Semi-finalist Q&A: Prairie Essence LLC

Prairie Essence LLC promotes healthy skin and a healthy environment through the use of its own hand crafted natural skin care products. Formulated using only renewable plant source ingredients and enhanced with prairie botanicals, these products nourish and promote healthy skin. Being packaged in post consumer and totally recyclable containers, Prairie Essence exhibits its great care and concern of the Earth.

Information from her grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Also, don't forget to cast your vote! YOUR vote will determine which entrepreneurs most deserve to be amongst the finalists.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The concept of Prairie Essence was an idea conceived almost from day one when Jacki and Galen first met nearly eight years ago. Both were interested in natural skin care; Galen had the technical knowledge and Jacki the business skills. Both wanted a business that would impact other people through truthful product marketing and unique product formulations.

What do you love most about running your own business?

What is most appealing about running our own business is ownership of responsibility. Each day presents you the opportunity to decide what you want to do and what you should do; there is no one else to take away or give that decision. Another appealing aspect is the fact that what you do in your business each day does have an impact on someone else; that what you do does make a difference in someone's life by providing them a product which will fulfill their needs and desires, both in body and spirit.

What makes your business unique?

Our products stand out above other hand crafted skin care products by their nature of being formulated with botanical and biological extracts associated with the prairie ecosystem; materials which were used by the traditional inhabitants of the prairies to promote their own healthy skin.

What are some of your top business-related accomplishments, or business lessons learned?

We are proud of the fact that we were able to bring a business idea and concept into fruition, and develop a website to support product sales with minimal costs, despite what had been told to us by other so-called business starters. Yes, it does help to have seed or investment monies available when starting a business, but it is not a requirement. With a belief and passion in what we do and our products, and plenty of hard work, we were able to successfully launch Prairie Essence within 6 months of our actual commitment to do so.

Why should the Idea Cafe regulars vote for you?

As one of our customers told us when she was searching for hand crafted products to provide to her Bed and Breakfast guests, our business website exemplified "integrity". Prairie Essence is indeed a company that keeps its promise and is good on their word. If we are selected as a recipient of the grant, we will "pay forward" our gift by becoming involved in local community environmental improvement projects and continued consumer and community education about the virtues of natural skin care products.