Thirty years ago on this day Honey Belle’s CEO and Co-Founder, Iris Cherng was born! To celebrate entering this new ”thirty, flirty, and thriving” decade we sat down with Iris and got the scoop on the past, present, and hopes for the future. 

Just to refresh your memory, Iris co-founded Honey Belle seven years ago in her parent’s home kitchen alongside her boyfriend (now upgraded to husband!), Calvin. From handcrafting skincare in small batches to in-person events and tradeshows to building a fully remote company that offers forty tried and true products - this baby of hers continues to grow and serve as your wellness bff! 

Let’s start with this last year, tell us a little bit about what you’ve been up to in the last year of your twenties!

2022 has passed by so incredibly quickly! We've still been recouping and navigating this post-pandemic era, but we're doing our best to continue treading along. We spent this last summer moving to our neighboring state, Nevada. So, we're officially in Las Vegas baby!

Wow! Leaving beautiful California is a big move! Why Las Vegas?!

Real talk, the cost of living in California went sky high, and it wasn't ideal for us to stay anymore. Although we're going to miss being close to our family and friends, Las Vegas is still a quick four hour road trip or 45 minute plane ride away. Plus, the company's operations have changed quite a bit since we first started. Our team is completely remote. We have a warehouse on the east coast that helps house and ship all our orders, and various production facilities that help with our production and manufacturing. The timing was just perfect to make the move.

How exciting! I know these last couple of years have been tough on businesses so it's great to hear that Honey Belle seems to be navigating it without skipping a beat. Let’s dive into your personal life - as you welcome your thirties, what are some of your hopes for this next decade of life?

Wow, the 30's! Honestly these last seven years have flown by - there's still so much I want to do for Honey Belle. Building Honey Belle wasn't easy in my 20's, but I've learned so many lessons along the way. I want to take everything I learned and continue making our products better and continue improving our brand experience. I also want to make sure that as we continue this business, that our footprint will be beneficial for the greater good of the world. So basically a long winded way of saying, I’m not done yet ;)

Personally, I want to start a family with Calvin. This year we'll be married for two years, so it just seems like we're due to start trying for kids soon *nervous chuckle*.

So many things to look forward to! It sounds like you have a lot on your mind as you begin family planning and pivoting the business to thrive in whatever economic climate arises. Life calls out different versions of you based on the chapter you’re in - tell us, what three habits do you think contributed to Honey Belle's success so far?

It really has been a tough last few years! Three habits that I think contributed to Honey Belle's success would be: 

1. Perseverance and resilience. Even in the low moments, I never chose to quit when “sh*t hit the fan”. 
2. Putting my mental health and self-care first through meditation and looking inward for peace and groundedness.
3. Being resourceful and in flow - finding solutions through the unexpected turns and not being attached to outcomes and previous expectations. 

Through it all, we can't 100% plan for everything. I learned that it's a great skill to be comfortable through discomfort and uncertainty, and to dance with what life throws our way.

Wow! That’s a perfect segue into my next question, after 7 years in business - what keeps you going?

What keeps me going after 7 years of building this brand and company is my vision in helping people heal through self-care rituals. There is always room to heal and grow, and because of that, it's a constant work-in-progress and something that pulls me to continue working towards - seeing more and more people heal themselves through their daily rituals.

I love that. I feel like that’s always been the foundation of Honey Belle. What are you looking forward to in business in the next couple of years?

I'm looking forward to building a company and product line that I'm proud of! We're bringing back some previously loved cult favorites, and reworking the formulas. I'm excited to bring back our previous 'Sea Salt Oatmeal Bar' and 'Nourishing Lip Balm' in a whole new, innovative way. So stay tuned for that!

Yay! I know the day-one Honey Belle bffs would love to see those products come back! I know that operating a business takes a village, are there any people or businesses you want to acknowledge?

I'm just really grateful for all our customers, day-one Belles, retail and boutique partners, our vendors, and everyone who's involved in pushing this brand forward. We're a small team, so we all wear many hats. But in the greater picture, we can't do it without you all! I want to thank all of you who contribute (if you're reading this blog post, if you follow our Instagram, or if you ever voted in our IG stories) you are all helping us achieve our greater mission.

Overall, I want people to embrace their sweet existence in this lifetime while we're all here on Earth. So if somehow through Honey Belle we can bring a bit of joy, inspiration, and love to you, my purpose here is fulfilled.  I am so thankful and blessed to have this opportunity to serve. Thank you for reading, and continuing to follow the journey! So much love and gratitude!