Join us today on Blog Talk Radio with Girlfriendology at 2:00 EST to listen in to our girlfriend chat. Debba Haupert, founder of Girlfriendology.com, will be hosting. You can call in and chat with us. Follow the link below. Talk to you soon!
Girlfriendology BlogTalkRadio show – http://blogtalkradio.com/girlfriendology
or call in (347) 426-3761.
We have new sugar scrubs at Supernatural Botanicals ! Check out our eco-body collection of all natural sugar scrubs, available in new scents: Beach, Grapefruit, Island Coconut, Raspberry Lemonade, Yuzu, and our Walnut & Almond cream body scrub.
We are super-excited to introduce the Farmers Market Collection of soaps at Supernatural Botanicals. They were inspired by the fresh and organic fruits at the farmers market…and they smell just as amazing as real fruit. New shape and new delicious new scents! Love it!
She makes healthy beauty products for a living, and for fun, she discusses “all things girly” on her blog. Read all about it and see how you can join in on the fun.
Two years ago, Robin Feltner launched both her blog and her all-natural bath and body company, Supernatural Botanicals. The blog was intended to be an extension of the business, but in many ways, her business is now an extension of the blog.
“I started the blog to keep women, primarily, informed and up to date on the latest trends and information in beauty [and] health,” Feltner says. “But soon thereafter, [it] took on a life of its own.”
Since its launch, the blog has opened doors to new customers, business opportunities and higher search engine rankings. More recently, it’s given Feltner the chance to meet several big stars like Diane Keaton, Valerie Bertinelli, Patricia Heaton, Ann Compton, Helen Hunt and Tony Bourdain.
The blog initially served as an open forum for people to share their insights on her products, ideas and the emerging eco-friendly industry. The blog helps Feltner gain candid insight from customers and readers that she didn’t have access to otherwise, she says. “Anonymous comments can be brutally harsh at times, but it’s exactly what I was looking for,” she says. “I wanted an open dialog where they could express and/or request anything they wanted.”
The blog’s tag-line is “Discussions on All Things Girly,” which offers Feltner — and her readers — a wondrously wide range of topics from which to choose. Typically, you’ll find blog posts with beauty, fitness and eco-living topics, but occasionally you’ll find something else that strikes Feltner’s fancy.
“I’m passionate about being ‘green,’ so that crosses over into my writing quite a bit,” she says. “Beauty and fitness is a given on a girly blog, but interior design and events in Cincinnati have certainly had their share of time in the spotlight on my blog as well.”
Some of her favorite blog posts include:
These popular topics drew a crowd, and even attracted the attention of the Smart Talk series organizers. They contacted Feltner two seasons ago to represent Cincinnati as their ambassador for their Connected Conversations series. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “And I have met some of the most incredible people in the process” — Keaton, Bertinelli, Heaton, Compton and Hunt, just to name a few.
But the star power didn’t stop there. Another group found Feltner’s blog and asked her to represent Cincinnati bloggers at the recent Tony Bourdain speaking engagement.
But the big question: Has the blog beefed up her bottom line? The answer is yes, Feltner says. “The blog has helped me reach a greater customer base,” she says. “If you are doing a random search on eco bath and body in Cincinnati, you’ll most certainly find my blog amongst the top Google searches.” A successful, updated blog is a powerful PR tool and her blog is a big reason why Google goes ga-ga for her business, she says.
The blog also helps to add value to her current customers because it invites readers into her life. “I have found that readers enjoy the experience of stepping into my workshop or kitchen to see what I’m doing via pictures I post on my blog,” she says. “I find blogging a unique way to get personal with my customers and readers. It’s important for me to interact with the readers so I can be specific about giving them exactly what they want.”
She doesn’t just interact on her own blog, though. Feltner is a self-proclaimed advocate for reading others’ blogs, too. “Being ultra-connected to each other is an advantage that we’ve never had in the past, and is especially beneficial for business owners,” she says. “Although my personal interests span from green global issues to lipsticks, I do tend to visit particular blogs regularly.”
She says she adores SavortheSuccess.com, a Web site for women entrepreneurs that offers insight into what’s working (and not working) for other women in business. Another favorite of hers is Pink Magazine, which provides inspiration and tools for women in business. She also gives props to her friend Julia’s blog, Hooked On Houses, which covers her love of houses and interiors.
In addition, Feltner belongs to a local group called Cincinnati Women Bloggers. “We are a successful group of women bloggers in the Cincinnati area, and that Web site is an incredible resource to find blogs on all things local, as blog topics vary vastly,” she says.
Last but not least (at least we don’t think so), Feltner shows some chic love. “When I want to know what’s going on in the city, Cincy Chic is positively my first stop,” she says. “I have always found that if it’s worth being known, Cincy Chic knows about it and I’ve attended many local events after learning about them on Cincy Chic.”
Visit Cincy Chic for the article.
PHOTO CREDITS
Photographer: Neysa Ruhl
Model: Robin Feltner
Location: Lofts@4120
Farmers Markets Flowers are a staple in my house every summer. Farmers Markets have more than fruits and vegetables, they are also known for their gorgeous flowers (usually sold on the cheap). In fact, for a well-rounded Farmers Market experience, you should leave with your hands full of fruits, veggies, herbs, breads, soaps, and, of course, gorgeous flowers.
Soapbox Cincinnati is an online magazine that I read regularly, so I was pleased as punch when they decided to feature Supernatural Botanicals as a Featured Growth Company. A huge THANK YOU to the folks over at Soapbox Cincinnati and especially to Alyce Vilines for writing such a great article.
The following is from the SoapboxMedia website.
A self-proclaimed “girly-girl,” Supernatural Botanicals CEO Robin Feltner makes no apologies. If anything, she considers her feminine nature at the very center of her company’s success. In early 2008, after a lifetime of creating her own personal skincare products at home, and gifting family and friends with the same, Feltner launched Supernatural Botanicals, an eco-chic bath and body company, located in Delhi.
A combination of her passion for beauty products and her disillusionment with what was available on the market (“I didn’t want to smell like bubblegum,” she said) prompted Feltner to begin mixing her own formulas. A former pharmacy major at the University of Cincinnati, Feltner has a healthy knowledge of what is beneficial, as well as what is potentially harmful, to the skin.
“Ninety-five percent of what we put on our skin is absorbed by the body,” said Feltner, who sees no reason to use unnecessary chemicals and preservatives “with the array of organic ingredients available to us in nature.”
Feltner relies on centuries-old recipes to create her products, using pure essential oils, vitamins, high-quality beeswaxes, botanical extracts, and pure cocoa butters to produce her extensive skincare line and prides herself on adhering to green practices and principles in their manufacture.
Feltner also speaks passionately about her target market. Though the Supernatural Botanicals line has shown universal appeal, Feltner defines her targeted customer as the 25-and-older “grown, sexy woman.”
Offering a wide selection of organic body lotions, spa soaps, linen sprays, a botanical skincare system and more, the Supernatural Botanicals company has garnered popular national attention in its two short years in business. The company was recently contacted by “Everyday with Rachael Ray” magazine for a feature in an upcoming issue because of the many favorable web posts they’ve received about Supernatural Botanicals. Consumer demand in their east-coast-to-west coast distribution has spawned the development of a soon-to-be-released hair-care line, as well as a line of men’s skincare formulas.
With business booming, the company is also quickly outgrowing its home base and they are already anticipating the need for additional employees to deal with the busy holiday season ahead.
Those are impressive problems to have for a company born in the midst of a recession. Feltner sees the economic climate as a blessing. “I wasn’t looking for instant success. In this economy, I have had to work for it and I feel a great deal of pride in that.” It seems beauty, after all, is more than skin deep.
Writer: Alyce Vilines
Source: Supernatural Botanicals CEO Robin Feltner
There’s no hiding Tony Bourdain’s dislike (or disgust) for Sandra Lee. The Semi-Homemade queen does not rank highly amongst chefs or even the foodies of the world. A particular episode of Sandra’s that made Tony’s eye twitch was the Kwanzaa cake episode. In fact, he was so sure we’d agree with his thoughts that he told us to go home and You Tube Sandra Lee’s Kwanzaa cake. Watch for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Tony’s near sold-out F-bomb laiden show in Cincinnati had all of us in stitches all night. He received as many laughs as a comedian. Tony is an incredible story-teller and one who isn’t afraid to share his thoughts on Food Network personalities, i.e., he thinks Guy Fieri, at the age of 45, needs to take the glasses off the back of his head and thinks Giada has an abnormally large head.
The audience in Cincinnati was filled with some of our most prominent chefs, foodies, bloggers and all-around interesting people in Cincinnati. Tony opened the floor to questions, and it was amazing to see so many well-traveled Cincinnatians all in one place.
Tony is welcome to our city any day…even if he made fun of our cinnamon-laced chili. I have a feeling Cincinnatian’s would welcome him with open arms and another sold out venue.
Delicious herbs from our Supernatural Garden. Fresh chives, Rosemary, Dill and peppers. They are so easy to grow, and there is always an abundance of fresh herbs from the garden. Not only are they fab for adding kick to your meals, but there are multiple at home spa recipes you can try to even use more of your herbs. Brilliant!
Cincinnati had the pleasure of hosting Helen Hunt to close out the Smart Talk series for 2010. What an amazing season this was! The season started out with Valerie Bertinelli, who was a bubbly ray of light, Ann Compton, whom I think was my favorite because she was so personable and friendly behind the scenes, Patricia Heaton, who was as funny in person as she is on TV, Lee Woodruff, one of the strongest super-women you could have the pleasure of knowing, and Helen Hunt, who was excellent at public speaking, but was far more shy that I could have ever imagined.
I suppose that you don’t expect shyness from a celebrity who is ultra-exposed. However, shy she was. When Helen spoke of her gorgeous little red-headed daughter, she bubbled over with pride. Helen seems to gravitate towards roles now that are about motherhood, or the angst of not being able to conceive.
One trait of Helen’s that I now want to adopt in my own life is the ability to ignore gossip. Helen says “When someone says to me…I really shouldn’t be telling you this”, Helen replies with “Then don’t.” Or when someone says “Don’t say you’ve heard this from me, but…”, and Helen replies with “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to hear it!” I found that to stick with me, and again, I want to adopt that way of thinking for myself.
Helen says that she has been working as an actor since she was a child. Fortunately, that has helped her to take periodic breaks from acting in order to do the things she wants…like conceive a child, be an everyday mommy, and write screenplays. The money she had made as a younger person helps fuel her happiness as a more mature person, or, as Helen’s fertility doctor once called her “less young.”
Of all the Smart Talk speakers this season, Helen was the most surprising to me. Painfully shy and extremely introverted, to the point she barely murmured a word backstage. But Helen shined onstage. Her speech was intriguing, funny and engaging.
Have serious love for Tony Bourdain? …of course you do, we all do! He’s the epitome of cool, yet hot! You know this boy has some stories to tell..and I want to hear them.
So, I promised you a chance to win tickets, and here’s your chance. Just leave a comment (see comment section below) and let me know what you love about Tony. A commenter will be chosen at random to win two tickets to An Evening with Tony Bourdain in Cincinnati, June 27th at the Aronoff. Good luck!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Loki of Cincy Voices. You won!
