Micro buisness man

[DeeAnna]

I am struck by the parallels between this thread and these articles: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/08/15/be-your-own-boss-37-side-hustle-ideas/ and http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/05/12/how-to-make-bar-of-soap/

Jus' sayin'......

 

[wetshavingproducts]

As a business owner, I think the idea of calling any sort of business a "hustle" is unprofessional and would be starting off with the wrong mindset.

hus·tle
ˈhəsəl/Submit
verb
verb: hustle; 3rd person present: hustles; past tense: hustled; past participle: hustled; gerund or present participle: hustling
1.
force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction.
"they hustled him into the back of a horse-drawn wagon"
push roughly; jostle.
"they were hissed and hustled as they went in"
synonyms: manhandle, push, shove, thrust, frogmarch, whisk, bundle
"I was hustled away"
hurry; bustle.
"he had to retag second base and hustle back to first"
2.
NORTH AMERICANinformal
obtain by forceful action or persuasion.
"the brothers headed to New York to try and hustle a record deal"
coerce or pressure someone into doing or choosing something.
"don't be hustled into anything"
synonyms: coerce, force, compel, pressure, pressurize, badger, pester, hound, harass, nag, harry, urge, goad, prod, spur; More
sell aggressively.
"he hustled his company's oil around the country"
obtain by illicit action; swindle; cheat.
"Linda hustled money from men she met"
3.
NORTH AMERICANinformal
engage in prostitution.
noun
noun: hustle; plural noun: hustles
1.
busy movement and activity.
"the hustle and bustle of the big cities"
2.
NORTH AMERICANinformal
a fraud or swindle.

 

[LunaSkye]

I used to turn and sell pens as a side hustle on a very small scale and loved creating something people wanted to buy however I had a stroke 2 years ago and although I am about 85% back my left hand is still not steady enough to turn wood anymore. Since then I have been looking for something new to creat and sell. Soap making seems to be that opportunity and a more lucrative buisness oppertunity and I will run it more like a buisness but that doesn't mean I won't like making soap

Are you good at carving or sculpting? Since your left hand is still shaky, maybe you can make a nice soap and carve a picture or insignia into it or sculpt something out of it. Of course you still have to find a good recipe and it may take a while before you find one that you want to stick with. However, you will have more options when you find your recipe, like making favors for various occasions.

 

[lionprincess00]

I am struck by the parallels between this thread and these articles: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/08/15/be-your-own-boss-37-side-hustle-ideas/ and http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/05/12/how-to-make-bar-of-soap/

Jus' sayin'......

uncanny...

 

[sillysoaper]

Hi! Lurker here. I personally did not find your post to be offending in anyway, even though I was not familiar with your terminology. I am very sorry for the behavior that has been exhibited by some of the folks on this forum, it was truly unwarranted. There is no excuse for it!


Thank you DeeAnna for the links http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/08/15/be-your-own-boss-37-side-hustle-ideas/ and http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/05/12/how-to-make-bar-of-soap/. I hope that this will bring everything into context for the folks who were offended, and will help them understand the true intent of your post.

 

[xoticsoaps]

Umm....Conman, as someone who is familiar with the term 'side hustle' I don't think you intended it to come across the way most people are taking it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you say "side hustle" you meant it in the "urban" version of the definition:

A sideline gig that brings in cash; something other than your main job.

At the same time, many soapmakers have a hard time with people thinking that what they do is 'so easy a caveman could do it', SO not true, but I'm thinking this is why people are taking offense.

My suggestion to you would be to read through the melt & pour section here and really research this on google + youtube. Although m&p soap seems easy at first glance, there's still a nice amount of work & technique involved, if you want to do it well.

Best wishes,
- xs

 

[IrishLass]

Thank you DeeAnna for the links http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/08/15/be-your-own-boss-37-side-hustle-ideas/ and http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/05/12/how-to-make-bar-of-soap/. I hope that this will bring everything into context for the folks who were offended, and will help them understand the true intent of your post.

I found that link to be very helpful, too. After reading through it, the term 'side hustle' doesn't sound as nefarious to me as it did before. Natural language barriers are hard enough to overcome on their own, but when the barrier comes from within one's own language due to the different connotations being applied to otherwise familiar terms or words....well, that just makes it all the more difficult to overcome.... and makes for the perfect recipe for ruffled feathers as well.

As I said before in my previous post, I hope Conman does not hold this against us and that he will stick around and get to know more about the soap making process. Although saponification is a simple chemical process, that's only the beginning. There's so much more to it, and so much that can go wrong.

It's funny that the above link should pop up, because I just recently discovered the Art of Manliness site about a week or so ago during a search for info on Bay Rum. I liked it so much that I bookmarked it and have been reading other sections of it, although I had not yet come across the 'side hustle' article until DeeAnna posted the link. So thank you, DeAnna.


IrishLass

 

[snappyllama]

Hi to Conman. Sorry that you got off to a bad start here, but please stick around - everyone is very helpful once we don't think you're denigrating our passion. I don't think that was your intention - simply a poor word choice compounded by an unfortunate alias got feathers ruffled.

Melt and Pour is a great way to get started with the soaping bug. It is simple to get started with but difficult to master. The Soap Queen videos are excellent beginner guides and idea sources as somebody else mentioned. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05E2F1EF0838281A

As far as that art of manliness site, how much fun is that? It's got instructions for escaping a zip tie (super handy for us ladies as well) AND instructions for great story-telling (ditto) AND how to wear a leather jacket with style (as if i needed instructions for that).

 

[lenarenee]

Hi to Conman. Sorry that you got off to a bad start here, but please stick around - everyone is very helpful once we don't think you're denigrating our passion. I don't think that was your intention - simply a poor word choice compounded by an unfortunate alias got feathers ruffled.

Melt and Pour is a great way to get started with the soaping bug. It is simple to get started with but difficult to master. The Soap Queen videos are excellent beginner guides and idea sources as somebody else mentioned. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05E2F1EF0838281A

As far as that art of manliness site, how much fun is that? It's got instructions for escaping a zip tie (super handy for us ladies as well) AND instructions for great story-telling (ditto) AND how to wear a leather jacket with style (as if i needed instructions for that).

I second this...uh, most of it. I didn't catch on to the alias issue; my cousin's boy is named Connor, and his nickname is also Conman.

Melt and Pour and I don't get along...it's a great thing to visit but I wouldn't want live with it long term (or even short term)! A bit of advice for you...stock up on good quality spatulas and get ready for lots of scraping)

I too found some interesting reads on the Art of Manliness website. (I choose to ignore the title of it because the idea that manliness as an art, plus the stereotyping, disturbs me.)

And welcome to the forum!

 

[SplendorSoaps]

I totally understand what you're saying, Conman. My background and talents lie in marketing, but I happen to be hooked on cold process soap making lately too. I love the creativity that goes into soaping (I literally feel like a chemist, a chef, and an artist all at the same time), but it's also a great model for exploring the various business aspects that go into a small business. Best of luck on your soap making, and also in making it work for you financially (I was lucky enough to get to "retire" a few years ago to raise kids, and it was literally the best decision of my life).

With an MBA, I'm sure you're familiar with how ROI works, but this little article gives some nice structure to the idea of monetizing your hobby.

http://blog.worldlabel.com/2010/how-to-start-your-own-soap-business.html

Cheers!

 

[DeeAnna]

Thanks for sharing the link, Splendor. A worthwhile read, except there is an error in the author's formula for figuring wholesale price:

The author wrote:
Cost of Goods + Shipping + Labor + Overhead x 2 = Wholesale Price
Example: $0.70 per bar COG + $0.10 Shipping + Labor/bar $0.50 + Overhead $0.15 = $2.90/bar.
So wholesale for $3.00/bar.

But that doesn't add up to $2.90. It adds up to $1.45.

I'm sure she meant to write:
(Cost of Goods + Shipping + Labor + Overhead) x 2 = Wholesale Price
If you times the sum of all costs by 2, then you do get $2.90 / bar.

 

[Susie]

Hey Conman, and welcome. We are not usually known for eating newcomers. We are normally a laid back, fun-loving bunch of soapers.

I understand that you are looking for an avocation. A hobby that brings in a bit of money. I think you need to look around your local farmer's market or craft fairs to evaluate your potential competition. Also check out Etsy. (I will pause here for you to go check Etsy.)

Market saturation, right? Tons of soap out there for sale. My local area is chock full of folks making beautiful works of art out of soap. They have been here longer, and have been making soap longer than me. I am just not going to try to edge into that market.

I am looking for a different angle to bring about a small business. But it is a work in progress. LONG progress. You need to develop, perfect, and market test recipe after recipe before thinking you have something good enough to market. This craft is a money pit. But it is just a ton of fun, and endlessly fascinating for those of us that are addicted.

I am truly sorry to hear that you had a stroke. And so very glad that you are left with so little deficit as a result.

If you have tools, and woodworking knowledge, wooden molds and soap cutters are in HIGH demand. We know, we buy the stuff. And it is all expensive. You may want to go look at those on Etsy(pause), lots less of those, right? And if you are interested in making molds, there is the whole silicone mold business...matter of fact, you could make liners for your own molds. That would be something I would definitely be interested in. And we would be thrilled to tell you what we need and want in molds, cutters, and other equipment. Then there is this kind of mold:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZaUIW5a4Uw[/ame]