One of the joys of our little business is the total autonomy that comes with having no investors, no hierarchy and a small responsive team. It means that we can pivot on a penny to explore new products or change old ones for the better. We can also make monthly offers to our customers that sometimes don't make massively good financial sense but feel right and choose to send out hair products to 200 testers when we had only planned for 25. It makes life endlessly interesting.
Almost all of our decisions are made by the team as a whole, because every decision impacts on everyone, it's not a formal process, it's more of chats over coffee or lunch over several days, but it's very effective. We had a very good offer recently which I explored with the team and when we discussed the impact on each of us, we decided not to do it. I like that everyone has an equal voice and we can discuss plans together and reach a consensus. It keeps everything moving forward harmoniously.
Recently I was using the
Harmonising Cleansing Balm and I decided that it could be improved with a little tweak here and there so I kept the ingredients the same but just made small adjustments to eliminate the very slightly grainy texture which, over time, I found irritating. It's now smoother and softer and more effective for being easier to apply. Caroline, Sam, Ellen and I tried the new version and preferred it to the old one so the change was made.
We test as we work, so in this case the new balm was applied and we went about our daily business, washing it off and discussing it. It usually works well, although Ellen had to serve customers recently with the Cleansing Multi-Mask on, which was entertaining.
We regularly revisit our formulations to check that we are still happy with them and to make small improvements as needed especially as we move from one year to the next. The Blackcurrant leaves in the greenhouse are almost large enough to pick which signals the start of the distillations for the 2026
Isle Mist. With the new season's plants it will be necessary to slightly rejig the Mist because the new the 2026 plants will be marginally different to last season. It's the terroir, the change from year to year depending on growing conditions, light, heat and soil. Even the seaweed we use changes from year to year.
It's what I love about plant work, the way that the environment shapes the plant, the scent, even the texture of the leaf and flower which cascades into small changes I make to bring perfect balance to a product.
With lashing rain, hail and high winds our outside plants are looking pretty sorry for themselves but in the greenhouse it's a different story. With the protection from the elements everything is flying up, all our seedlings have germinated and will soon be ready for repotting, the Roses are in full leaf, the Calendula sown last autumn is looking great, the Hops have returned, the Marjoram is suddenly up and the Rose Geranium that we pruned very hard is returning with renewed vigour. It's going to be a very busy April.
