Ep 220 | Carly Stein Kremer

Written By Yasmin Nouri

How This Founder Quit Her Day Job, Focused On Her Side Hustle & Built It Into a Multi-Million Dollar Wellness Brand

Listen on

 
 

Carly Stein Kremer is the founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, a company that focuses on products made from natural honey, bee propolis, royal jelly, and other byproducts of bee raising.

The idea for Beekeeper’s Naturals came after Carly was on a college abroad trip in Europe and experienced a terrible flare up. She suffered from chronic tonsillitis, an illness that dominated a majority of her life. So she went to a local pharmacy to find some relief, and stumbled upon a compound called propolis, a combination of tree and plant resin created by bees to protect the hive that also has over 300 compounds that are beneficial for human immunity. She quickly realized the power of this natural ingredient herself and that’s when the passion and idea for the company was born. 

Fast forward to today, Carly and Beekeeper's Naturals have sold over 2M units of their hero product, Propolis Throat Spray, which sells one unit every 30 seconds. Beekeeper's Naturals is also currently ranked as Amazon's #1 brand in the Cold and Flu category. The company has quickly expanded from 5,000 retail locations to over 18,000 across major North American banners, including Target, CVS, and Walgreens, doubling revenue year-over-year.

In this week’s episode, we sat down with Carly to talk about her very windy journey starting the business – even though she had the idea in college, she ended up pursuing a job in finance and years later left her comfortable and reputable job at Goldman Sachs to start the company. We discuss the importance of securing your finances before taking the leap to start your business, why resilience was key to her own entrepreneurial journey, and how we can all cultivate it in our lives today. We talk about how she created her first products from her kitchen, the steps she took to create awareness in the early days when she was selling at farmer’s markets, and how she thought about fundraising throughout her journey. We also chat about how she tackles her anxiety and calms her nervous system, how she sets up her day to succeed, and so much more. 

Show Notes:

  • How building resilience is the key in starting and scaling business. [03:35]

  • Overcoming self-doubt and developing resilience. [05:08]

  • Carly's childhood, health challenges, and their impact on her quality of life. [08:47]

  • Getting sick during an exchange program and discovering propolis. [11:28]

  • Carly’s career opportunities and creating her first products. [17:16]

  • Working in finance for six years and Carly's journey in coping with unhappiness and anxiety. [22:08]

  • Carly's timeline with Goldman Sachs and her transition to entrepreneurship. [ 31:02]

  • Purchasing lab equipment and crafting products from her apartment. [34:30]

  • Stepping into the spotlight, building confidence during the early years of the business. [36:32] 

  • How Carly gained early traction with the business. [37:17]

  • Carly's biggest learnings during the early days of her business. [42:40]

  • Carly’s experience in getting into Whole Foods Canada and the toughest part. [52:06]

  • The meaning of Carly’s quote of “The individual with the calmest nervous system will win”. [53:58]

  • How Carly's relationship with anxiety evolved during her journey. [56:24]

  • Carly's commitment to the "one-hour-to-react" principle. [59:26]

  • The significance of unwinding, trusting your team, and letting go of a false sense of urgency. [01:01:29]

This episode is brought to you by Beeya:

  • If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.

  • Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10.

Follow Yasmin:

Follow Carly:

Yasmin Nouri
Previous

Ep 221 | Vani Hari
Next

Ep 219 | Dr. Tanda Cook and Dr. Katie Collier