HBN Success Spotlight on Rosanne Tartaro of SunRose Aromatics
May 28, 2001

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Introduction To SunRose Aromatics

Rosanne Tartaro of SunRose Aromatics has been a member of HBN since April 2000, and was one of the very first companies to join our membership ranks. Rosanne, formerly with the New York City Department of Corrections, runs SunRose from her offices in New York. Rosanne started SunRose when she was a corrections officer with the New York City Department of Corrections. Today at SunRose, Rosanne creates a variety of diffuser blends, body creams, massage blends and other handmade beauty products by hand from scratch. In addition to manufacturing finished products, as a supplier member of HBN, SunRose also provide quality essential oils, carrier oils, African shea butter and accessories such as bottles, pipettes and books to the industry.

From Corrections Captain to Aromatherapy Expert

Says Rosanne, "I'm a love/flower child whose love affair with essential oils started in the 60's when patchouli was the most popular essential oil. It's still one of my favorites, followed by sandalwood and ylang ylang. In the early 90's, my interest in aromatherapy really became serious. Since aromatherapy was still a new industry in this country at that time, it was very difficult for me to find quality oils in local health and herb shops. The Internet opened up a whole new world for me, and I began studying to learn as much as I could about essential oils. I took workshops and certification courses, and bought nearly every book I could find on the subject. Soon, my hobby was an obsession of sorts. Later, when I began to take essential oils to the correctional institutions where I worked, I noticed the remarkable difference these wonderful healing oils make. My family and friends became the recipients of my handmade aromatherapy blends and creams. It was during this time that I decided to retire and go into the business full-time."

Rosanne started SunRose while she was still employed full-time so she could buy her raw materials in smaller quantities and fund the business with her salary. As the business continues to grow, however, she buys in larger and larger quantities and passes the savings onto her customers. Instead of taking out a small business loan, Rosanne decided cashed in her savings and retirement fund to capitalize her business, a decision she does not regret today.

SunRose has 2 employees, one a stay at home mom and the other a full time college student who has been with SunRose for 3 years. The employees tackle the jobs of filling orders for essential oils as they are received (Rosanne never pre-bottles oils), packing orders, making baskets and manufacturing body creams and skincare products. Rosanne makes it a point to include her employees in all aspects of production so they can continue to be challenged and the job never becomes boring.

How Rosanne Keeps It All Together

To help keep her business running smoothly, Rosanne contracts with a variety of outside vendors, including her accountant, attorney and a wonderful Web site designer whom she found through networking at HBN. According to Rosanne, "The Web designer I found through HBN has made my life so much easier. I also use a talented  graphics artist."

Rosanne balances the challenges of running SunRose with the joy she receives from doing what she loves for a living. Says Rosanne, "One of the toughest parts of running my business is deciding what to do with my advertising budget. I mainly use the 'trial and error' approach and, hopefully, I'm getting better at it. It's all worth it though because the people I have met over the years, from clients to vendors, have brought me great joy and it feels good when clients let me know how wonderful a package received from SunRose is. It's like receiving a gift myself!"

Benefits of HBN Membership

Roseanne has been a member of HBN since it began accepting membership applications in April 2000. Rosanne says that her HBN membership has been extremely helpful to her business in many ways. "The networking HBN provides us is wonderful.  Donna Maria is very helpful with any questions one may have, and the Web designer who provides discounts to HBN members is also very helpful for any advertising done on HBN's Web sites. The exposure my business receives through HBN is targeted to the industry and this is great. It is a pleasure working with HBN and the entire HBN membership."

Rosanne and SunRose can be contacted at SunRose112@aol.com and through the SunRose Web site.