The Gnarly Whale

One of the best parts of blogging is the relationships you build and this post is some serious proof of that. I met Ashley when we realized we only lived half an hour from each other.

One lovely afternoon last fall, we met at an Atlanta Bread Company between her house and mine and talked for hours. We have so much in common, from our husbands, to our interests, to our in laws.
It's nice knowing that there are genuine bloggers out there who really are as wonderful as they seem on screen. Ashley is definitely one of those!

So that's the reason that I offered my space for the day. She's a great blogger and a wonderful business woman who is doing all the right things for all the right reasons. She'll explain more in a bit, but she and her husband have a business (The Gnarly Whale) making some fantastic beauty products. Yes, I've tried their products (hello yummy coconut lip balm!)... and no, I'm not getting paid to say that. Their business has evolved from a dream to a reality and I couldn't be happier for them! And the best part? You can help their next dream for The Gnarly Whale come true. Keep reading, and you'll see what I mean!

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I'm Ashley from The Gnarly Whale - an all vegan, eco-friendly minimal-ingredient bath and body shop. Today Sara was gracious enough to let me share our story about our company and our dream and I am SO excited to do so. This business is what I do - day in and day out - and to be able to share something I'm so passionate about is truly a privilege for me.

The Gnarly Whale launched in October 2012 from a dream that I was unsure I would ever fulfill. I approached my husband about starting it as a hobby, needing something else to focus on while I was designing and consulting. By the end of the year, we both realized it was never meant to be a hobby. It was never meant to be a small side project. Instead, it was meant to change our lives and restructure our dreams. And that was exactly why I'm here today, sharing our story and even asking for your help after you get to know us.

About Us

We're a husband and wife team doing what we love to do and hoping that some day, doing what we love will be enough to financially support our entire family. Our dream is to someday relocate ourselves and our business to Florida to open up a shop oceanside. We know that this dream will become our reality as soon as we can afford the cost of relocation and the cost of doing business in Florida where there are much stricter guidelines for cosmetic type businesses. Until then, we're focusing on growing our brand awareness and our current product lines.

About Our Brand

All of our products are 100% vegan and cruelty free. We’re tree huggers ourselves so we made sure that all of the ingredients used in our products are completely vegan and have not been tested on animals. Final product testing was also done on humans. Most of our printed materials (business cards, postcards, etc) come from recycled paper. We also use reusable packaging when we mail out our orders whenever possible. Our hope is to leave the Earth a little better than when we found it and provide our customers with a way to do the same.

In the almost seven months we have been open, we already have plans to work with an international retailer to carry our products and will be featured in two celebrity gifting suites this year: The Primetime Emmy's and The Cannes Film Festival. Our current product line includes: hair detangler, beach waves, body and face scrub, body spray, shampoo, and lip balm. In the future, we have plans to include a child product line, a pet product line, soap, skin care, and various other hair and body products in the future.

And here is how you can help us make all of this a reality. We've asked Intuit to grant our small business wish and we're hoping we can get enough votes to win the money to expand our product line, purchase better equipment to speed up our manufacturing, and to put towards the cost of relocation. All you have to do is take a couple of seconds, click the link, and vote once a day. And if you really think our story is worth it, share it with you friends. With your readers. With your family. With your neighbors or co-workers. Shout it from the rooftops if you like us that much.

Anything you do to help is appreciated. No matter how big or small of gesture, we're grateful for you even taking the time to get to know us and our dream. And if you'd like to connect with us further, we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. Send us an email and say hello. Or even stop by our shop.

Thank you in advance for anything that you do!

- Ashley and Nathan

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Please click on the link above and vote for Ashley and Nathan. They'd appreciate it, I'd appreciate it, and it only take 5 seconds. You don't have to register for an account, you don't get spam emails, and you don't even have to enter you name. You DO get a feeling of satisfaction knowing you're helping a dream come true, and that's better than anything else.

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