Conversation – 15

This is the Jacket Heidi Daus wears on HSN. I just purchased it for my B-Day.
Heidi is a Leo like me and believe August will be a fun month. ♥

Cheers. ♥

Oh lucky Sarah with the baby goat! I love animals and goats are one of those at the top of my list! What a cute baby! I’m looking forward to Beekman coming to HSN. Love those goats, what a wonderful story.

@Cherie, I just responded to your post and because I am so tired I accidentally hit the cancel button! Ugh! Anyway, I’ll give you a much shorter version now because I must get going over to my daughter’s house soon.
I wanted to thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for my daughter. There is power in prayer so I really appreciate it. And she will too.
I am glad you were able to enjoy all your great memories with Simba and I’m glad your kids understand that they will see her again. She will always be a part of your family and life and will live on in your hearts. Love never ends.
I am sorry your friend is in so much pain. I hope soon it will ease up for her. It can be so hard. When I lost my Cuddles it was unbearable. She was my shadow and best friend who was with me through my bouts with illness and the losses of other furry kids and both my parents. I don’t know if I can say it gets easier but maybe we learn to live with it better, in time. I pray she can find peace and joy in her memories.
Thanks again for the kind words and prayers.

@Sheba, Thank you so much for sending get well wishes and prayers for my daughter. I appreciate it very much. I will definitely keep you posted on her and Bull. Heading over there in a while when she gets home from her appointment with the dr.
Yes, there is a lot going on and I am really feeling the stress. Wish life would slow down soon so I can take a breather. I told my husband I need a vacation but I’ve spent too much buying jewelry! LOL!

@Sheba,
I’m glad to hear your daughter is doing better. I’m sure having her grandmother there has helped a lot. Try not to be too concerned about her keeping too busy, it’s probably a way for her to work through her grief so it’s not too overwhelming. Everyone grieves in their own way. I have done that too, immersed myself in projects and cleaning our closets. It helps to have something to focus on besides all the sadness. I am glad having her ashes help her to feel better too. When I got Cuddles’ ashes back, I slept with them for over a year! Sounds worrisome, I know, but I needed her near me. I’m also glad she had a nice birthday with family and a special surprise! 😀

You won’t ever lose that feeling for Sheba and Loco and you will see them again. The thought of seeing all my fur babies again makes me happy.

Beekman 1802, which makes farm-healthy beauty, food, home and garden products, just announced it is leaving the Evine television shopping network for HSN. It will launch at midnight on July 31 and run all day. The first products on deck will be a collection of farm-to-skin beauty and Happy Place natural home cleansing products.

Beekman founders Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge are hoping that all their neighbors — how Beekman thinks about and treats its customers — will make the move, too. If they do, the Beekman Boys’ dreams will be realized to become “the biggest brand launch in HSN history,” Kilmer-Purcell said in the company’s Facebook announcement.

Bringing Beekman 1802 into the HSN neighborhood is also a big win for the shopping channel. Beekman 1802 will be the first farm-to-skin product line offered on HSN. Thanks to Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge’s warmth and charm on air, not to mention the cute baby goats that join them on set, the brand has proven its ability to deliver audiences and buyers through TV retail on Evine.

“The HSN shopping experience enhances the Beekman 1802 brand as they offer the rare mix between lifestyle content and distinctive product backed with a story and community that is both compelling and authentic,” said Rob Robillard, vice president of integrated beauty for Quarate Retail Group, the parent of both HSN and QVC.

More than a business decision

As important as this move is for growing the Beekman 1802 brand, with HSN being five times as large as Evine, Ridge tells me, the ultimate decision was driven by the their personal need to spend more time back on their 60-acre farm in Sharon Springs, New York.

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“Our company is dependent upon us drawing inspiration from our life on the farm. To do that we have to be on the farm,” Ridge shared with me. “As we became bigger and bigger on Evine, they wanted us to spend more and more time there. So by going to HSN we are able to commit to just one visit a month and still meet as many new neighbors as we did working with Evine. But it allows us to spend more quality time on the farm.”

The farm is both the life-giving force and the heart and soul of Beekman 1802, which spans products, brick-and-mortar retail in Beekman 1802 Mercantile, e-commerce, wholesale distribution through specialty boutiques, licensing partnerships with companies like Target and Bloomingdale’s and publishing. Besides being an accomplished advertising executive, Kilmer-Purcell is also a New York Times best-selling author.

“We are authentic to what we are doing,” Ridge adds. “It requires us to do the work on the farm to create the products. If we aren’t doing those things, then our creative inspiration dries up. We have to be very protective of that source of inspiration.”

Bringing neighbor-centricity to HSN

Another essential ingredient in Beekman 1802’s success is its neighbors. The company’s neighbor-centric philosophy goes back to the very beginnings of the company when its Sharon Springs neighbors taught the founders how to make goats milk soap.

“Our company would never have gotten off the group if not for our neighbors in Sharon Springs. And our company wouldn’t grow without that connection with neighbors who feel they are part of a community,” Ridge explains.

To welcome new neighbors to the Beekman 1802 community, the HSN call center operators will answer the phone with a “Hi, Neighbor” greeting, the same one the company uses at the Mercantile “Neighbor Services” center. “It’s not an easy undertaking for a large organization to communicate a change like this to employees, but HSN immediately set about making it happen,” Ridge notes.

Also, Beekman 1802 has enlisted the help of its neighbor-customers to man the phones at Mercantile headquarters and on Facebook and Twitter to answer questions and tell the story of the products and the company. “They will essentially become the welcome wagon for our new neighbors,” he adds.

Based on their experience on Evine, the boys expect many existing neighbors to follow them to the new HSN neighborhood. Plus their company website is expected to more than double its visitors based upon their experience on Evine. “We’ve been working on our own e-commerce platform and content side to make it as robust as possible so that everybody can have a good experience there,” Ridge says.

Gentlemen farmers make good businessmen

Beekman 1802 was born of necessity back in 2008 when Kilmer-Purcell was working in advertising and Ridge for Martha Stewart Omnimedia both lost their jobs to the recession. They retreated to the farm, which they originally bought as a weekend getaway, and had to figure out how to keep it and themselves going. Making and selling goats milk soap was the logical answer, as the farm was already home to a herd of goats.

From that single product, a whole range of offerings followed with the goal to help its over 300,000 neighbors “cultivate a better life.” Part of that evolution was a line of skincare products with Dr. Ridge applying his medical background to the science and Kilmer-Purcell his advertising expertise to introduce skincare for all in gender-neutral packaging that men especially will feel comfortable having on their bathroom counter.

“When you get down to it, men and women’s skin isn’t different. We speak on behalf of all skin. It is the modern way to think of skincare,” Ridge explains.

Beekman 1802 skincareBEEKMAN 1802

The immediate success of the skincare line prompted the company to acquire its licensing partner, Orlando-based STA Elements. “When we started looking at our business model, we found that a big portion of the products for Evine were being created through a manufacturing license, even though we were still making some of our soaps and beauty products in Sharon Springs,” Ridge explains.

“Due to our success, we quickly became 80% of our manufacturing partner’s business. It just made sense to merge the two companies so that all of that revenue hits the Beekman 1802 top line. And by bringing that revenue to Beekman 1802, we remain a company that is not leveraged and beholden to private equity. It keeps us nimble. And we don’t have to make the compromises that private equity investors often require,” he continues.

But while it didn’t make financial sense to maintain a licensing arrangement for skincare, Beekman 1802 continues to expand its reach as a licensor. “Our brand can go seamlessly from mass market to luxury and everything in between. We can go from a mass-market capsule food collection at Target to a home decor line at Bloomingdales,” Ridge notes.

Beekman 1802 is a living brand

As much as we in business circles want to label Beekman 1802 as a lifestyle brand, for it truly is one, Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge define it differently. “We think of ours as a ‘living brand.’ Everything we put out there is inspired by the life we live,” Ridge says.

That life is lived in Sharon Springs, New York and the two remain firmly rooted in that neighborhood. “We’re looking forward to meeting new neighbors and ultimately supporting the local artisans and craftspeople of New York State through HSN’s national reach,” Ridge says.

@kittengirl,

The edit button only last a few short minutes. That post with the pic of Get Well is for your
daughter. 🙂

Co-Creating with Nature

To co-create, we must first begin with a foundation of mutual respect.

Gardens offer us a perfect opportunity to reconnect to our true selves and remember our place in the natural world. Rather than approach our gardens as mere investments of energy, we can look at the entire process of gardening, from planting seeds to harvesting food, as a way of deepening our conscious relationship with the creative force of the universe. If we are willing to shift our intention from dominating, or at least directing nature, to co-creating with nature instead, we may discover a deep peace and renewed sense of wonder.

To co-create we must first begin with a foundation of mutual respect. As you create your garden in partnership with nature, you can respect the earth, water, insects and animals by using organic seeds, soil and fertilizers. You can also communicate with the plants, insects and elements involved in your garden, and create a regular practice of stillness to listen for any messages they may have for you. When it comes time for harvesting fresh vegetables or picking beautiful blooms, you might even ask permission first. If you ask with an open heart, you will always receive an answer.

Imagine what it would be like to surrender certain aspects of your human world to the precision and surety of the natural environment. You might decide, for example, to forego your calendar and plant in rhythm with the cycles of the moon. Or, you might choose to ignore clock time and water your garden when the sun hits a certain position in the sky. By opening your garden experience to more of nature’s input, you can become available to witness a whole universe of miracles, while engendering a greater sense of honor between the two worlds.

When we recognize ourselves as allies, co-creators, with the earth and the natural world, our relationship to our environment begins to change. We no longer feel the need to control the circumstances around us and can relish in the perfection of all that is.

Good Morning Cherie,

Your breakfast looks good. My breakfast is a Andrew Lessman mix and coffee. I can’t eat
much in the mornings. Now lunch is a little better. Hey had a great day yesterday a good
friend of the family reached out to me. We spent the entire day together. I had great time
shopping getting nails done etc. Cherie this girl just had knee replacement and was on a cane
she is like 3 year younger then me. We even have the same Doctor because I recommened
my doctor to her. This is one of the reason I take AL Marine Collagen Peptides. I like what
I am reading about the joints. Cherie she is excellent health otherwise. I have just never ever
seen her like this. I have know her for Decades. I wish had let me know she was having surgery
and that was in May she was supposed to return to work on Monday but her doctor said
no way. So she is waiting to return to work and she is buying a new house.

Make a long story short she is my sister’s best friend and we all grew up together. I think she
is going to visit my mom and sisters in Colorado.

Yes the days are short but the nights are beautiful with that Moon. I will basked in it tonight and
every night. I watch for a long time last night. Yes the dreams are back but nothing will compare
to the dream I had in a fleeting moment with someone bringing me flowers nothing will compare
to that. 🙂 I don’t want it to. Cherie enjoy your family today. Summer is going fast. ♥ Next
week will be hard.

@loaf,

4 Loaf’s Mother In Law. ♥ Loaf I want to see Taylor and Hamilton both. Loaf
you are in the heart of Rock and Roll. ♥

Please let us know how you MIL is. I am praying for her. ♥

Loaf have a good day. 🙂

Love,

Sheba