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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

Network Marketing: Why This Could Be A Viable Source of Income for The Stay At Home Mom

Let me give a definition of the two types of income we will talk about.

LINEAR – This is probably the type of income you receive right now. You trade time for dollars. If you stop working the income STOPS.

RESIDUAL INCOME – This is the type of income that we all want. With this type of income, you do the work right ONE TIME and get paid over and over. Athletes with endorsements, best selling authors, musicians, successful network marketing…..they do it right one time and get paid over and over.

Ok, guys first let’s get past the negative wrap that the term Network Marketing sometimes gets. Even saying the word to people will sometimes send them into a tailspin and they can’t say NO fast enough. These people are not knowledgeable about the Network Marketing Business…..so move on. Don’t sign up for that class.

Let me just say that Network Marketing works. When you find the right company with the right people involved, it just works. No one teaches us how to be entrepreneurs. Americans are taught to go to school, graduate…pick what “job” you want to do and then go to some more school, graduate and then go start punching in 9-5 somewhere. Why are we taught this? Honestly, it is what most of our parents do and what most Americans do. When I was in college there was no class to take that would teach me about residual income. There was no class to take that would teach me how to generate money from home. It was “Here’s you degree….now go get a job.”

Now, I will address the stay at home mom. I am one of those myself, so I have experience here. I have owned and operated a business from home for 10 years. It has allowed me to volunteer at my children’s school, go on field trips, shop when everyone else is at work, have coffee, lunch or whatever with my friends, and basically has given me the freedom to make my own schedule. It has been a huge blessing in my life. That said however….if I stop working at my home based job…the money stops too. If I’m not making and selling product, then no money is coming in. There is no residual income. This is true for most people. My husband is a police officer. If he stops working, then no pay check. There is a way around this…it’s called residual income.

Network marketing is a great option for the stay home mom. No child care, no transportation costs to child care, make your own schedule. EARN RESIDUAL INCOME. Yes, it is possible to stop living paycheck to pay check. It is possible to stop cutting coupons and wondering what YOUR family is going to go without so you can afford to stay home. IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Don’t you want to learn how?

Angela Bobal

Angela Bobal lives in North Carolina with her loving family. She has successfully run her business from her home for the last 10 years. She recently discovered the benefits of residual income and enjoys coaching and mentoring anyone who wants to be successful with their home based business using the MLM Net Formula System. For more information about how you can earn additional income from home MLM Net Formula

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