Some people start businesses with big plans and market forecasts. Others start by making things they wish existed. There’s no playbook for what comes next—just decisions that pile up, one after another. What to keep, what to cut, where to grow, and when to stop. Pieter-Paul and Brooke never set out to scale a business. They started by making their own candles. Then they opened a tiny Edinburgh shop focused on witchcraft as a lived practice—not a trend. Over time, their instincts kept proving right. The customer base grew. A second shop followed. Then Brexit hit, and European shipping collapsed. That’s when they made their biggest decision yet: opening a third store in Amsterdam to rebuild EU access, stay close to handmade production, and offer more physical space for workshops and community events. Their focus hasn’t changed—but their reach has.

“The art of saying no is everything. Not every opportunity is actually a good one.”

Black Moon Botanica now includes two locations in Edinburgh and one in Amsterdam, with nine employees and two separate online shops—one for the UK, the other for international shipping. Around 75% of revenue comes from physical retail, with the rest from e-commerce, Patreon, and events. Most products are made by hand in their own workshops, including a basement canal space in Amsterdam and a studio in Scotland. “Handmade really means handmade,” Pieter-Paul said. “We make everything ourselves.” Their audience has followed them across platforms and borders: they ship to the EU, US, Australia, and beyond. But everything is managed by the two of them—with help from a small team hired entirely from within their customer base. “Everyone we’ve hired was a customer first. That changes everything.”

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The company doesn’t do paid marketing. No ads, no agencies. Instead, they rely on workshops, word-of-mouth, and their Patreon base to keep engagement strong. Each decision filters through two tests: would we use this, and would we pay this price for it? “It’s a daily process of checking whether we’re still on track,” Pieter-Paul said. “We never wanted to just push things for the sake of growth.” That restraint also shows up in how they expand. They opened two new shops and rebuilt both online stores within a single year—but they’re not looking to add more locations just yet. “That was enough,” he said. “There’s always more to do behind the scenes—always more fine-tuning.”

“People don’t just come for products. They come for community.”

Workshops and events are a key part of Black Moon’s strategy. They host small-group retreats at their home in Scotland, community garden parties for Patreon members, and tarot readings in the shops—often organized by staff themselves. “Our shops are spaces people can use,” he said. “It’s a perk of the job. They’ve got the keys anyway.” Their community is global, but active—driven by consistent posts, real conversations, and events designed around shared learning. “We don’t capitalize on interest—we support it. That’s a very different sales approach.”

Remote management hasn’t been easy, but it’s working. Pieter-Paul travels to Amsterdam every 7–8 weeks to make products and support the team. One employee moved from Italy just to work for the company. “You don’t make that kind of move lightly,” he said. “That kind of investment matters.”

Their next chapter is grounded in the same values as the first. They’re hoping to grow more of their own ingredients and eventually move their workshops off-grid—powered by solar, built around plants, and still led by care.

They’re not chasing expansion. They’re building what they wish existed—and staying close to the people who helped shape it.

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