We had the good fortune of connecting with Jillian Gundy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jillian, what do you attribute your success to?
My success is greatly impacted by the support of my family. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my husband, parents, and inspiration of my children. Tiki Hut Life was created out of the needs of our family to enhance our chemical-free lifestyle. We take pride in sourcing as local as possible and supporting our community. We source our produce from local farmers’ markets, and our meat from local farmers. Our next step to “clean” living was to create a skincare line without all of the hormone disruptors and filler ingredients with no nutrition. Our mission will always be to source every ingredient for the ultimate nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. We strive for top quality for your skin.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The need for clean products has taught us that too many products on store shelves these days are changing their product ingredients or making their sizes smaller to save money. This results in a poorer product and does not give your skin the nurture it needs. Most of these products filled with chemicals are also harmful to our environment.

At Tiki Hut Life, we believe in a chemical-free lifestyle focused on using only sustainably sourced ingredients free from parabens, phthalates, harsh detergents, or chemicals harmful to our skin and our environment. For us, being cruelty-free means that we do no testing on animals, just our family and friends! We are seasonal and private label capable. Since our launch in 2022, we are now wholesaling within a few major platforms that offer product discovery, sourcing, and purchasing into major retailers.

A major goal we have is to have our products in Earth Fare since they have major credibility in the natural space. This would be such an exciting step in our journey to get our products to a broader community.

Our plan for 2024 is to nurture the “crunchy” community for those who follow a natural lifestyle and incorporate more products into their lifestyle and parenting. We take pride in using quality butters, oils, and enhancements. Over the last year, we have been working on a new line with essential oils including more lotions and lip balm as well as anti-bug spray, bug bite sticks, sunblock, and even sunburn care with aloe. We even have a new dishwashing powder to add to our homecare line which currently includes laundry powder.

We are excited that in 2024, we are even planning to have our own beehives to harvest our own honey. It doesn’t get any more local than that for our oatmeal and honey-filled Seaside Spa goat milk bar soap.

We have learned many lessons in our journey as a small business owner. One thing we always keep in mind is even if we are not perfect at something now, we can learn anything and accomplish the task at hand. We take pride in continuing education to further our knowledge in business, marketing, finances, the natural/organic space, sourcing, and working with distributors.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Our family connects most in nature. We live for being outdoors, feeling the ground under our feet, connecting with animals, and eating farm-to-table.

We are based in the Summerville area of South Carolina and we frequent the Ashley River. This 22-mile scenic stretch with a variety of natural habitats including an abundance of wildlife, is our favorite place to kayak. Just be sure to avoid alligators!

Everyone loves sweets. The Sugared Magnolia Bakery in Monks Corner offers cake and cookie decorating classes for kids and adults to create you into a pro-decorator. Their desserts are both delicious and beautiful.
With two little ones of our own, we try to teach them as much about permaculture as much as possible. One place that is a wealth of knowledge, especially for children is Katie’s Krops. It is an inspiring youth-run company that love to let kids get their hands dirty and learn how to be self-sustainable. Not only do they grow fruit and vegetable gardens throughout communities, but they also offer classes for youth in their Summerville location.

We couldn’t forget to mention a few of our favorite restaurants that fit our lifestyle. Both are in Charleston and take great pride in the quality of their dishes creating a magnificent experience. The Grocery sources its ingredients from local farmers, fishermen, foragers, and artisans. From root vegetables to seafood pilau and steak tartare, it is all intriguing. Another favorite of ours is Fig, who pays homage to the Lowcountry, and is educated about food, and crafts the Southern experience. Lump crab spaghetti and roasted porchetta tomato are two dishes not to miss. Whichever restaurant you choose, you are sure to leave with a whole new appreciation of fine tastes.

Summerville and our surrounding areas offer a wealth of beautiful sights, history, agriculture, and fine food. We are so proud to be a part of it and bring clean skincare and homecare products to this part of town and beyond.

Katie’s Krops, Summerville SC
https://katieskrops.com/about-us/

The Sugared Magnolia Bakery, Monks Corner
https://www.facebook.com/TheSugaredMagnoliaBakery/

The Grocery, Charleston
https://thegrocerycharleston.com

Fig, Charleston
https://eatatfig.com

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Growing up in New York, you learn lessons quickly and correct the first time around. It teaches you to work hard and fight for what you want to achieve. A strong family foundation can help guide you, especially my very hands-on family.

My family has always stood by me with every bold, life-changing decision I’ve made in my career and business. One person in my life I always looked up to is my father. He has endless patience, learns every skill he can, and never stops moving.

The first person who jumped in when I said I had a soap-making dream was my father. As soon as I graduated from the small, basic store-bought molds, I sat with my dad. We custom-designed our own molds and bought a ton of silicone. Thanks to my dad’s craftsmanship, he built a mold and then poured the silicone and even the outer mold that holds the silicone shell. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

He has worked to build me counterpaces, shelves, and my business room for our growing business needs. I can never thank him enough!

Website: MyTikiHutLife.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/mytikihutlife

Facebook: Facebook.com/MyTikiHutLife

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