The more suspicious KayDel Shelton became of the "natural" skin care products she was buying, the clearer her future became.

As a professional in the corporate world, Shelton liked to look good.

She tried lots of expensive skin care potions, some costing more than "a good pair of shoes."

But she was seeing no improvement in the way her skin looked and felt. And, when she threw away all the "pretty little boxes and fancy prescriptions" and started shopping at "natural" skin care store, that didn't help much either.

"While the products smelled delicious, I realized that the ingredients were lacking one thing — nature," she said. "What is behentrimonium methosulfate anyway?"

So, she started her own company, creating and handcrafting natural, organic skin care products.

Her store, Myrtle Leaf All Natural Skin Care at 1511 6th Avenue North Suite B in Billings, offers products as varied as chamomile and sunflower light facial lotion and juniper, cypress and lemon myrtle face wash. There's even a lemon, thyme and witch hazel facial toner. Her products can also be purchased from her Web site, www.myrtleleaf.com.

Shelton can be reached at 252-2171, 839-0166 or 888-544-7873.

Here's what else she said about leaving the world of big business to start her own business:

Why start this business? 

As a CPA in the corporate world, I tried numerous expensive skin care products only to find that while it felt good to use products on my face, I was seeing no improvement in the look and feel of my skin. Nothing, including expensive chemical bleaches, was fading the hyperpigmentation on my face from sun damage and hormonal changes.

So, I decided to create my own products. After much experimentation using natural oils, butters, extracts and pure essential oils, I was seeing dramatic improvement in the texture and clarity of my skin.

As a result, I created the Myrtle Leaf products to provide consumers (and myself) with quality all-natural products at reasonable prices.

Where did startup funding come from?

Personal sacrifice.

How long have you been in business?

Eleven years.

Your biggest challenge during the current recession?

I have been pleasantly surprised and thankful that our business has not been dramatically affected by the recession. It tells me that women will continue to take care of themselves and stay healthy. To help them with this, we are always offering discounts, specials and gifts, all ways to help them afford our products.

What was done to overcome those challenges?

I am always offering specials to help our health-conscious customers continue to take care of their skin.

What is being done to expand the business?

The first big step in several years I have taken is to move to a public location in downtown Billings. In the past few years, we have focused on Internet marketing where we built our business and became profitable. However, after moving to Billings from Kalispell 2½ years ago, I realize that this is an extremely lucrative market full of energetic, hardworking people.

We have found that Billings people are savvy consumers who are supportive of local business. Because of our confidence in the Billings business community, we applied for and received one of the "bootstrap" loans and are using the funds to expand our local business along with our internet business.

Your best business decisions?

 I truly believe that after doing business out of a shop in my home for 11 years, moving to my new location in Billings has been my best decision. It allows me to focus on researching ingredients, developing new products and marketing more effectively to my customers.

Your worst business mistake?

Falling victim to marketing scams — twice. One was Internet marketing and the other was a direct-TV ad scam. Yikes.

What advice do you have for someone running a business?

Keep moving forward with your business so it remains fun and interesting. We are fortunate to live in a vibrant economy in spite of the rest of the country. Enjoy, and continuously keep you product line alive for your customers. Stay positive and do yoga.

Number of workers?

Currently, I have no regular employees outside of my family.

However, when I need a specialist or seasonal help, I hire independent contractors for various projects.

What's your five-year plan for the business?

To grow my customer base here in Billings and continue to increase Internet sales with a new state-of-the-art Web site.

A question you would ask other entrepreneurs?

My questions are always about marketing and advertising (What works?), because it such a tremendous expense and there is no sure thing.

If you weren't doing what you are now, what would be your dream job?

It doesn't get any better than this for me. At 46 years old, I better be in my dream job, and I am.