The final part in the Molly Rose Balms history you never knew you needed.

Last week, we left off at the end of 2013, the first year of Molly Rose Balms. 2014 brought new beginnings, new business relationships, and a whole new lifestyle.

One of the first exciting things to happen in 2014 was being featured in the February Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. I had actually been featured in two subscription boxes the previous year (both companies have since gone out of business), but it was incredibly rewarding to be invited to participate in such a well-known subscription box. I plan to write more fully on this subject at a later date, but suffice it to say that it was a great early boost for my brand in terms of social media following, and I know that I still have a few regular customers all the way from back then.

But fortune did come at a price. As I’ve mentioned previously, I was still working a full-time job at this point. Unfortunately, coworkers who I considered friends and who seemed excited and supportive seemed to turn on me the more success I found. I didn’t understand it at the time. I couldn’t imagine why my colleagues suddenly started laughing behind my back, calling me “lazy” and worse to my manager. It took me a long time to understand, and even longer to forgive. That being said, I quit my job in March, three years to the day of when a joined the company. And I’ve never looked back.

In April, I rescued and adopted my first kittens, Betty and Judy. This might not seem relevant to Molly Rose Balms (and really, you’re right), but the love that I felt and still feel for them is the first time I ever loved animals. The only pets I had had before were a few betta fish in college, but it’s hard to form an emotional attachment to something you treat no differently than a houseplant. When they died, I would be disappointed rather than genuinely sad. With my cats, I now understood that animals truly do have their own personalities, their own feelings. I understood their value. I thought I had before, but it took knowing an animal to understand.

New products were launched, and the year continued to be profitable, if not monetarily, then educationally. I learned about my business, social media, web design, but most importantly, veganism. At this point I was still not vegan, and yes, I was one of those people who could never be vegan (*cringe*). But as someone running a vegan business, I followed a lot of vegan accounts o Instagram, and seeing stats about the environmental benefit of veganism alongside gorgeous displays of vegan food, the vegan idea was firmly planted in my brain. And on October 8, 2014, I began my journey towards veganism. (I will do a full post about the whys and hows soon.)

Next week, we’ll take a much-needed break from the illustrious history of Molly Rose Balms to profile an ingredient found in all of my products, cetearyl alcohol, and why I choose to use it.