Windy City Lip Balm Bundle. The Hangover Lip Balm Bundle. Rose Nyland Lip Balm.

The titles might sound slightly irreverent. But playful wordplay aside, Serious Lip Balm in Jacksonville is downright committed to nurturing the body and soul through its line of all-natural and handmade lip and skin products. Founded ten years ago by Khara Koffel and Megan Luckey, this is a business with an unwavering commitment to provide “good stuff” to its customers with “good ingredients.”

“The message of this business is ‘Feel your best, so you can be your best, and you can do your best.’ We’re all about being who we are,” said Khara. “When we first started this business, we made a pact that we were always going to be exactly who we were throughout the building of this business. We were never going to put on airs. We were never going to speak the business lingo and all those sorts of things.”

Gifts of gratitude to serious business

For Khara, what began as a simple gesture of gratitude has blossomed into a thriving business that now ships its products to more than 500 retailers across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“We never knew what this was going to start. We always like to tell everybody that we have no business running a business. But here we are,” Khara stated with amplification in her voice.

“My son was born in 2013, and we knew that daycare center teacher gifts are often a little what you might call lackluster. How many mugs with apples on them can you have?” said Khara. “So, I decided to make some lip balms for them as just a gift for Christmas and the holidays, so that they knew that we loved them.”

Those lip balm creations quickly gained a local following, and she stumbled upon an unexpected business opportunity.

“This quickly evolved into a pop-up retail sort of business,” recalled Khara. “We did things like vendor fairs and craft fairs, and then we would do consignment in some local stores and things like that. So, we really started out on the retail side of things.”

As demand grew, Khara realized she couldn’t manage the expanding operation alone. In a move that would define the future of Serious Lip Balm, she reached out to someone she knew from her day job as a university art professor.

“I contacted my good friend and student, Megan Lucky. She came over to my house and we made some lip balms,” recalled Khara. “Little did Megan and I know that we were going to end up starting a business and working together for so long.”

As Serious Lip Balm evolved, Khara and Megan made a deliberate choice about the direction they wanted to take their growing business. Wholesale instead of retail.

“We decided that brick and mortar was not for us. We knew we didn’t have the time and energy to dedicate to our own specific stores,” noted Khara.

Partnership built on purpose

The early days of production had a distinctly grassroots feel according to Khara, with friends and family pitching in wherever they could. But as the business grew, it became clear that a more sustainable solution was needed.

“We originally started making everything in my kitchen, so, everybody (family and friends) would come over to our house, and we would we would pay them in hugs, granola bars and delivery pizza, and we would make lip balms there,” recalled Khara with a smile. “When we reached 30,000 lip balms (produced) in one calendar year, we realized we just couldn’t make it any more.”

An introduction to Elm City Center, which is a community-based nonprofit for people with physical, mental and emotional setbacks, would forever change the trajectory of Serious Balm and help the business pivot to a higher production yield.

“We showed them what we did. They said, “Absolutely, we can help you. We can work together and lighten your load so that you can do Serious Lip Balm business, while we support you by making the products,’” said Khara with a big smile. “So, they gave us some space to be able to manufacture our products at the basement of Elm City. They help us with production and labeling and capping and things like that. Basically, our entire manufacturing from beginning to end is right here at Elm City Center in Jacksonville. It’s just a thrill.”

For Khara, the relationship with Elm City Center has become the heart and soul of Serious Lip Balm, representing something far greater than a business arrangement.

“Our relationship with the people of Elm City Center is one of the greatest things about this entire business. We would be absolutely nowhere without them,” emphasized Khara with an energetic voice. “It’s just absolutely incredible to see that purpose and love for doing a job. Why don’t we do that more? Why don’t we, as a country put people who have a talent together with a job that they can do to give them fulfillment and joy and interaction and learning? To me, that is what this is all about.”

All about authenticity

Serious Lip Balm is about more than just skincare products. For Khara, the business represents a philosophy of authenticity and empowerment that she and Megan have championed from day one.

Today, the choice to be a wholesale business has shaped the company in unexpected ways.

“Although right now we aren’t traditionally retail, but primarily wholesale, I have to say that I respect and honor retailers and the relationship that we have with them,” explained Khara. “We love hearing from our retail partners and love working with them. It’s an incredible relationship that is just symbiotic.

“The reason we pivoted to wholesale was really because we understood that we couldn’t be everywhere all the time. We had families. We had jobs. I am still a fulltime art professor,” noted Khara. “We couldn’t just take these weekends and constantly be going to other places. We needed to be able to move the product and to do it in larger quantities than we were able to do.

“Another reason we pivoted to wholesale was because, at shows people were so impressed with the products, they really wanted to know if they could get them closer to where they lived,” observed Khara. “Sometimes even small businesses would come in to our booth and ask us if they could sell us.”

Khara’s explained why she is energized about the Illinois Retail Merchants Association initiative to showcase retailers.

“One of the reasons why I really wanted to participate in the We Are Retail series is because I think the relationship between retailers and wholesalers is so important. I love to see it growing and becoming something more incredible every day,” explained Khara with enthusiasm in her voice. “We really do support each other. If it weren’t for them (retail owners), we wouldn’t have a business, and we absolutely respect that.”

Looking back on the journey from homemade teacher gifts to a nationally distributed brand, Khara is grateful to the community that made it all possible.

“This is in no way what I thought Serious Lip Balm was going to be. I never thought Serious Lip Balm was going to ever exist,” proclaimed Khara. “It really has grown thanks to the magic of this community, the Midwest and the people around us. I am amazed every day by what we’re able to do, how we’re able to live and the people we’re able to help.”

It’s all connected

As a wholesale business embedded in the retail ecosystem, Khara has a unique perspective on the economic challenges now facing small businesses in Illinois.

“As a wholesaler who works a lot with retail, I really want the politicians of Illinois to understand how much we are part of the global economy, even if we are an American business,” remarked Khara. “Not only are we an American business, we’re an Illinois business. We’re a Central Illinois business.”

The current economic climate including tariffs, has created ripple effects throughout the supply chain, something Khara said she witnesses directly in her relationships with retailers.

“The retail system right now is really being shaken to the core because consumer confidence is just not there. People are afraid of every dollar that they spend,” noted Khara. “Because of that, it really trickles to all businesses. You have retailers who aren’t having as many consumers come in and it’s customers who buy the products. Then retailers aren’t able to really have confidence in buying more products to put into their stores.”

Still, Khara sees a bright future for those wanting to start their own business.

“If you are a retailer and are possibly considering wholesale, I would focus on starting small,” advised Khara. “I see way too many businesses that think they can be successful in one thing, and want to rush into the other. I think there is nothing better for a retailer who wants to become a wholesaler than to really focus on their product, and service and do it according to their character.

“Do the best job that you possibly can. Don’t just chase everything that’s out there,” Khara continued. “Make sure you stay within your vision of who you are and what the company is.”

Khara also sounded a realistic note about whether wholesale makes sense for every brick and mortar, acknowledging that not all business owners are created the same.

“I don’t know if wholesale is possible for every retailer simply because there are so many products out there. Perhaps your best talent is serving your clients,” explained Khara. “I think if you have a product, go ahead and try it. See what happens and gather your resources from the people around you. We are not reinventing the wheel here.”

When asked what makes Serious Lip Balm so special, Khara responded with confidence and amazement.

“Serious Lip Balm matters, because it is the definition of what a business can be if you don’t want to stick to the other rules of business,” said Khara. “Serious Lip Balm has somehow magically been able to flourish by being its own little magical star, and I still am amazed by it every single day.”