Sometimes growth feels uncomfortable. Awkward. Unstable. That doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re evolving.

10. Comparison Will Steal Your Joy

Study competitors if you must, but remember: you have no insight into their behind-the-scenes. Focus on your own path.

Lesson: Comparison is one of the fastest ways to erode confidence.

11. Customer Education Changes Everything

When customers understand your ingredients and formulation process, pricing conversations shift.

When people learn what goes into products like our Resting Vegan Face Cleanser or Good JUJU Crystal Candles, they see value instead of cost.

Lesson: Transparency builds trust. Trust builds loyalty.

12. Big Investments Don’t Guarantee Big Returns

Not every large investment produces large returns.

Sometimes the smartest protection strategy is simple:

Don’t expect anything.

Expectations are emotional risk.

13. Longevity Isn’t Luck — It’s Resilience

Longevity is showing up when sales are slow. Pivoting when markets change. Surviving mistakes, burnout, and unexpected chaos.

Lesson: Success is about the get-up. Not the fall.

The Real Lesson After 13 Years

Running a handmade business isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence. It’s about believing in what you create. It’s about continuing to show up even when things feel uncertain, messy, or slow.

And if you’re still standing after years of challenges? That isn’t luck. That’s resilience.

💚 Clean. Conscious. Effective.

Thank you for supporting handmade businesses, sustainability, and brands built on real humans, real lessons, and real persistence.

You deserve better. This is it.

✨ Celebrate with us: Shop the 13-Year Anniversary Collection featuring Resting Vegan Face Cleanser, High5 Cream Serum, Good JUJU Crystal Candles, and more.

Thank you for 13 years!

About the Author

Lika Torline is the founder of In The Weeds Premium Botanical Products, a lesbian- and woman-owned botanical skincare line. It is committed to natural, intentional, and inclusive self-care. Her products are available online and at local Texas markets.