How do you guard your recipes?

[funastrum]

Exactly one year ago I was a newbie to soap making, I had just joined this forum and made my first batch of soap. It came very naturally to me and it is now my life.
During this year I have made it a business, and have all of my proper licenses, etc. Everything is going smoothly and my business is quickly growing. Recently I was even featured on Brambleberry's Soapqueen blog! That brought some good sales and followers. One of the sales was by someone who got my products and sent me a message afterwards, saying how they loved my soap, shampoo, conditioner, and bath bombs. They also asked for all of the recipes, promising me that they would not sell what they would make with them. These recipes are all completely original that I have spent a lot of time on, if my company became a household name, it would be because of my shampoo and conditioner. I looked up her name and she owns a soap storefront a few states over... Even if she didn't, I would not give these recipes away.
What is the protocol for handling people like this? How do I let them down nicely, without getting a poor review (she has not given me feedback yet)? I take it as a compliment that she loves my products, but this is my livelihood, this is what makes my company stand out.
Hrmph. :???:

 

[Jeanea]

I would thank her for the compliment, however I don't share my recipes. Just straight to the point.

 

[Lion Of Judah]

simple ... just do not give them out / away . they represent you, you talent/craft , and also your company / business . that is why KFC recipe is a secret , and so is coke . Like said in the reply above , thank them for their kind words and buying the product but your recipes are company secrets

 

[KristaY]

Wow. I'm actually shocked that person had the nerve to ask for your recipes. I'm affronted for you. As the others suggested, simple and to the point. They're a result of your hard work, testing, and study. Politely call them trade secrets and leave it at that. I'm still shaking my head......

 

[Lion Of Judah]

Wow. I'm actually shocked that person had the nerve to ask for your recipes. I'm affronted for you. As the others suggested, simple and to the point. They're a result of your hard work, testing, and study. Politely call them trade secrets and leave it at that. I'm still shaking my head......

don't be shock or worry about it , as a matter of fact be glad , be very very glad that someone think highly [ not more than you , that should never happen] of your product to ask

i think that the Guild can stare you in the right direction with information on steps to take .

 

[Seawolfe]

Oh hai, may I please have your recipes, equipment and bank information? Kkthxbai

 

[Corinne]

As a beginner soap maker I understand how hard it is to try new things out without them completely flopping, so I am thankful for this forum where I can ask general questions about these things...

However, it would honestly be outrageous for me to ask any of you to divulge your "trade secrets" so I can skip the long months and years of learning experience to get to the good stuff. First of all, learning by doing is better in the first place--so I would only be hurting myself in the long run. Second of all, mooching off of someone else's hard earned accomplishment is.. just...

Coming from my point of view, I don't know how anyone had the nerve to ask you for your recipes in the first place. If they like your soap they should either KEEP BUYING IT and support you, or attempt to recreate it on their own two feet!

Sorry if I seem a little aggravated, I just didn't know that there were people in the soaping community who would do something like that... You all seem pretty nice and upright to me and I guess I just figured people who soap have a kind of general respect for each others' work.

Ditto what pretty much everyone else said. Though I don't know if I would be calm enough to say it politely.

 

[Dorymae]

I think I would say something like:

I'm so glad you like my products enough to want to reproduce them yourself but I'm afraid it has taken me a long time and trial and error to create them. I'm simply not comfortable with sharing them at this time, but rest assured I will continue to make them so you will always have a source for your favorites.

 

[navigator9]

Anyone can go online or to a book, and find great recipes for soap. But, at least to my way of thinking, what makes you a "real" soapmaker, is when you develop a recipe of your own. I can't tell you how many versions of what is now my standard recipe that I made before deciding on the final one. I tweaked it this way, I tweaked it that way, added this, deleted that. I tweaked that sucker six ways to Sunday. Gave out samples to my friends, got their feedback, changed things again. Batch after batch after batch, until I was happy with the final outcome. I will share techniques, sources, ideas, many things.......but not my recipes. They are what make my soap unique. The idea that another soapmaker would ask for all your recipes is outrageous. She must have some big cajones!

I love Dorymae's answer. Polite, but to the point.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

The above. Plus I would also say that you make money from the recipes, so even if this person wasn't going to sell them, why would you give them the info for them to make it themself instead of buying it from you?

Just be straight but polit - if they get all panty-tied, just move on - there are people that will see things differently from most and you can spent too much effort trying to do right by them to no avail.

 

[pamielynn]

Get used to it - happens a lot. Not always quite so directly, though I've had people look at my packaging at a show and say things like "Oh, you use castor oil. I'm learning to soap, too. How much do you put in YOUR recipe?". Bugger off. I'm all for helping, but LEARNING and creating is all based on your own experience. You can copy someone's ingredient list, but that doesn't mean soap will be exactly the same. And I have no problem telling anybody that.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Q - "Oh, you use castor oil. I'm learning to soap, too. How much do you put in YOUR recipe

A - Not more than the ingredient before it on the list, not less than the ingredient after it...................

 

[Ruthie]

"How much castor oil do I use? It depends on the recipe. How much do YOU use?"

 

[funastrum]

Thank you all so much, I will reply in a manner that you guys have mentioned. I'll let you know how she responds if she does. A part of me just wants to completely ignore it... I feel like she feels entitled to know my recipes because she bought a few things LOL

 

[pamielynn]

In that specific case I actually said "well enough to make some bubbles but so much as to make it soft". She had a bit of a puzzled look, but then went off into asking about fragrance. Oy vey.

But, I think that most of the time, people don't realize that the questions can feel rude to the soapmaker. I didn't understand how it would feel when a person walks up to your table, sniffs around, asks questions, then says "Oh, well my mom makes soap" and then walks away -until it first happened to me.

Now, I warn all my friends and family NOT to do that to other soapers.

 

[funastrum]

In that specific case I actually said "well enough to make some bubbles but so much as to make it soft". She had a bit of a puzzled look, but then went off into asking about fragrance. Oy vey.

But, I think that most of the time, people don't realize that the questions can feel rude to the soapmaker. I didn't understand how it would feel when a person walks up to your table, sniffs around, asks questions, then says "Oh, well my mom makes soap" and then walks away -until it first happened to me.

Now, I warn all my friends and family NOT to do that to other soapers.

Oh my goodness, I get that all the time. "My mother, aunt, grandmother, sister, niece, uncle, neighbor, friend's friend makes soap."

This is what I replied:
"Hi ___!
Thanks so much for the compliments, I take a lot of pride in my recipes. But that being said, I also guard them and my methods like a mother bear, as I have uniquely formulated them
These are the recipes that make my company unique, I hope you understand

Thank you for your support"

Hopefully she does not give me a poor review, but if she does, maybe Etsy could remove it if I show them the convo history? Although they rarely ever do anything like that. Eh, whatever. My trade secrets are guarded another day.

 

[Val-11]

Hopefully she does not give me a poor review, but if she does, maybe Etsy could remove it if I show them the convo history? Although they rarely ever do anything like that. Eh, whatever. My trade secrets are guarded another day.

I know your very concerned about a bad review but if you have a lot of good review's, I wouldn't worry about it. Anyone with half a brain knows there is a @%% in every crowd, right?

I have been buying and selling off and on from Ebay for 12 years. I am just amazed at the people who will still buy items from a seller that has 125 negative reviews in a 30 day period but has sold some 2000 items over that 30 day period. People will buy what they want and take chances no matter what.

I don't think one bad review will effect your business even though I know how we strive not to get even one bad review. If she has any kind of morals (although it seems she doesn't) she will not say anything negative in a review.

What I'm trying to say is that your good reviews will tower over one bad one. I wouldn't worry about it so much. JMO

 

[Nevada]

Guarding your "secret recipe" will ensure your certain monetary gain.

 

[Nevada]

Aunt Clara: I think you'd better make a list. Well, now, let me see. Two bat wings. A half a pint of porpoise milk. And be sure it's fresh. Be sure it's fresh. Four eye of newt. And an ostrich feather. One. Yes, that's it. You got that, Darrin?
Aunt Clara: Well, I'll give you the address of a little place that I shop.

 

[SoapyQueenBee]

I've had this happen, just recently, for the first time myself.
My response: "If I give you my signature product recipe, how well would you sleep, knowing your sales would not only exploit and ruin the last several years of my hard work, as well as essentially putting me out of business?"
Basically, she got the gist, and it made her consider what she was really asking me for. Seeking help in the beginning is one thing; trying to find a cheat code to get around practicing and learning a craft yourself by using someone else's labor of love (in this case recipes) doesn't only hurt the person you exploit the 'secret' of, but yourself as well, as you haven't learned a darned thing.
Polite and direct. Definitely in agreement with others on this.