There was a question previously posed of "when would an herbalist seek care from a different herbalist". And the answer to that is something that initially came as a very simple single layered answer at first but I also felt there was something deeper to be said there, so I waited to answer. Then today, I woke with words and thoughts spiraling around and dancing through my head. The different facets and layers and the way I wanted to express this. 💖🌿 I think a lot of us have had a time in our lives, or even maybe still be in the chapter of thought where when we imagine/d an herbalist it's easy to see someone who is trained in all the systems of the body and who "has an herb for everything". But in reality, every herbalist has their own strong and weak areas of study. Though we all have a strong general understanding of plants, human physiology, pathology, and chemistry....some of use are stronger in certain systems and imbalances than others. Think of it like having a general physician vs a rheumatologist, cardiologist, or immunologist... I myself and AMAZING with mood and digestive systems but ironically fall short when complex genetic layers are involved....(ironic because I have multiple genetic disorders as does one of my children) A different herbalist who I deeply admire, is strong in these areas but weak in parathyroid studies....and will always refer out when a client has an imbalance or illness in that system. Some of us excel in tea formulation or salves and balms, but loathe spending time in tinctures or aromatics...so we refer out when our client may benefit more from a tincture than our preferred creations. I personally, find myself looking to an herbalist who has mastered tallows and topical creams when my skin needs deep nourishing during MCAS flares, as I have learned that I don't particularly enjiy rendering these type of creams, and to the aforementioned herbalist whom I admire when my hormones are amuck and creating issues which cascade through 2 other genetic issues as well as a neurological layer. (As I did this past wrek to handle an imbalance that was wreaking havoc on my life).

Back in the day I had a service based Digital Agency. I had a mortgage and three young kids to feed. I had no filter or target customer. I would take money from anyone that had a pulse. I very quickly realised that choosing the wrong customer can stunt your growth. I had one or two customers who sucked up all my time and energy. I effectively ended up with a new poorly paid job. I then pivoted into SaaS (Software app) which was a more saleable business model. Around the time of COVID eCommerce was booming. Interest rates were low and there was lots of 'free money' flying around. I was contacted by two private investors who wanted to give me money to 'scale'. I politely declined. I didn't want be someones biatch. I started my business to be in control, wasn't all about the money. And my business was growing at a sustainable rate from customer funds (sales). Several companies I knew did take that 'free' money. Fast forward 3 years and none of those that took the 'free' money are still in business. At the year 3 mark, the private investors and one VC all pulled the pin and it was a sudden death for the funded companies. One of the CEO's used to brag online about how much money he had raised. The most in his industry apparently. At year two the investors had a majority share of his business and the board voted him out of the company he had founded! Yep he got sacked from the company that he founded. He ended up broke, unemployed and his wife left him. If you can't scale your business without using customer funds (sales) you probably don't have a viable business. Money won't fix that, in fact it will expose / compound it. And it's OK just to build a boring solid business that affords you a good lifestyle. I think we all started our business to have control and freedom. Growing it organically is the best way IMO. I'd rather take money from a bank than an investor. But they rarely loan to businesses as they know the risks better than most.