God can use what's already in your hands.

Tell us a little about yourselves and Clean Slate Botanicals.

BEN We're the owners of Clean Slate Botanicals — a local, grassroots company that started right here in Shreveport. Our goal from the beginning has been to make good quality products for our community. Things that are wholesome, clean, non-toxic. We just love serving the Shreveport–Bossier area.

You have a giving-focused side of your business called Good Works. Where did that come from?

BEN There was always a desire to have a giving-centered aspect to our business — but I just didn't have the clarity to pursue it aggressively yet. What really made it click was a message Pastor David was giving about time, talent, and treasure — and how we were created to do good works. I kind of zoned out mid-message and looked down, and I was writing "Good Works" at the top of my notes and already sketching out what a logo could look like. I just knew. I wanted it to officially be what's called a social enterprise — not just giving or donating, but really doing good in our city in a meaningful, intentional way.

What does that actually look like in practice?

BEN We partner with local nonprofits and build everything around them — at no cost to the organization. We go to them, learn what they do, immerse ourselves in their story, and then we create a product around that. We build them a landing page on our website, set up a direct donation link to their organization, and hire a photographer to go with us and capture their work. Sometimes the photos we produce are the best visuals they've ever had.

HALEY And even beyond the product itself — just the exposure. I had never heard of the Bridge before we worked with them. Most people hadn't. But there's a pamphlet right next to the candle we're selling, and people pick it up and go, "Oh, what's this?" Word of mouth is still how people find out about anything, really.

How do you connect the candle itself to the organization's story?

BEN We let them lead. With the Bridge — the dementia and Alzheimer's center — they came to us and said they'd love something with rosemary, because it's an herb associated with cognition and memory. So that's what the candle became. Herbaceous, rosemary and tea tree. With Shriners, the candle was called Amazing Strengths and Bright Futures, and it was really about spotlighting the kids in that network — not just the care they receive, but the good they go on to do in their lives. Every candle has a story behind it.

How did the collaboration with Celebration Church come together?

BEN I talked to Pastor David one Sunday and told him I had an idea. Then I opened my notes app, wrote out everything I was envisioning, and reached out to the church. We set up a meeting and had y'all come to the store — I really wanted you to see what we were working with and the level of care we were going to put into it. Once we got the green light, y'all came back to pick the scent. The candle ended up being bergamot with a little musk and some florals. It's honestly one of my favorite candles we've ever made.

HALEY We have it in our house.

BEN We only kept one, so I'm ready for these to sell so we can make more. But we love bringing our clients into the creative process when we can. And then when everyone came back for production day, they actually made the candles themselves. So the hands that went into these products were church members. I love that.

All of this came together around Legacy. What does it mean to be part of what Legacy is funding?

HALEY It's an honor, honestly. Money is always such a weird topic inside the church, and I've never really understood why — because I genuinely love to give. We're tithers, and we believe it's biblical. But we'd been wanting to give beyond the tithe, and we just weren't sure how. This became our way of being creative with what was already in our hands. I love when God tells Moses to take the rod that's already in his hand. This business is what's in Ben's hand.

BEN And I think a lot of people experience what I used to feel — like you don't have enough, or it won't make a difference, or who's even going to see it. In the past I'd get a spark and immediately throw a damp rag over it before it ever had a chance to become something. What's been different this time is that we gave it oxygen. We stopped asking whether it was a good enough idea and just started. And the rest kind of followed.

When you think about where those funds actually go — missions trips, people's lives being changed — what does that feel like?

HALEY It's wild to think about, honestly. You'll never know on this side of heaven what came of the seeds you sow. But that's not really the point. The point is obedience. What is God asking me to do? And am I going to do it — whether it feels big or small? It's like walking up to a stranger in a coffee shop because you feel nudged to encourage them, and having no idea that they were having the worst day of their life. You'll never know. But you did the thing.

BEN Yeah. It's just amazing to think that we could be even the tiniest piece of something that changes someone's life — and then changes whoever they connect with, and on and on. That opportunity is there every time you're willing to stretch a little beyond your normal way of thinking and doing things.