As part of the Holiday season, I will be profiling Women Entrepreneurs who sell gifts online. It will give you a chance to learn from their experiences, and give them an opportunity to share their great businesses and products with you.
Our first Woman Entrepreneur is Karine Etieve(pictured above with her children Eden and Oriane). Karine’s business is Eden Naturoils, named after and inspired by her son.
Karine’s business manufactures and sells all natural pure Galilee olive oil skin care. Her best selling holiday products are her soaps and creams. 
Here is Karine’s story:
My son, Eden, was born with hard to treat eczema. Despite various medicated and non medicated treatments, his condition remained the same and resulted in burn like areas all of over his body. These areas got easily infected and caused bleeding, rashes, blemishes, and itchy spots.
On an occasional trip to Israel, I found an all natural olive oil soap that carried the promise to ease eczemas symptoms. I was desperate at this point and decided to try it. To my amazement, the soap did work and my baby’s eczema was finally under control. With the continuous use of the soap, I could actually see improvement and today, my boy only suffers from occasional slight itching and eczema breakouts.
Based on my experience I decided to start Eden Naturoils and share my experience and products with the rest of the moms out there.
Our products are hand made from pure virgin olive oil extracted from some of the oldest olive trees in the world located in Galilee, Israel. The olive oil we use has been extracted in this fashion for centuries and was used in Biblical and Roman times in religious and royal ceremonies for more than 2000 years.
We use only a cold pressed high quality olive oil in our products to retain the highest concentration of nutrients and vitamins resulting in a product that is 100% natural, free of chemicals, environmentally safe and not tested on animals.
When you buy our products you do not only buy a pure, hand made all natural product that is healthy for your body and that nurtures your skin, but you also buy a gateway to experience the past as our ancestors and inspirational figures experienced it over 2000 years ago.
Like so many Women Entrepreneurs, your inspiration to start a business was a personal passion around your family. What helps you stay motivated?
I want to tell the world about my products and how natural products can better help treat their conditions.
Very few Women Entrepreneurs have external investors for their business. How did you fund yours?
My husband and I put our savings into the business
Who is your target market?
Health conscious clients and clients who are not interested in using chemically based products or products who were tested on animals.
What percentage of your business is online?
100%
Where do you get most of your customers?
Word of mouth is the best way. I am also recruiting beauty consultants (work at home moms) who carry my items and sell them very successfully.
What is the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Getting people to experience my products. Until you hold my products, smell and feel them you do not realize how good they are. I decided to work with work at home moms to become my consultants and work with me in their communities. Together we are building great relations and customers love it.
What was the best unexpected thing that happened to you?
To make my first sale. I thought it would take longer but it happened very fast.
What do you wish you had known when you started?
More contacts at wholesale and retail stores! (smile)
What is the biggest challenge of being a work-at-home mom?
My kids go to day care so I am free to run the business but I do try to focus on them when I take them back home from day care.
How have your kids helped you be a better entrepreneur?
My kids are the inspiration for my business. Without them I would not have had a business.
How has being an entrepreneur helped you be a better mom?
I now see things differently. I want them to be exposed more to natural products than to processed ones. I feel that I can give them more time and love.
What advice do you have for other Women Entrepreneurs, or Entrepreneur-wannabe’s?
Just do it. If you continue to think about what will happen, where do I get the money, how packaging is done, what are the best marketing strategies, you will never make it. Take baby steps.
To purchase Karine’s products, visit Eden Naturoils.
If you are interested in becoming a sales rep for her products, contact Karine.
If you have a business that sells gifts online and would like to be profiled on More Than WE Know this holiday season, please contact me at Liz (at) morethanweknow (dot) com.
I’m in Connecticut this week. It’s been snowing lately, so we are enjoying a picturesque white Christmas. One of my favorite songs is from the movie White Christmas starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.
When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
