By: NewNaturalista
At this very moment you can rest assured Bee Mine creators Tracey and Arthur Wilder are slaving over a series of blenders and organic concoctions – with a phone in one hand and a spatula in the other. Their lives are chaotic, moving faster than they could have ever imagined. They take turns going to sleep, and have turned their Florida kitchen into a mini factory, hand making and then shipping out their popular organic hair products at lightening speed.
It would be nice to say the Wilder’s were ready for this type of success, but that would be like wrapping this story into a nice little bow and that’s not how life often goes. “In the last few months, we have tripled in size,” says Tracey during our phone interview. “My mother has come down (from Birmingham) to help.” Tracey’s husband Arthur is also part of this interview, but goes in and out of the room to handle the rush of phone orders. He returns just as Tracey finishes her sentence. “We get about 50 orders a day,” he reveals. “But our quality of service has not gone down, in fact it’s gone up.”
Bee Mine Kitchen
This impossibility is indeed true for the Wilder’s, because when this flourishing hair care business was created 3 years ago, the idea was less about success and more about filling a void. They were tired of crummy customer service.
My Hair Was Literally On The Floor
I can tell right away that Tracey is self-effacing, but who can blame her? In the last five years, Tracey has endured more than most of us will ever experience. It’s as if her body has betrayed her. Since 2005 she’s had a severe stroke and been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, lupus and gastroparesis, a condition that affects the ability of the stomach to empty its contents.
“My hair started coming out because of the illnesses and my hair was literally on the floor,” says Tracey. “I started researching on how to grow hair back. I purchased a hair growth serum from another company and it was working!” But when Tracey called the hair serum company to ask for more product, she was met with horrible customer service. “My husband said, why don’t you make the product? So with that I went to the web, did research and started making the hair growth serum. The product seemed to work really well and as a result my hair started growing really fast. I started keeping a journal on Fotki, (viewers) saw my hair growth and I started gifting the products and telling others about it.”
A Business Is Born
Tracey continued through 2007 giving away her hair serum. The following year she added a new concoction to the mix, curly butter. “A family member contacted me and
Bee Mine
said she had high blood pressure and the ingredients made her have a headache, so I researched more and took the (offending) ingredients out. It really helped her and that’s how the special formulations came about,” explains Tracey. “Then my best friend was telling me she wanted something for her dry and split ends. I researched for her and then came up with the product “Luscious.” She tried it and said, Trac, you can’t sit on this, people need this!”
The idea of starting up a company was appealing, but Tracey was in pain and honestly didn’t know how to ramp up production. Her husband said, “We’ll find a way.”
The way came, in the form of a layoff. Arthur lost his job last fall. With nothing left to lose the couple ramped up production of their products, using $150 dollars to turn a hobby into a business. “When the business wasn’t making anything, I remember Arthur putting his check in for postage, but we kept going.” The Wilder’s continued to create, focusing on the needs of each client. “We make everything to order. If you can’t handle a certain ingredient we’ll take it out. We hand write every invoice. We want people to know we care.”
There’s something exhilarating and endearing about meeting people like the Wilder’s. Reviewers call their products stellar and Tracey’s work ethic despite her illnesses, is phenomenal. But even Arthur and Tracey acknowledge they won’t be able to keep up with the demand forever. They hope to expand their staff, but keep the handmade model going. ”I think that’s what people are searching for now,” says Arthur. “We have no intentions of having Bee Mine go to some big commerical conglomerate. We want to keep that control over the customer service. That’s what important to us.”
Bee Mine is offering one lucky NewNaturalista reader a gift package which includes:
- Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer 8 oz
- Deja’s Hair Milk 8 oz
- Avocado Cream Balanced Conditioner 8 oz
- Bee U Ti FUL Moisturizing Dee Conditioner 16 oz
Just leave a comment below on how you’ve been able to overcome adversity and stumble on to something great! (Also, do you have awesome hair? Send your photos!) We’ll randomly pick a winner!
Headline Photo: Tracey and Arther Wilder
13 comments
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Aug 2, 2010
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misha says:
Aug 2, 2010
didn’t quite fail out of grad school, but it sure felt like it even though i finished on the dean’s list. my love of all things english was completely failing me until i had to wonder why i was there. failure upon failure crept in until i had to ask, who am i and what am i really good at. i could feel a change was coming and i see that it’s lead me to take control of my hair, my diet, my voice, my career. the change has been just huge.
Bri Bethancourt says:
Aug 3, 2010
Adversity should have been my middle name. LOL! My name is Bri. I was born to 2 Panamanian parents and my first language was Spanish. I moved from NY to TX at the age of 6, had to be entered into English as a Second Language or ESL. I was the only “black” kid in ESL so making friends was near to impossible. I was told by teachers that because English wasn’t my 1st language that I probably wouldn’t amount to much, not to mention I stayed in trouble alot all the way thru my completion of HS so I was constantly being told that I would not complete HS, will never be accepted into college, etc. Well not only did I make it thru HS but I also made it thru College with a minor in English graduating in 2002…GO FIGURE! But b/c of my grades I was told that I probably wouldn’t be accepted into law school which was all I dreamed about. Since I was little, I’ve wanted to be a lawyer. There was no plan B. I’ve never thought about another profession. As far as I was concerned, I had just always figured that I would get in. So you can probably imagine how bummed I was when I found out that my grades weren’t high enough to get into law school. 6 years after graduating College and working jobs I was not remotely interested in, I built up enough courage and I applied to law school and got in!!!!! Law School has been filled with obstacles I’ve had to fight and overcome, but I can now say that I can truly do ANYTHING I put my mind to, am a very strong person and strong willed at that and God has never forsaken me! Anyway, that’s my story n a nutshell!
Bri B.
Sharonda says:
Aug 3, 2010
Ok, I am loving these stories. They make me feel like I’m not alone! LOL. This is a great story and I’m excited to try out Bee Mine, like you said us naturals LOVE trying out new products!
Imani says:
Aug 5, 2010
I’m fortunate enough to have gone through the hardest time in my life with my mother and sister by my side.
My father started drinking badly and my mother knew that it wasn’t a safe environment for anyone so she left him. This was difficult because my mother didn’t have a job so we had to move to south Georgia and live with my grandmother.
It took a few years but we all managed to come out stronger. My mother started working on her teaching certification and now she’s working towards her PhD. My sister (who was only 4 when we left) has coped well with life without a father. I had a harder time with it (I was 8 at the time) but now I’ve come to terms with his absence. It’s made me stronger and affected the way I handle myself as a college student and a young woman.
Richelle says:
Aug 7, 2010
When life hands you lemons you make lemonade! Congrats Tracey and Arthur you both make wonderful products. Thank you for your commitment, hard work, patience, great service and great products!
admin says:
Aug 9, 2010
Imani, Bri and Misha you ladies are inspiring ME this Monday morning! Thanks for these amazing stories. Keep them coming!
Tonya, NewNaturalista
Elaine says:
Aug 9, 2010
Great story NewNaturalista. Tracy took adversity and turned it into something positive for herself, so inspiriting. Much success and congratulations Wilder’s for your and determination and perseverance. I will be willing to support and try your product.
Mia says:
Aug 17, 2010
I would love to try the products!!! The look amazing
Starting medical school with a 6 month old child on your own with no family nearby is just about the definition of adversity! With God, a determined spirit…and an amazing blessing of a child–anything is possible and I’m living proof!
NewRibena says:
Aug 23, 2010
In 1997 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and it almost bought my life to a stand still. I was in my final year of undergrad and (and working full time) but decided I would not let this hold me down. I hobbled to class on crutches and got up hours earlier than usual to allow my joints to “warm up”. I eventually went into remission and life got better although I still had occassional flares. Right when I got that under control I was then diagnosed with Celiac disease. I made numerous lifestyle changes physically, mentally and dietary. Since then I have felt my healthiest and am in the best physical shape in the last 20 years. I recently had tests done to reconfirm my diseases and they are still there but luckily my changes have kept them at bay.
glamgurl45 says:
Aug 24, 2010
Change your attitude,change your life has become my mantra. In 2009 I became sick and tired of being sick and tired of being overweight. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2008. I thought preparting for the race would help me to lose the weight I had gained over the years. Because I love to eat, I ate through the calories that I was burning while preparing for the race. I have a family history of hypertension, diabetes, high cholestrol and many other diseases. I did not want to be another statistic. I decided to do something about my weight besides lip service. I cleaned out my pantry, planned my meals, stopped snacking on high salt/fat foods, added more vegetable and lean meats/fish and limited my sweet intake. Further doing Lent, I cut out all fried foods, pork, beef, and sweets which helped me to get to a healthier weight. 2009 was the year, I changed my attitude and changed my life. Not only did I become consistent in exercising, I changed my eating habits.
The changes I made in 2009 are a lifestyle change. I exercise five days per week which include cardio (running and aerobics)and weight training. Additionally, my diet mainly consists of lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish, and occasionally beef), vegetables and fruits. If I want fried foods, I oven fried and snacks are healthy (yogurt, nuts, fruit). I can truly say that since changing my eating habits and exercising consistently I am happier, have more energy, and confidence. Since running my first 1/2 marathon, I have run two more and currently training for my fourth.
I encourage every woman to change your attiude and your life will change. You have to crawl before you can walk.I stopped the excuses and it worked for me.
Jael says:
Aug 25, 2010
What inspiring stories! I can definitely relate to a few of them. In the midst of all the storms, I’m learning to lean on God and trust HIM come what may.
By God’s grace I’ve been able to achieve goals such as graduating college (2003) and losing weight two times around (2001 and 2010). Now, I’m studying to be a personal trainer and I’m applying for a master’s program in health promotion so that I can help others to live healthy life styles. Make physical, mental,and spirtual wellness a priority. The mind, body, and soul are all connected; you can’t neglect (no not) one.
DreamchaZer says:
Aug 26, 2010
Afternoon ladies,
Well, I can relate a bit. While in undergrad, my father was diagnosed with Lupus (Very rare for black men), and I was heart broken being a daddy’s girl. My undergrad major was nutrition, which was again close to home due to my parents implanting the importance of taking care of yourself. I currently work for the State of SC (State jobs don’t pay much, but I am beyond blessed to have it). I have friends that are not healthy, overweight, have High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, etc. So I decided to use the tools I have. I have been able to encourage my friends, and family (daddy mostly) to embark on a more healthy lifestyle. That includes eating well. That was hard for some, so I began to offer them tours of the grocery stores, food label reading classes, instructing on how to begin a fitness regimen. It’s been great. With the practice under my belt, I now offer my professional services on a one on one basis for a fee. So not only can I improve the health and wellness of my friends, family, and now new clients, I can increase my income, all in the name of my daddy.