Believe me, I am spending lots of time preparing and in the last three days, i have made seven large batches of practice soap. I have the guidance of someone who has experience in working with this stuff and am following his advice each time I speak with him. I also read this forum constantly, watch the soap making videos, read information from numerous soap making web sites.
This is a project that I am not taking lightly. I have a full time job and on my days off and in my spare time I am either on this forum getting advice, watching a video, or listening to my faithful friend who is full of information and ideas. I then spend my evenings making soap. He has been doing this with his wife for seven years and they are pretty darn successful at this.
I do not plan on selling anything until the last week of April 2010. Right now I am sharing with family, close friends, and some co-workers. I am just getting a "feel" for things right now.
I had to "name" my company in order to file for a DBA and apply for a State Tax ID # so that I can buy in bulk without paying sales tax here in Texas. And before I start selling at certain venues, I wanted to make sure all the paperwork was completed and have a good "reputation" with some other vendors/suppliers. In addition, at some places/venues, you have to be registered as a DBA before you can set up shop.
This will also help me when I purchase my little workshop to be built in my back yard just for making soaps and candles.
I have lots of faith in this project/hobby. I am sure that yall can relate to the great feeling it is when someone uses your product and gives you very good feedback about what you have made. Like a chef cooking a meal, or granny relishing in watching her family eat her cooking. It just inspires you to work harder and do more.
I hope I am making sense in all this. I still have several more months before I start selling anything. Right now by giving the stuff away, I can get a feel for what is sorta "in demand."
