Geerthana’s journey into natural, homemade, bath and skin care began a couple years ago when she was on the search for products to nourish and balance her children’s sensitive, often dry, and eczema-prone skin. When she couldn’t find products that worked for her, she resorted to learning about ancient ingredients found in the Eastern parts of the world and age-old routines practiced by her ancestors.
What made you start the Devi Wellness Company?
When I shared my children’s natural skincare routine on my Instablog, I received a lot of positive feedback and requests to sell what I was using on my kids. I hadn’t really put any thought into selling or launching a small shop prior to then but once I had that encouragement it seemed like the perfect thing to do.
I feel like this is the “Golden Age of the Creator Economy” where it’s never been easier to be a creator and monetize as a creator. Would you say that this statement is accurate – has this been your experience?
I would definitely say that this statement is true in the sense that we are fortunate to have free apps like Instagram which we can utilize as a professional portfolio to showcase skill, talent, and essentially our work. As a content creator, just posting on Instagram has brought forth many opportunities and collaborations my way. As a small business owner, it has brought forth not only many customers but repeat customers in such a short amount of time.
How do you manage your time between being a mother of 4 kids, homeschooling, blogging and managing your business?
Finding a balance between all of the above has proven to be much more difficult than I had initially anticipated. My first and foremost priority are my young children so whatever time is leftover after making sure their needs are met, is what gets devoted to either blogging or the business. Planning everything in advance from meals and lessons to product launches and blog posts has helped me make efficient use of the time I do have. The reality is I hardly get time for myself, I simply cannot take on all opportunities that come my way, and I don’t have as much time as I’d like to devote to my small business. However, I take what I can get and make the best of it.
How have your family and friends supported you through your journey?
My husband works long hours to support our family so that I could stay home with our children and my parents are still working. As a result I have very minimal access to physical help. However the support I have received from family, friends, and the Instagram community via encouragement through messages and shares has been vital to my success.
I noticed that you’re a vegetarian which is something more people in general are trending towards. What pushed you in this direction?
I have wanted to become a vegetarian since I was a child but I wasn’t able to persuade my parents until I turned 13. I could never justify the idea of an animal being raised, many times in poor, unethical, conditions, with the intention of being slaughtered for food. It just seemed very wrong to me even as a child. As a result, I have been a vegetarian for about 19 years now.
