One of the questions that I get asked most frequently, especially by non-tea people, is “Why don’t you sell tea?”. I definitely understand their confusion. Tea is one of my greatest passions in life and as the saying goes, do what you love. My answer is usually, “Well, it’s complicated.”. There are a few different reasons so I thought this might make an interesting blog post.

1. I don’t have the time or resources.
Starting a business takes time, money and resources that I just do not have right now. If I were independently wealthy things might be different but that’s not likely to happen unless my office lottery pool hits it big.

2. I fear it would be the end of Tea for Me Please.
Let’s face it, this blog is my baby. For the last five years it has been the one constant thing in my life. I would be utterly bored without it. In addition I pride myself on being unbiased and honest. If I sold tea, could I really continue to review tea from other companies (my competition)?

3. I don’t want to take away from the companies who have supported me.
The generosity of the tea world never ceases to amaze me. My “to be reviewed” bin is a testament to that. While I can’t always buy the tea that I want to buy, I hope that my reviews help all of those companies in some small way.

4. If I do it, I want to do it the right away.
Over the years I’ve seen a number of bloggers become tea sellers. I’ve also seen just as many close up shop after a few years. This hurts the industry in general because it makes it appear that a tea retailer is not a sustainable business model. The truth of the matter is that when people eventually have to choose between their dream and a career, the career is usually the winner.

5. I don’t know what I want.
A business needs to be sure of itself, to know who its customers are and what they are looking for. I often have many different and varied ideas floating around my head. No one idea has really grabbed me as a “this is what I want to do” concept. Perhaps in a few years that may change but for right now I’m still exploring everything that the wonderful world of tea has to offer.

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