Flowerdale Valley: How Camera Fear Almost Ended Her Business

Facts

Who: Mel Young, founder of Flowerdale Valley
What: Natural skincare
Format: Physical product · Australia, English
Started: June 2016
Audience: 2,300 (email list and Instagram followers combined)
Promotion budget: $0
Income: Main income
Status: Active and growing
Channels: Your own newsletter, text social media, video platforms

The short version

What worked: Getting comfortable on camera after the pandemic closed her market stall – she turned to video and social content instead
The result: Never returned to the market; built her income online instead, with her newsletter (about 40%) as the single biggest channel
The catch: Running every part of the business alone, on top of family life, takes a toll

Background

Mel always loved skincare and made her own natural remedies. She also liked buying skincare as a treat, but was often disappointed – the results big brands promised weren't there, and the ingredients were often poor despite the high prices.

She had started a wedding favor business but wasn't passionate about it. At the time she was married to a beekeeper, and with beeswax and honey on hand, she pivoted to a beeswax skincare cream instead. The product line grew from there, and she eventually studied cosmetic science and took a market stall in the city.

Mel is now a single mother, after going through a divorce a few years ago. Flowerdale Valley pays her mortgage and is her only income.

Starting point

Mel's first customers came through her day job: she worked in the kitchen at a reception centre – weddings, conferences, that kind of thing – and was allowed to sell her products in the reception area. From there, she opened an eBay store, then quit her job and started selling at markets.

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What worked

Once COVID hit, the city market that made up the largest part of Mel's income shut down. She knew she needed more exposure online to keep making sales, but was nervous about appearing in pictures or on video. She took an online course called “Getting Comfortable on Camera” and started talking directly to the camera. It changed the business: she made it through COVID on online sales alone, and never went back to the market.

Her advice to any small business owner moving online: get comfortable talking to a camera, then use it to show customers what they need to know. She now uses Instagram to show how her products work, share specials, and be a bit silly – which she says genuinely builds community around the brand. She posts on Instagram and Facebook daily, and is building a YouTube library with one video per product, each linked back to the website. She also posts on Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google Business.

She emails her customers three times a month, using ChatGPT to draft an outline and then rewriting it to sound like her. She also writes a blog post most weeks, built around questions her customers might actually search for – which is still what helps Google find her business, even now that AI summaries exist. She doesn't pay for advertising: she's tried and failed at outsourcing Meta ads before, and hasn't committed the time to learn to run them effectively herself.

What didn't work

There have been a few times over the years where Mel has wanted to quit. The idea of not being responsible for an entire brand – not making every decision herself – is sometimes very appealing. But she has a lifestyle that works well for her: three dogs, two kids, a home studio, and she's always around for her family. She also values the personal growth that comes with running the business; she's currently teaching herself YouTube.

She's lost time and money rushing into outsourcing without a clear plan – early on, she handed off Instagram posting to someone else before she knew how to do it herself. Her take: you need a clear idea of exactly what you want before you hand a task to someone else. You can't just say “run my Instagram for me” unless they already know your brand inside out.

The turning point

Showing up online as the founder of her own brand was, in Mel's words, a great turning point.

Audience

Her audience is largely women over 40. Her products are gentle and nourishing, formulated for that demographic – and since Mel is in it herself, she says she can relate to her customers, and they to her.

Looking ahead

Mel's current focus is YouTube, since the content is evergreen and links easily back to her website. Her next challenge is outsourcing video editing and uploading – something she hasn't had success delegating before, but knows she can't keep doing everything herself. Her other focus is her website blog, paired with a short video covering the same topic for YouTube. She points to Marcus Sheridan's book Endless Customers, which argues that answering every question a customer might have, directly on your website, helps you show up in search, look like an expert, and build enough trust that people are ready to buy once they've seen you across several pieces of content.

Practical takeaways

If you don't have a marketing budget, the options are simple: sell in person at markets, or get comfortable making talking videos online.
Before outsourcing a task, know exactly what you want done – a vague brief to someone who doesn't know your brand rarely represents it well.
Answering the real questions your customers search for, in a blog post or video, still works for getting found – even as AI summaries change how search works.