Starting a business from scratch is really hard. So many things have to fall into place, and you have to catch those lucky breaks that orbit in and out of your life like X factors. When the unknowns/unplanned moments are good, my goodness, they are good. When they are not good, you want to quit whatever it is that you’re doing, right?!
It’s still too early to classify BESTIES as a success or not, but things are trending in a promising direction. I definitely credit the incredible contractors working alongside Billy and me to bring our friends-and-family operation to the masses. One of the greenest flags you can see from a partner of any kind (in this case, the professional kind) is when they are doing things that need to get done without being asked to do so. Our partners on BESTIES do this, and it brought me to tears (literally) the moment I realized how good of hands we were in. That magical moment when you realize that the people you are paying…care about the work. A lot. Thank you, Mahin, Aanchal, and Neelam for being the very best partners to Billy and me, and incredible leads for our online presence.
As we work closely together on how BESTIES presents itself to a new audience (most of which still needs to be educated on both this category of product AND our product itself, AKA, a tall-ass order for any startup), our contractors continue to proactively give Billy and me homework assignments.
Recently, I was assigned to edit the matrix of “customer profiles.” Basically, who is going to be down to integrate mushroom products into their lives? And…why?
OK, this kind of “know your audience” thinking is not foreign to me. I have done this for nearly 20 years through the PR agency I run alongside BESTIES. I could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves (IYKYK). I also have to keep in mind that when you are a dietary supplement and you’re in this particular category, there are a lot of promotional words and claims that are off limits to you.
On top of that, I see how other popular mushroom brands are pushing their products, leaning into weight loss for women (cheap shot, IMO), increased libido (I feel like this is either at the very top or the very bottom of the consumer’s list at this point…and nothing in between), mental clarity (yeah…that’s true, but it’s a fine line between the desire to focus versus further fog in 2026), and so on.
So where does that leave BESTIES and our audience? Is it you? Well…probably.
Here is my paper-napkin breakdown of the BESTIES consumer. Also, if you feel like I missed something and/or you have thoughts on my POV, feel free to shoot me a note at hey@trybesties.com. Let’s talk about it!
Moms - moms love BESTIES. Because our active ingredient amounts are small in size, both Job Interview and Work From Home promote very high-functioning lifestyles. We are seeing an uptick in the conversation (like this Self Magazine article) around moms who use products like ours to be more present, less wound up, and ultimately more grounded amongst the chaos that is parenting.
Executives - this is my bucket. I am not a mom, but I am a longtime career girlie. (And honestly, major props to women who do both, work and motherhood. I am forever in awe and know in my deepest bones that I don’t have that depth of strength in me.) We are seeing an uptick in the conversation (like this Wall Street Journal article) around career women who use products like ours to continue their corporate climb. It gets harder and harder every year (have you been replaced by AI yet, btw?), and it’s also Manosphere vibes the higher you climb, for now. I am not here burning my bra (I am actually not even wearing a bra right now), but I am speaking from my personal existence. Beta blockers are up amongst this group, and so are products like ours to support executives on their grind.
Golf Bros - this is Billy’s bucket (Billy is my bestie and the other Co-Founder of BESTIES, plus the brand’s formulator). And maybe “golf bro” is more of an umbrella here. It’s anyone involved in sports/activities who likes to turn the “vibrancy volume” up when they touch grass. Also, take “bros” lightly here. 97% of the women I know wear the pants in their domestic partnerships (same for you, and you know it). People literally call me sir when they first meet me based on my energy, and about half of them immediately correct themselves. The other half just gloss over it quickly. If you’re heading to Vegas for “a convention” and you are playing golf and doing your extracurriculars at night, BESTIES is your #1 wingman. Full stop.
Elder Gen Z - I took a soft dig at younger Gen Z earlier in this post. I acknowledge that, and I am not going to edit it. They could be lumped in here, but certainly elder Gen Z is a share of the BESTIES audience. You grew up in a social-media-dominated bubble, so your entire POV on the human experience is gravely warped compared to the rest of us who grew up without harmful dopamine hits behind the steering wheel of our childhoods. You are also entering a workforce (allegedly) that has little to no room for you.
Millennials & Gen X - BESTIES can summon the physical feeling of the ’90s and Y2K in a premium pressed oral tablet. There is a reason nostalgia shifted from a concept to a commodity in recent years. Those of us who lived it are trying to get back (Scotty, beam me literally right now), and those who never lived it are trying to get a taste of those magical days (see this Fortune Magazine article: “Gen Z’s enthusiasm for all things touchable is resurrecting the analog economy and costing parents”). 99% of us crave simpler times, and mushroom products are becoming synonymous with central nervous system resets, the feeling of a deep and overdue exhale, and detaching from the dystopia to feel clarity, focus, and joy.
War Veterans - we have received a lot of positive feedback from the war veteran community. BESTIES is limited in what we can claim in terms of how mushroom products treat PTSD symptoms, but we are following the story of Jesse Gould, a 3x Afghanistan war veteran, and his launch of Heroic Hearts Project, a nonprofit that hosts retreats where veterans can take ayahuasca or psilocybin and perhaps find relief from their trauma. If you served the U.S. and are interested in trying our products, please email us at hey@trybesties.com for 30% off with a valid Veteran ID Card (VIC).
Marginalized Persons - this is a borderline controversial point to make (the PR person in me knows this), but BESTIES has actively gifted our mushroom products to various Telegram/Signal groups led by communities of marginalized women seeking and sharing information about various forms of therapy and selfcare. The feedback from these groups continues to be positive. We are not suggesting that mushroom blends are the answer to systemic issues that continue to perpetuate inequities. Simply put, products like ours can diffuse the physical impact of bullshit on the mind, body, and soul.
Generally Piqued Persons - if you’re curious and generally open-minded, you have little to no reason not to try BESTIES. Some of the prompts above are heavy, and not everyone feels the heaviness of life (and if that is you, please email me at hey@trybesties.com to share how you do it…). You might just be a free-spirited person, happy (enough) with your day-to-day existence and simply like trying new things. BESTIES is the amplification of your already-present GOOD VIBES.
Health Conscious - it’s repeated all over our website and social media, but IYCMI, BESTIES is sugar-free, vegan, and lifts you up without a come down or a crash. No bloat, no rebound, and no recovery time. People are drinking less alcohol for different reasons, but the quest for fun, relaxation, and ways to unwind is more prevalent than ever.
I am sure there are more groups, or mushroom avatars, to consider. I left out the A+ reviews BESTIES received from the adult entertainment community after we gifted product at AVN earlier this year…more on that later. But “BESTIES made me want to do anal” is a real quote.
Questions, comments, concerns? Reach out to me at hey@trybesties.com
XO,
Tess (Co-Founder, BESTIES)
