Carly Stein

Founder of Beekeepers Naturals

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

3 April 2019 9 Min Read

Carly Stein's Leap of Faith: Pursuing a Passion for Bees

I had the opportunity to talk to Carly Stein, founder, and CEO of Beekeepers Naturals, a company that creates clean and efficacious health products, plant-based ingredients, and powerful hive superfoods, as well as advocating for the preservation of bees. Carly’s success earned her a place on Forbes’ 30 under 30 US & Canada 2019: Food & Drink list.

Carly graduated from the University of Victoria. However, she began producing bee propolis products for herself and her friends in college. Her journey continued in New York, where Carly worked on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs. Well, that’s until she quit her job to start her own company, Beekeepers Naturals.

She made the right step. From a startup to a Forbes-recognized company, Carly has much to share on Beekeepers Naturals. I invite you to join me in hearing her story about how she built her business, her great advice on time management, and her motivational team!

The Logician

Hi Carly, and welcome! I am grateful you took the time to do this interview with me. First and foremost, can you tell us more about yourself and your career? Who is Carly Stein, and why did you choose the career you have today?

Carly Stein

I guess the first thing you should know about me is that I am a total wellness nerd who loves bees. (Being the founder and CEO of a bee-driven wellness company called Beekeeper’s Naturals, that makes total sense, right?)

But before I founded BKN, I never dreamed I would be able to merge my passions for bees and wellness into my job.

In fact, it actually took a series of misfortunes and struggles to nudge me into this dream career.

It all started with me being constantly sick growing up and unable to find relief with conventional options.

I was very lucky to discover bee propolis while studying abroad, it was the first and only thing to cure me.

That’s what led me to start keeping bees and formulating my first propolis product while still in college. In fact, that’s technically how Beekeeper’s Naturals started — with just me making natural immune support for friends.

But instead of dedicating my time to this wacky side hustle, I kept following the standard path to success once I graduated and got a stable job.

I found myself living in New York City and working on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs. (Sure, that’s the definition of success for some people, but it was a major contradiction for a bee-loving health nut like myself.)

I was miserable. I just wanted to go back to the things that made me happy: formulating wellness products and bees.

So, much to the shock of my friends and family, I left my lucrative job to pursue this super niche passion. And it was hard. There was a lot of negativity out there and I had to sleep on my best friend’s couch for 6 months to stay afloat.

But after all those years of hustling and struggling and sacrificing, I’m proud to say that Beekeeper’s Naturals has grown in the most incredible ways. I am so grateful that I persevered, trusted my gut, and created this wild career for myself.

The Logician

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on being on the ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ list! Have you ever thought you would come this far? How was that experience for you?

Carly Stein

Thank you so much!

Honestly, no, I didn’t know I could ever have a career like this (mostly because people don’t grow up thinking they are going to run a bee-driven wellness company!), but it’s been an incredible journey so far.

We still have a long way to go, but it’s amazing to have the opportunity to step back and appreciate this crazy journey.

The Logician

How did you come up with your business idea? What exactly is ‘Beekeeper’s Naturals’? Can you describe your company in three words?

Carly Stein

I never intended to start a business. In fact, my flagship product “Propolis Spray” sort of evolved out of necessity.

As I mentioned, I was always sick with chronic sore throats and tonsillitis while growing up, and conventional remedies never worked for me (I am unable to take antibiotics).

But while traveling abroad in college, my tonsils became severely swollen and it seemed like I would have to go home to get surgery. I had waited tables for months to save up enough money to go on this trip and was desperate for another solution, so I stumbled into an Italian pharmacy searching for relief.

The pharmacist handed me a bottle of propolis extract – and it was life-changing.

Within a week of consistent use, my golf ball-sized tonsils returned to normal and I was able to enjoy the rest of my trip! I couldn’t believe that something finally worked!

But when I returned home, I couldn’t find propolis anywhere.

So, I began apprenticing with a local beekeeper to learn how to keep my own bees and harvest propolis for myself.

Eventually, I started playing around in the chemistry lab at school and created my own natural immune support spray.

As I started sharing my propolis product with friends, I discovered that it was helping them, too! More and more people started asking me for Propolis Spray, and so Beekeeper’s Naturals was born!

It was a couple of years before I fully dedicated myself to making Beekeeper’s Naturals happen, but right from the start, I knew that any business of mine was going to have to be a force for good in the world.

I knew I just wouldn’t be happy unless I was having a positive impact.

Having learned about the plight of the bees and the struggles they’re facing, making bees as much of a priority as creating natural wellness solutions was non-negotiable for me.

I decided that the first step was to make sure that all of our hive superfoods (bee products) would be sustainably sourced and pesticide-free. (Pesticides like neonicotinoids are a major cause of global bee decline.)

Of course, that is easier said than done.

Bees can forage up to 5 miles from their hives, meaning that all plant life within a sizeable radius must be entirely free of potentially harmful chemicals.

So, we have some of the most remote, sustainable apiaries in North America.

We also carefully audit our hives and regularly conduct third-party pesticide testing to ensure our bees are healthy and our products are clean.

To take it even further, we have long partnered with leading bee research institutions to support the cause and raise public awareness.

Beekeeper’s Naturals is a company on a mission to make the purest, most potent natural wellness solutions, to make natural healing options more widely accessible, and to do all this while helping to save the bees.

That’s why, to describe my company in three words, I’d use: heal, sustain, impact.

The Logician

How do you define success and happiness? Do they have something to do with one another? Why?

Carly Stein

Success and happiness are definitely not mutually exclusive.

For me, they’re about are having a sense of purpose and being able to share my life with the people I love.

To be happy and successful, I need to know that I’m working towards something bigger – I need to be part of something that is having a positive impact on the world.

Anything less just won’t cut it.

The Logician

You are a very accomplished young woman. I guess it gets hard to at times. Therefore, what is the best time-management tactic? How do you cope with pressure and failure?

Carly Stein

When it comes to time management, time blocking is crucial for me.

I live with a jam-packed calendar, so organizing and carving out ‘me’ time is a necessary challenge.

I also try to allow myself a completely free day with absolutely no schedule once every few weeks.

I’ll go out with friends, spend time in nature, tackle a few small projects, and read — it ends up being incredibly rejuvenating.

Coping with pressure is a different matter.

The pressure to succeed is scary, so I try to focus on what we can achieve with BKN rather than what happens if things go wrong.

I definitely troubleshoot and create contingency plans, but day-to-day, I focus on asking myself “what happens if this goes right?”.

I try to not give too much power to anxiety/negativity in that way.

The Logician

What do you think is the most critical thing in business? Please explain.

Carly Stein

Without a doubt, resilience. You will mess things up.

You will have to do things that you are bad at.

You will have people telling you that what you’re doing is dumb.

Amidst all that, you need to be able to keep going and not get knocked down.

You need to keep pushing forward and not lose sight of your goals.

That’s the hardest and most crucial part. Achieving success isn’t about talent or wisdom or some other elusive X factor. Success comes with perseverance and grit — I really believe it’s the most important thing.

The Logician

If you were not running your company, what would you be doing? How does Carly spend her free time? What are the things you most enjoy in life?

Carly Stein

At this point, I really can’t imagine my life without Beekeeper’s Naturals — it really feels like my baby.

But if I have to, I imagine I would be at another startup. I love collaboration and building new things. I thrive in environments where I can be creative and wear a lot of different hats.

In my spare time, I love everything outdoors, from hiking to reading at the beach.

I make sure to make time for a beachside jog or a good hike every week. I find that it really grounds me and recharges my batteries for the coming week ahead.

The Logician

How do you maintain your focus? What motivates you daily? Who is your biggest supporter?

Carly Stein

For starters, I use our B.LXR Brain Fuel daily.

That’s really helped with my focus and any brain fog.

I developed it because I just don’t have the patience (or time) to wait out the occasional bout of brain fog or deal with jet lag.

So, I decided to create a natural nootropic for myself (a substance that enhances brain function while also making the brain healthier).

I knew I would start with royal jelly, as it is rich in nutrients and unique compounds that support healthy brain function.

There is a lot of research on these two adaptogenic herbs (ginkgo biloba and Bacopa monnieri) for their abilities to support focus and memory, along with some impressive neuroprotective properties.

So, I created a potent source of these beneficial compounds to give me a mental boost. I take half a vial every single day to help me stay focused and on track.

Of course, when it comes to motivation, I have to give major credit to my BKN team.

They’re my biggest supporters. I am motivated constantly by their positivity, talent, hard work, and willingness to work towards this collective goal. I honestly get a little teary just thinking about it. I am so grateful.

The Logician

Let’s imagine it is the year 2025. Where are Carly Stein and her business? What are your future plans? Do you have any goals you want to reach until then?

Carly Stein

I would love to see Beekeeper’s Naturals grow and move more into the mainstream to allow people to have access to cleaner options to heal, focus, energize and lead their best lives.

I also plan on creating many more amazing products.

In fact, we’ve already started working on many of those, so stay tuned!

The Logician

In the end, what would you advise everyone still struggling with their businesses? What do you think more young people need to know?

Carly Stein

Keep going. At every level, you’ll hit walls. As a founder and CEO, my job constantly changes — right when I get the hang of something, I have this new responsibility that is completely foreign to me. But it’s okay.

You have to know that you can do it — you can figure anything out if you try.

My best advice would be to adopt a growth mindset and get ready to roll with the punches!

The Logician

Thank you, Carly, for sharing your experience and knowledge on building a business based on personal needs for a product. Your advice on believing in your ideas truly resonates with me, even if they seem silly. In addition, your work advocating for saving bees is inspirational and made me think about my climate impact. I hope you can achieve your goal for Beekeepers Naturals to become a mainstream product, and I wish you all the luck in the future!

The Logician

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