Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Kearney.
Greg, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Greg Kearney. I was born and raised in Statesboro, Georgia. I attended Georgia Southern University and got a degree in Marketing but, as a musician, I always had dreams of playing guitar professionally. After college, I moved to Athens to pursue music and did that for a living for several years. I also developed several bad habits along the way. To put it simply: I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict, (albeit in recovery these days). The story of this business really begins in February of 2016. After years of abusing my body and wrecking my life, I found myself in a rehab facility called Willingway, a place that helped save my life. On the 7th day I was there, I heard a doctor give a talk and he posed a question to all of us in attendance: “What is your spiritual walk like?”. That single question would change my life in so many ways. That question made me realize the one crucial thing that was missing in my life: God. I was raised in a Christian household and had been saved and baptized at the age of 12, but I had drifted from my faith in my adult years. Hearing that question was like a light bulb going off. Here I was in rehab, with my life in shambles, and I hadn’t even once asked God for help. After this particular talk was finished, I walked to my room, shut the door behind me, knelt by my bed, and through tears and with sincerity, I re-gave my life to Christ. A peace came over me immediately and it hasn’t left me since. I’m happy to say that I’ve been sober now for almost 10 years. I came back home to Statesboro after rehab and started my life over. I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living or where I was headed but I had a new faith in God and that’s honestly all I needed. I learned to depend on Him and not myself. Later that Fall, I received some goat’s milk soap as a gift and I loved how it made my skin feel. I began to research how soap is made via youtube videos and articles and decided to try my hand at it. I gave some bars as Christmas gifts that year, thinking this was a cool hobby and I could now make my own soap for myself. What I didn’t anticipate was the reaction from my friends and family after gifting them some bars. They wanted more and wanted to know how much I charged. And POOF, another lightbulb went off. I started selling bars of soap and word began to spread. I designed (poorly) some rudimentary branding, named the company Homegrown Trading Post, and now had a little side hustle in addition to my full-time job in property management. Orders kept coming and this little side hustle kept growing and growing until I finally had to go down to part-time with my “real” job to keep up. I kept hearing a voice saying “Keep your head down, and keep making that soap.” I said that phrase multiple times a day for years and I know now that it was God pushing me in that direction and I’m so grateful He did. Finally, in 2019, I went full time with Homegrown Trading Post and we’ve been going strong ever since. We’ve (my dog Marley and I) expanded our product line to include soy candles, pet shampoo, insect repellent, beard oil, as well as CBD topicals. We replaced our Etsy store with an awesome website and we’ve been blown away at the growth of this company. We also now sell other local small businesses products on our website and I love being able to offer that as well in our “Other Products” category. Today, we ship coast to coast and sell in stores both near and far. I work with my dog (she’s the CEO) and couldn’t be happier with where the Lord has steered my life. I owe it all to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ who not only saved me from myself and my addictions, but also gave me my dream job. We’ve had ups and downs with this business over the years, surviving Covid and several economic catastrophes in our country, but have somehow managed to keep truckin’ along. I’m so grateful for my life and for this business and can’t wait to see where God will lead us next.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, I think any small business owner can attest that there will ALWAYS be bumps in the road. The economy plays a big role in most businesses, especially ones where customers having discretionary income is required. Covid made things somewhat difficult, but we pivoted and made it work. At the end of the day, we sell soap and folks were washing their hands more so we were happy to assist them with that! We’ve had really great years and some years we barely kept the lights on, but I’ve learned to trust in God’s plan for my life and that has honestly helped me weather any and all storms that come my way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We make and sell handmade soap, candles, and more, with an emphasis on using as many natural ingredients as possible. Quality is our priority. Whether it being a bar of soap that leaves your skin healthy and smelling great, or a candle that fills your home with the familiar scents of the holidays on a chilly and relaxing night in, we make sure our products do what they’re supposed to. Making each product by hand ensures we’re offering the absolute best quality we can in all things. We recently fulfilled an order for 2,200 bars of soap and each was made, cut, packaged, and shipped by hand. In a world of machines and automated production, I think offering a handmade product is something that sets us apart from many of the bigger companies out there. Soap is still our main product, but we’ve certainly made some waves with our candles and handsoaps these past few years, especially during the holidays, which is our busiest time of year.
We also offer free local delivery in Statesboro. Statesboro customers are charged no shipping free and Marley and I deliver to their door for free!
I’m also proud of the fundraiser we do every summer. It’s called “Help on the Way” (named after my fav Grateful Dead song!). We throw a big party at Dolan’s BBQ here in Statesboro with live music, a raffle, and lots of great food and prizes. A bunch of local businesses help out and all money raised goes to benefit a local non-profit called Freedom Through Recovery, which assists folks who are navigating addiction recovery.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My faith. Having an intentional relationship with God and trusting Him through all of the highs and lows has been the single most important thing in my life and most definitely with this business. I pray every morning when I wake up and I always include “Lord, this is YOUR business. Please help me to make it what YOU want it to be and may YOU be glorified in all of it.” Aside from that, just showing up and not quitting when the chips are down is what separates most successful business owners from those who ultimately give up.
Pricing:
- Goat’s Milk Bar Soap: $5.25-$7.00 per bar
- 12 oz. Soy Candles: $22.50
- CBD Creams: $59-$99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.homegrowntradingpost.com
- Instagram: @homegrowntradingpost
- Facebook: @homegrowntradingpost
