One of the best characteristics of the Internet is its ease of access. People with good ideas can become overnight entrepreneurs, usually with much less of an investment than someone who opens up a storefront in any city or town in the United States.

The Internet is the great equalizer, I think. The sky's the limit when it comes to the types of products that are marketed on the Internet. So, when I ran across the Scented Sanctuary, an Internet store selling aromatherapy products, my interest was immediately piqued.

Lesa Kopsidas, who goes by "Roxy" for her business, grew up helping her parents with their business. She trained as an executive assistant in finance and accounting after she graduated from high school, but something was missing from her career.

After becoming ill and being placed on a medication that prevented her from taking other medications for colds, pain and so forth, Roxy decided she wanted to find an alternative healing method that would alleviate her symptoms and allow her to go off the medication.

Roxy turned adversary around to create her own aromatherapy business

She turned to the Internet for her research. The more she read about aromatherapy, the more interested she became. She found a wealth of information on the net, and then she began reading every book she could find on the subject. She watched with fascination as more and more products became available on the market. Aromatherapy uses extracts from flowers, herbs and other plants. Although there are many scented products on the market today, aromatherapy is different because it uses these essential oils for healing. The concept is not new.

Ancient cultures in Egypt and China used plants to help the healing process. Oriental medicine still does use plants for healing. More and more Westerners are beginning to use these gifts from nature. As traditional Western medicine becomes more and more expensive, many people are turning to alternative healing methods. Roxy discovered that many products in the field were made from chemicals, and that bothered her.

She decided that she wanted to make her products from scratch and believed that people would be interested in buying products that were truly natural. She searches for and uses only the finest oils and ingredients when making up her products.

That gives Roxy a niche in this growing market. Roxy believes that aromatherapy can enhance or maintain someone's health, and evidently a lot of people agree with her.

Roxy's business is conducted entirely on the Internet, and her website has a wealth of information about aromotherapy's history, use and the benefits of this unique healing method.

For instance, the common herb basil is used to prevent mental and physical fatigue, help concentration, relieve headaches and colds and alleviate menstrual cramps. The nice thing about Roxy's site is that she gives a lot of information to the person considering aromatherapy.

Another good thing about Roxy's business is that she allows her customers to recycle their bottles and receive a discount on future orders for doing so. In a time when our environment needs all the help it can get, it's really wonderful to find someone who is actively combining her business with preserving the balance in nature.

Roxy told me that she started her business as a part-time venture. "I chose the Internet because it opens up a world of possibilities and gains you more exposure to the world. My ultimate goal is to open up a store locally and still offer mail order through the Internet." She's hoping to find an investor who will help her to achieve the next part of her goal.

When I asked her about the advantages and disadvantages of doing business on the Internet, she said, " Unless you are a very large company that can afford to advertise around the world, you receive tremendous exposure where you wouldn't normally."

She continued, "The disadvantage of doing business on the Internet, at least for me, is that you don't have the human contact. People cannot actually see, touch and smell your products, test them and so forth. A lot of people are hesitant to buy products that way."

Roxy also has some perceptive advice for those considering doing business on the Internet. "I would say have lots of patience, know your product, know the Internet, explore your options, and learn as much as you can and never quit!"

Roxy offers a wide variety of products from which to choose. She has therapy oils and bath products, smelling salts and massage oils. She offers hand and face creams, hair mists and facial cleansers. Lip balm and shampoo, baby powder and cream are all part of this enterprising lady's product line.

She'll make up gift baskets and travel collections for those people who want to use her products when they're on the road. She uses absolutely no chemicals or preservatives in her products, and each one has an expiration date.

Roxy says that she even "found all of my suppliers via the Internet." She inquired about their products and then received samples. "I tried everything on myself, my family and my friends." She refused to use anything that she hadn't tried first herself.

While it's easy for anyone to start a business on the Internet, I have a lot of admiration for this spunky woman. She took matters into her own hands in terms of her health and has created a product line that is suitable for everyone.

She refuses to go the easier and cheaper way of using chemicals in her products, and she works long hours perfecting her offerings. She'll consult with anyone who has special needs. Personal service like this is hard to find these days. If you've never tried aromatherapy, visit Roxy's site. You'll be glad you did.

Roxy is also a member of the FOD Women in Business WebRing, which offer a way for people to promote their businesses. This particular web ring brings together women with many different kinds of businesses.