Another handmade soap business venture?

[ian80]

According to my calculations, I would need to sell a minimum of 200 bars of soap/week to make a (slightly meager) living. That's retail price. Double that amount for wholesale. Oh yeah, and this is averaged. Not just around Christmas and summer months.

Anything is possible, of course. It comes down to hard work and perseverance. We all know starting a business is not easy - it's why so many of us choose to work for someone else!

This is something I want to do. So, I want to know - Those of you who have done it (or are slowly getting there), how did you do it? How long did it take to grow your business? How can you consistently sell 200 bars of soap every week?

Also, is the market becoming saturated? I listed items on Etsy - followed all of the guides, priced competitively - I didn't even get close to a nibble.

I'm not a natural marketer. It doesn't come easily. Will that be my downfall?

Feel free to give me hope or talk me out of it.

 

[lsg]

I have been making soap for over seven years. I didn't start really trying to sell until recently and it is slow going. This is my advice....... know your product, know your clientele, know the regulations in your area and know what the competition is offering.

 

[pamielynn]

What lsg said AND hump yer butt. Wholesale, retail.. the selling doesn't stop. There's no magical "residual" income, lol. Return customers will be your bread and butter. And kidnap a bookkeeper.

 

[lsg]

And kidnap a bookkeeper.

Or buy Soapmaker 3 Pro

 

[seven]

i started selling offline, you know, to friends, friends of friends, etc. word of mouth is the best free advertising. having an online presence is a must for me (having a website), also a facebook page, and/or a blog.
i personally have no real business plan. everything just goes naturally. it is a slow process tho. patience is the key.

also, like lsg said: know your product, know your clientele, know the regulations in your area and know what the competition is offering

to date, most of my sales came from offline. i keep the business going by focusing on medium-big orders, like party/wedding favors. that's my main focus. selling soaps here and there is just additional.

 

[cmzaha]

I have been selling for 5 yrs at Craft fairs, weekly farmer markets, art walks, etc and can say the only time I sell anywhere near 200 bars is during the Christmas Season at one of my craft fairs. Sales are down in our area and return customers are bread and butter but keep in mind a bar will last a month or so. A lot will depend on area, the age range of your potential market, competition you have, etc. I do this for extra income after retirement and I can say this is about the hardest I have ever worked. If you think it is fun to tear down and setup and 1-2 times a day 3+ days per week I can assure you it is very tiring. I see soapmakers come into my markets, thinking they are going to make easy money and they last approx 2 months. I am really not trying to be discouraging it is fun but once in awhile I get in burn-out mode then no money gets made during the week, as this week. This is honestly the hardest I have ever worked for less than 1/10th the weekly income I was used to, fortunetly I enjoy it just tired this week. The hubby and I thought we would spend our retirement traveling on our Harley on long road trips. I have aging parents and really cannot leave for long periods of time so this gives us something to do and lots of people to meet. If you are going to depend on it for a living I would not suggest it. It can be fun with decend side money hard to almost impossible living. I know some will disagree with me, but in the area I live in there is an unlimited supply of soapmakers.

I do wish you well in which ever choice you make. I love making soap and will keep making and selling as long as my old body will let me. If you go for it spend the time to perfect your recipes, go outside the box and offer something other soapmakers do not have. Customers are funny, sometimes they will ask for a particular soap, knowing I will not have it, and the look of suprise is always funny when I hand it to them. Oh yes, I keep up with what Dr. Oz is advertising on his site

 

[shunt2011]

I'm with Carolyn. I make and sell soap because it's something I enjoy doing. I've been selling for 3 years and only sell a lot during the holidays. I also have other products other than soap and can make a pretty good haul at some of the shows but, not enough to live off of. I have a full time job that pays the bills. I also do a weekly farmer's market. There is a whole lot of work but it certainly makes it easier when I love what I'm doing.

 

[Tienne]

Kenna from Modern Soapmaking (prev. Amathia Soapworks) has started up a new blog where she wants to help soapmakers with all the biz related stuff. She says:

"It’s all about sharing the lessons I learned running my own soap company, and the ways you can kickstart your biz."

And how soapmakers

..."can successfully wholesale or how they can keep their books nice and tidy or how they can make their brands into magical unicorns that dance on rainbows. "

Etc. Maybe that could be of interest?

http://www.modernsoapmaking.com/letters-success/

 

[ian80]

Thanks for the great reply guys.

It sounds like fairs and farmers markets are a good place to get to know your customer (and get your customer to get to know you), but not a place to earn a living.

Thanks for the blog link, should provide some good information.

 

[navigator9]

I think there are some people out there who make a whole lot of money making soap. A few. I think there are a whole lot more who think they will make a lot of money making soap, who end up realizing that it's MUCH more work than they ever imagined, for much less money. I think it's risky to go into soapmaking expecting to make a living out of it. It's probably much more realistic to expect to supplement your income by selling soap.

I don't have a website, or sell on line, so I can't comment on that. I sell at craft fairs, and like Carolyn said, it's more work than you can imagine if you haven't ever done it. Besides making, wrapping and labeling the soap, you have to load it all, along with tables, chair, display items and the rest into your car, unload it all when you get to the venue, set it up, and at the end of the day when you're really tired, break it all down, load it back into your vehicle, and unload it again when you get home. If you're young, or have help, that's great, if you're older and do it alone.....exhausting. I've tried to quit twice, but my customers keep dragging me back in. I love making soap, and I love doing craft fairs, (other than the loading and unloading part!) but I don't make tons of money. I do it for the love of making soap and wanting to share it.

So yes, try doing some craft fairs to see what it's like and see how well you do. Don't jump into the deep end until you've tested the waters. Best of luck to you!

 

[welsh black]

The trouble is, that in the Eu you have to fork out a lot of money before you can start selling, so it,s really difficult to"test the market" first.

I would love to sell the soaps I make, but I think the only businesses that make money out of soap, are the ones that sell oils, fragrences and other raw materials, to us, the soap crafters! I bet that is how they started out, no sales from soaps, so they used the contacts and expertise they gained and moved the customer base to the crafters.!!