Whether you're working from your kitchen table, selling at farmers markets, teaching classes in your community, shipping products from a spare bedroom, or dreaming of a little herb shop of your own, The Hometown Herbalist was created to help you turn what you know and love about herbs into a real, practical herbal business.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE HOMETOWN HERBALIST
1. Starting Your Business - You don't need a storefront—or a huge investment—to begin. Explore the different ways your herbal business can start small, fit your family and lifestyle, and grow with you.
2. Herbalist Certifications, Registration & Professional Guilds - Do you actually need a certification or license to be an herbalist? I'll help you understand what herbal “certifications” really mean, how professional registration is different, the Community and Clinical Herbalist paths, and the herbal guilds you can explore if registration is something you want to pursue.
3. Business Basics & Compliance - Business licenses, zoning, insurance, sales tax, business structure—these things can sound intimidating when you'd rather just work with herbs. I'll help you understand the practical basics a small Hometown Herbalist should consider, without making it more complicated than it needs to be.
4. Making & Selling Products - Handmade vs. wholesale, what could land you in trouble, effective systems, and the resources that can make it all easier.
5. Herb Inventory System + PDF Tracker - As herbalists selling herbs and herbal products, we're required to keep certain records—and trying to piece together your inventory history later is no fun. I'll show you a simple system for tracking your herbs, suppliers, lot numbers, costs, and more, plus give you the printable tracker I use to keep it all organized.
6. Formulatory Notebook (PDF Download) - Your formulas are part of your business records too. I’ll give you the exact system I use to document recipes, ratios, ingredients, and important formulatory notes so you can accurately reproduce what you make.
7. Master Batch Recordkeeping System - Batch records are an important part of producing herbal products for sale. I’ll show you the system I use to document each batch from start to finish, with printable records and labels to help you put the same system in place in your own business.
8. How to Talk About & Label Your Products Without Getting Into Trouble - You may know exactly why someone would use an herb—but that doesn't mean you can say it on a product label or sales page. Learn how to describe and label your products while staying within FDA expectations.
9. Operations Workflow (PDF Printable) - From the moment an herb arrives to the finished product on your shelf, there are important steps and records along the way. This printable workflow gives you a clear order of operations so nothing important gets missed.
10. Buying Wholesale - Not every wholesaler is one you want to build your business around. I share the trusted wholesalers and suppliers I’ve personally purchased from for years, along with what you need to qualify for wholesale accounts.
11. My Complete Tool & Supply Lists - You don't need to waste money figuring out which tools and supplies actually work. I share what I use in my own herb shop, how I use it, and links for measuring tools, packaging, preparation supplies, printing, POS, and more.
12. Teaching as Part of Your Herbal Business - You don't have to rely on product sales alone to build an herbal business. I share how teaching helped me create income, build inventory, grow my business, and become a trusted herbal resource in my community—and how you can begin using what you know to do the same.
13. My Debt-Free Herb Shop - You don't need thousands of dollars to begin. I share how I built my herb business debt-free, starting with what I already had, using the income from one thing to help build the next, and growing the business one step at a time.
When I started, there weren't many other herbal business owners around me to talk through the practical pieces with. I researched, watched what other herbalists were doing, and figured things out as I went. But I eventually learned that just because something is commonly done in the herbal world doesn't necessarily mean it's being done correctly. There are rules around selling, labeling, and talking about herbal products that many small herbal businesses unknowingly get wrong. Along the way, I learned not only how to navigate those requirements, but how to source herbs and supplies, keep good records, work with wholesalers, build inventory, teach classes, and eventually run a little herb shop right here on our property.
I've built my business in a way that has allowed me to remain present for my family and build something meaningful right where we live. And over the years, I've become increasingly passionate about helping other women do the same.
I don't believe every herbalist needs a big company, a commercial storefront, or thousands of dollars to get started. There is still a place for the local herbalist—the woman growing herbs, making preparations, teaching what she knows, and serving the people right in her own community.
That's what I mean when I say Hometown Herbalist.
My hope is to help make the road a little easier for the woman coming behind me by sharing the practical things I've learned along the way, the systems I've developed, the resources I actually use, and some of the lessons I wish I'd known when I began.
Because I'd love to see Hometown Herbalists serving communities everywhere, using the gifts God has provided in His Creation for our good and His glory.
"I just had to thank you for your content in the Hometown Herbalist. I stayed up all night last night and went through the whole thing. I was so helpful! I printed out everything. Its so pretty!! Not to mention informative. I so appreciate your time and effort!"
- Angie S King
Creator, King's Mortar & Pestle LLC