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On the “Mend” with lip balm

Small businesses take time and effort to efficiently share their product or services with the world. On Feb. 5, freshman counselor Rachel Parrett took a chance and launched her own lip balm company called “Mend Lip Balm”  focused on raising mental health awareness.

Parrett’s business provides an outlet for creativity and maturation through something as simple as lip balm.

“I knew whatever I was going to be involved in, whatever career path I took, or whatever small business I started, I wanted to incorporate mental health and bring awareness to it while breaking the stigma,” Parrett said.

Their product starts with a simple idea and the concept of a small act of kindness branching out to others in a dynamic domino effect.

“Everyone uses lip balm and everyone loses lip balm,” Parrett said. “Maybe someone who needs the hotline number will find it on the ground somewhere and they are just in need of seeing those resources or those reminders.”

Her efforts paid off as social media spread the word. People like University House Resident Director, Emily Nicks, took notice and supported Rachel’s passion and cause.

“Rachel is so sweet, thoughtful and fun and it shows through the whole concept of it being lip balm while also providing resources and monetary profits for mental health organizations,” Nicks said.

Parrett’s devotion to destigmatizing  mental illness fueled Parrett’s idea for a lip balm company to mend not only lips but the soul.

“I am passionate about this with how I am connecting with people through my product and how it is all centered around mental illness,” Parrett said.

Small businesses have the ability to greatly impact the community.

“She has done a really great job of making the brand stand out and saying how it is a legitimate business and organization,” Nicks said.

People close to Parrett had no idea she would do something as  unpredictable as starting up her own small business and manufacturing her own product.

“I never envisioned myself starting a small business,” Parrett said. “I always saw myself as someone who is very much behind the scenes and I like supporting people and just doing the small tasks to add up to the big picture.”

Parrett struggled with mental illness herself and wanted to make others  aware of it. She aims to prevent mental illness from overwhelming people’s lives.

“My end goal is to make sure the resources on the package impact someone somehow. If it only happens once then I have accomplished my mission,” Parrett said.

Personality and resolution shines within the “Mend Lip Balm” outreach, according to many customers.

“When I looked at her company, I thought it was a great idea to provide mental health resources to people which is what drew me to place an order,” Nicks said.

Parrett has three flavors of lip balm currently; two of those are citrus and mint. She plans to expand with more flavors and a broader outreach system for mental illness. The Mend Lip Balm is on Etsy, Instagram and TikTok at @mendlipbalm and is easily accessible to anyone who wants help with their mental illness.

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