Marisa Papetti, founder of Marie’s Bees, didn’t set out to build a large product-based business. What started with honey, beekeeping, family, and caregiving slowly grew into a thriving Pacific Northwest brand with wholesale accounts, farmers markets, in-person events, cooking classes, employees, and a full production setup.

In this episode, Marisa shares the real story behind Marie’s Bees - from caring for her grandmother and delivering farm baskets, to discovering the grounding magic of bees, to learning how to build a business that could keep going even when life gets messy.

We talk about:

• How Marie’s Bees started and the personal story behind the name
• What the early days of selling honey and farm baskets looked like
• Why Marisa moved from pouring honey at home to a commercial kitchen
• How she built systems, hired employees, and stopped doing it all herself
• What she learned from past business challenges and burnout
• How she works with her husband without stepping on each other’s toes
• Why finding your people and building community matters in small business
• Her best advice for starting a product-based business today

This conversation is honest, funny, and full of practical wisdom for women in small business, especially anyone building a product-based brand, selling at markets, growing a team, or trying to create a business that can last.

My Favorite Quotes

• “Stop thinking you can do it alone.”
• “If you don’t have systems in place for when actual life happens, you’re dead.”
• “A good business owner is like a business ninja - you constantly adapt, adapt, adapt.”
• “The secret to keeping good people is to take care of good people.”
• “You need to prepare to build a business, not build a hobby that has a business name.”
• “People have their talents. You have to go with their strong suits.”
• “Stop overthinking it. Get out of your own way. Stop being so damn scared.”

Connect with Marisa:
Shop Marie's Bees online: www.mariesbees.com
Text Marisa Papetti: (360) 224-2387
Events + Classes: https://mariesbees.com/pages/events
IG: https://www.instagram.com/mariesbeeswa
PNW Artisan Marketplace: https://pnwartisanmarketplace.com

Connect with Julie | Moss Bags:
Website: https://mossbags.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moss.bags

Photography by Lisa Aamot | https://www.merakiphotographynw.com