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Growing a Business with Intention (Honeybee Sage Wellness & Apothecary)
How do you build a scalable business without losing its origins; what makes it truly special?
In this episode, host Matt Wagner sits down with Angela Mallett, founder of Honeybee Sage Wellness & Apothecary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In their conversation, Angela shares her intentional approach to growth, one that prioritizes community care and cultural healing over rapid expansion.
Angela’s journey began with massage therapy and a calling to bring ancestral herbal wisdom back to underserved communities. Starting in 2018 in the heart of Milwaukee’s 53206 zip code — one of the city’s most challenging areas — Honeybee Sage has become more than a tea shop. It’s an apothecary rooted in the healing traditions of her great-great uncle, a root doctor from Mississippi, offering herbal remedies as medicine.
Discover Angela’s approach to:
Strategic location decisions: Why she chose her location specifically to serve underserved communities while remaining accessible to all demographics.
Scaling with integrity: Her vision to franchise without losing community focus
Building through adversity: Navigating her father’s death, a stroke, and a dissolved business partnership all within the first seven months of operation.
Team development: Growing from solo operator to a management structure that allows expansion while maintaining quality and culture.
Mission-driven business: Operating on faith and purpose rather than fear of economic uncertainty, with the goal of creating a “global community of homegrown healers”.
Creating healing spaces: Designing environments where nervous systems regulate before customers even order tea.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur considering expansion, a Main Street director supporting mission-driven businesses, or a business owner wondering how to scale without sacrificing values, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on intentional growth.
Join us as Angela shares why she works “like she doesn’t need the money,” how herbal tea serves as accessible medicine, and what it means to be a professional “space creator” for community healing.
Connect:
Learn about Honeybee Sage Wellness & Apothecary
Learn about Historic King Drive
Learn about Wisconsin Main Street Program
Episode Links:
About the Main Street Business Insights Podcast
Each week, join host Matt Wagner, Ph.D., as he travels the country and takes a deep dive into the personal journeys of downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs. The stories that far too often go unheard. Learn about the innovative ways that these Main Street businesses have overcome adversity, whether it’s starting a new enterprise or keeping a multi-generation business alive, and the advice they have for others on how to keep their businesses on track. Main Street Business Insights is powered by Main Street America.