Is it worth it?

[Dixie]

Besides just the joy of making soap....is it profitable?
Right now I have more invested than I can sell.

 

[Lindy]

I believe that as time goes by and I get more organized that it will create a modest income for me which is all I really want. At this moment I am spending more than I am selling but according to my Business Advisor the difference is not bad for the first month or two in business.

So is it worth it? I believe it is!

 

[heartsong]

x

after nearly 11 years, yes it is to ME. i have found that i need to be flexible to the market, and what i invisioned and what is practical may be two different things.

i have sold in stores, fairs, markets and as of right now, i have a sales rep, as i had to go back to working full time.

whatever the future brings, i will not quit, as soaping has become an integral part of me-like breathing.

with hard work, planning and the ability to remain flexible in good times as well as bad you will succeed.

it's finding your special niche in the great soapmaking universe!

 

[Tabitha]

I ask myself that all the time. I believe the secret is a good firm line. If you try every new scent, box bow bag jar that comes along, if you have to stop & make 1 of 10 dif items every day, no it's not. A good firm line, you can make in bulk, pull items quick to fill orders, then sure. I waste my time & my profits though by treating it like a hobby rather than a biz. Does that make sense?

 

[Dixie]

Thanks for your replies everyone. My husband is questioning all this buying I'm doing lol. It is so much fun and yes I want to try it all, but I do realize it has to be treated like a business. Being new into it though, I don't have a line and don't know what I will need for sure yet. I am ready to start selling but the ones I have ready are smaller than the average 4 oz bars, so I feel a little uncomfortable listing them.
It is more expensive starting out too I'm sure, as you have to buy things in smaller quantities, a little at a time and wind up spending twice as much on shipping....so I guess when I reach the point I can buy in bulk and buy only once a month that will save me tons.

Anyway, thanks for your replies You guys are great!

 

[Lindy]

Oh yeah I remember that! I have to admit though that I started selling just a little too soon - at other people's encouragement (family/friends). So last fall I started selling into a health food store - my packaging was atrocious - I look at those bars in embarrasment - I just wasn't ready. So I pulled in my horns; looked at what other sellers were creating here on the forum, how they were packaging, what kinds of shapes they were doing and then I bought some molds, log molds, a tray mold and shaped molds. I spent a fortune and now I have some molds that aren't appropraite to what I'm doing so they seldom get used.

I guess what I'm saying Dixie is that you're going to spend a lot of time & money getting your product to where you and the public want it before you even begin thinking you might turn a profit.

Does that make sense?

Lindy

ETA - Hmmm - that doesn't read quite right - where I was going with that long comment is that I found that as I kept adjusting my recipes, molds, packaging - everything like that - I spent a lot of money. In the early days of selling you can expect to keep spending more than you sell for a while because we all do a whole lot of evolving right at the beginning, although I believe we always evolve. From what I understand and from what I am doing the first year is not a year of big profits and the first 6 months are definately not.

 

[Guest]

Hey {{{Dixie}}} ,
It definitely helps big time to buy volume of the oils you use a lot of . I just did my books and the $$$ went way down once I bought the big volume of oils. I keep them in the freezer .I pay big bucks for shipping too.There is very little that I can find in town .The money I used to spend buying 2 pounds of CO etc at a time was ridiculous.
I keep track of everything I buy , it is all deductible once you start selling your soap.You do not need to pay for a special computer program , you can do it the old fashioned way .It doesn't matter if you only sell $100.00 worth of soap you can use every deduction that is allowed.
It is not cheap to start out for sure, but you can get a nice chunk of that money back at tax time. In Canada you can carry expenses over .
I find as I go along on my soap making journey , I can find ways keep the cost down a little.
I don't know if there are any members here that are independently wealthy . We all face the similar challenges , but if you are determined to make selling soap work for you , it will happen.

Kitn

 

[Dixie]

Thanks everyone. I do want it to work because I enjoy it so much. I just got really discouraged the other day when dh made his comments. Understandable though. But yeah, I know it takes time.
Thanks

 

[Lindy]

I think the toughest part of getting started is the self-doubt even more than the money. Sometimes I stand in awe when someone comes back and tells me they love the soap/butter/lip balm/lotion bar they bought from me. It is just so amazing sometimes - but there are still days when I think "What am I doing & how can I possibly believe this will pay me a living wage within a year?" The I just get plain ol' stubborn.....

 

[Guest]

Dixie , I wouldn't worry about the size of your soap , just price them accordingly . Not everyone wants a big honking bar of soap . You could maybe have a 3 soap for $$. Or if your soap weighs 3 oz , have a buy a pound of soap for ___ $$$. You win and the customer gets a pound of your awesome handmade soap. I don't know if buyers are like me, I like to bathe with a different soap every time. You could have a special package , a gardeners hand soap, kitchen hand soap , and 2 other soaps. Just throwing some ideas out there for ya.

Kitn

 

[Dixie]

Thanks for the encouragement.

kitn those are great ideas! Thank you!

I'm a perfectionist, which is my biggest problem because soap is something you rarely get perfect with color and everything I mean If I don't cut one just right then I am totally dissatisfied. Just me and I better get over it huh? lol



I'm determined to keep trying because I love soaping so much !

 

[AshleyR]

I'm a perfectionist, which is my biggest problem because soap is something you rarely get perfect with color and everything I mean If I don't cut one just right then I am totally dissatisfied. Just me and I better get over it huh? lol

That is me to a T! I have SO much soap that is GOOD soap, I'm just not happy with it because I cut it a size I didn't like, or the colour is slighty off, etc. I bet you I have about $300 worth AT LEAST of soap right now that I do not plan on selling because it is not up to "snuff" by my standards. LOL. I am very critical of myself when it comes to stuff like this... I can't help it!

My DH has been saying the same things as yours. All he sees is how much money I have spent and is wondering if I'm actually going to make any of it back. I've done up cash flow sheets for my first three years in business and they are showing that I'm not making any profit in my first year. I'm not surprised at all. In my second year I will make about a 15% profit, and in my third a 20% profit. It *should* keep going up. I never expect to get rich off this though. If I can make as much as I would at a part time minimum wage job, I'll be happy. (I know that isn't much, but it is really all I need, and the real payoff will be being able to work from home doing something I love! )

 

[Guest]

Maybe we could have a super duper soap swap , all the ones we are not happy with could go to a new home . Like you said they are good soap and would be perfect in anyone else's eyes .Just not the person who made them.

Kitn