I get asked on a regular basis about my soap business. So, I thought I would write an article about it to give the people who are interested some insight.
I was a police officer for about 3 years, when I decided that I needed something non-police related to do that could potentially make me money. Most of the other police officers I knew worked some kind of side job. Most of it being security. I did that couple times. It was very boring. I knew there had to be a better way then standing around the mall or grocery stores waiting for them to get robbed or someone to shoplift. There were so many home based business opportunities out there, none were for me.
My husband and I went on vacation to Tennessee and I saw some cool soaps in a store there. When we got back Sunshine Soap was started. Now, in the beginning my soap was not fancy. I made it in Pringles cans…..or little loaf shaped Tupperware. It smelled ok, nothing really great and it was very plain looking. Never the less, I sent some to my family. I mean when your looking for the brutal truth, who better to ask then your loving family?
They said it felt good on their skin and was “ok”.
Well…..”ok” has NEVER been good enough for me. It is kind of like when you ask your husband how you look and he says “fine”.
After a few more test runs, my family went from “ok” to “fantastic” and I decided to try my luck at the local flea market. My husband and I loaded up my pick up truck with some hay bails, an old door to throw over top of them with a tablecloth and some good smelling, not so fancy soap.
I got everything all set up and decided I would put the soap out in loaves and when people decided what scent they wanted, I would slice them off a piece and wrap and label it.
Wow. I was kind of surprised. I had a lot of customers those first couple weekends out there. Better yet, I had repeat customers.
I went out there almost every weekend for two years. Rain, heat, pregnant…I was there. My soap making skills got better over time. I found top quality fragrance oil suppliers and I figured out how to put “swirls” and different designs in my soaps. This totally set me apart from the other soap makers out at the flea market.
Eventually, I got so busy at my booth out there, that I could no longer cut the bars off the loaf while the customer was waiting . At this point I started to pre-package and knowing that I didn’t want to spend my whole life going to the flea market every weekend, I got a website. This was a way for my flea market customers to order from me even though I was not there anymore. Ten years later, I still have numerous customers who first started buying from me at that flea market. They have a special place in my heart, indeed. I dare you to try this with your average home based business opportunity.
Also, during my first two years in business, I started doing craft shows. I did them in New York ( which is where most of my family is) and North Carolina. At first , I did a bunch. I wasn’t very picky about how many people were set to attend, or how expensive it was. I just wanted to “feel out” the market. WHOA! What a market there was. In ten years, I have yet to come across a soap maker who has the same kind of soap as me. I have done the same show circuit for 8 years. You see, the funny thing is, is that I have had tons of people say , ” Oh, I can do that”, or ” I saw that on Martha Stewart”. I can tell you this. It is one thing to go buy your supplies at the local craft store and make a few batches in your kitchen. It is a very different thing to constantly research scents, labeling, supplies, marketing, and keep up a web site. I am in a competitive, constantly changing market. I have to keep up with the scent trends and the bath and body product trends. When I am getting ready for a big show, it takes long hours on your feet to make thousands of bars of soap. I have to pour it at the precise temperature so as not to melt the curls that are on the inside. Then, I need to wait for it to cure and cut and label it. When it is all laying on the table , beautifully made and packaged, it is easy for a customer to be fooled into thinking it looks easy.
Now a days, I am a bit more picky about the shows I do. I tend to like the juried shows better. A juried show is when you have to send in pictures of your product, booth set up and also a detailed description of your work. There is a high quality of all different kinds of art at these shows, and it is always an honor to get in. After 8 years, my Mom and Grandmother still work with me in the booth at the NY shows. Three generations….how cool is that?
I dove into wholesaling too. I wholesale to stores and spa’s and do private labeling for them. I like this part of my business but it is not as personal as doing shows and actually meeting my customers.
About 8 years ago, I also started having a Holiday Open House at my home, right around Christmas.
The first year I had it, I was in a panic. Would anyone drive to the woods in Efland, NC to buy soap?
As it turns out…oh yes. The first year and every year since has been a success . I am always so excited to see my “soap buyin’ peeps.” I look forward to it every year. The people that come into my home on that day, are so much more to me than customers. I have a smile and a hug for them all. I value them. I am thankful for them. I care about them. Things that are so often forgotten by a lot of retailers these days. I KNOW that half the reason people buy from me is because of the relationship I have with them. I can remember their name. I remember their favorite scent. I remember they have a dog with a bad hip or a daughter getting ready to have a baby… I make them feel special…..and who doesn’t like that??
Somewhere along the way, I started making lotions, body butter, scrubs, lip balm and even a mineral makeup line. However, the soap has always been my bread and butter. I have the most fun making that.
Like a lot of things in life, the success I have had in my business has been a process. I work hard at what I do. It is my passion, not just another home based business opportunity.
As I begin my next entrepreneurial chapter of my life, I am discovering the power of social media marketing. You see, if I stop making soap, then I stop making money. As is true for most people. If you don’t get up and go to work….well, then there is no pay check. I have realized the importance of residual income. For those of you who don’t know that term, it means that you do the work right ONE time and get paid over and over. Athletes with endorsements, best selling authors, musicians, successful network marketers…..they do it right once and get paid over and over. I WANT THAT.
My newest addiction is social media marketing. This is right up my alley. I love people and I come into contact with hundreds of new people a day. I enjoy coaching and mentoring others who wish to replace their current income. Even better, the more people I help with their goals and dreams, the closer that brings me to mine. It is FUN and PROFITABLE. All from my own house.
It does not matter what line of work you are in….the principle is the same. People do not join COMPANIES, they join PEOPLE.
Angela Bobal
Success in 10 Steps
