From a $2,000 Van to $5 Million in Toothpaste Sales

Jeremy, known online as Van Man, started his natural alternatives business in 2021 while living out of a $2,000 van he bought on Craigslist. He had sold all his belongings, quit his job, and was trying to reset his life after a string of failed startup attempts. By 2023, his company was doing over $5 million in annual revenue selling tooth powder, tallow honey balm, and other bathroom products — all handmade and shipped from a single warehouse in San Diego. The business grew from $5,000 in its first month to a million-dollar month, and now ships 500 to 600 orders per day.

Building an Audience Before Building a Product

Jeremy's business did not begin with a product idea. It began with a Twitter account called Van Man, where he documented his life living out of a van and posted about health topics he was exploring. He had become interested in the anti-fluoride movement and started brushing his teeth with baking soda, then adding eggshell powder after seeing an Arnold Schwarzenegger video about putting eggshells in protein shakes. He tweeted about it, people expressed interest, and he realized he had stumbled into a product.