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Best Bud for Life sells organic, hemp-infused wellness products.

The idea for a cannabidiol (CBD) company was borne from an impromptu brainstorm between twin sisters, Carly Ripp and Ashley Winton, as they reveled in the joys and pains of new parenthood after years of struggling with infertility.

“We were dealing with our own yet similar maternal stress experiences,” explains Carly. “Ashley was experiencing intense postpartum joint pain after giving birth to her son. I was recovering from years of infertility treatments (hormonal injections) and the mental stress of yet another failed round of IVF, all while embracing a beautiful new adopted daughter.”

Feeling physically depleted, they began sharing their positive experiences of CBD use over coffee in Brooklyn. “And it hit us,” says Carly. “If we were feeling the benefits, surely we should share with our friends and other women who may be feeling like they need to get back to ‘even'”.

Struggling to find a CBD company they loved unanimously, the sisters sought to create their very own organic CBD brand with an eco-friendly mission. There was an extra eye for detail as well: “We knew the branding needed to be much more modern than most CBD brands available; we wanted it to feel like an extension of our everyday wellness ritual.”

“Having high standards, developing quality products, and caring about the planet as we build our business will set us apart from a lot of the more generic CBD companies out there.”

It’s clear that Best Bud for Life is not simply trying to convince people that CBD is a cure-all, and have no interest in selling “trendy products”. “We’re only interested only in creating a high-quality organic line of CBD-infused wellness products that can actually help people feel better – products that people can feel good about recommending, gifting, and taking themselves.”

Now, a year into the journey and rapid growth of Best Bud for Life, Carly and Ashley are more inspired than ever. They run operations from the Best Bud Studio in Lockeland Springs, East Nashville, where each small-batch topical oil and tincture is lovingly bottled by hand. Their sun-grown hemp is sourced from a certified USDA Organic farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. This sustainable provider is a leader in regenerative farming practices, helping to minimize the impact on our planet.

Running a small business can be hard, especially when raising children and juggling intense full-time jobs at the same time. Navigating the “unnecessarily complicated” CBD landscape adds another layer of complexity. Carly and Ashley’s advice to other CBD professionals and new businesses is simple: Take the time to do it right. “We’ve heard plenty of horror stories of businesses trying to move too quickly to jump on the CBD bandwagon and have suffered the consequences,” they caution.

Steering clear of the path chosen by many other CBD brands, the sisters recognize the importance of continued, authentic connections with the community. “The most rewarding [part] by far is hearing the stories of people benefiting from using CBD. [People] recovering from car accidents, avoiding opioids, experiencing relief from chronic migraines, arthritis, and pain of all kinds. It really is the community that makes it all worth it,” beams Carly.

“We are firm believers that despite the hype, having high standards, developing quality products, and caring about the planet as we build our business will set us apart from a lot of the more generic CBD companies out there.”

“Using WooCommerce was a no-brainer.”

Best Bud for Life started using WooCommerce “very early on,” says Carly. “We heard they were more supportive of our industry and more customizable. We thought about using Shopify but had heard companies were getting shut down and had to start completely from scratch. Ashley and I wanted to avoid those potential complications, and even though it required hiring a website developer to help set us up, we knew it would be worth avoiding those issues in the long term. Using WooCommerce was a no-brainer.”