Soapmaker 3 Software discussion for 2018

[Lin19687]

Many old threads so I wanted to make a new one.

I know this program is a good one. All of the older post here and Dish say so

While Excel is a good program it is not my thing, never has been. I would rather use pen/paper --- Even Sticky notes

Do you still like it?

I see it for sale one some sites for $89, $90, $96, $99. I see it is Crawford and Diane at www.soapmaker.ca ? How is it that theirs is $99 while NG is $89.10 ? And one site offers the CD which would be good incase your computer dies.

I can get points and $10 off from NG with the download but I am also torn about buying from the maker too.


One last ? ..... Since I already have made some stock and obviously used supplies how does that work.
When I DL it, I know I have to put in supplies etc... DO you just start from what you have now and the stock you have now, or do you have to figure out how much of something you used, put that into the supplys, make the loaf then enter the bars ?
Sorry I know that is confusing.

 

[Misschief]

I've had the program for a while now (18 months or so) and didn't start seriously using it until some time last year. I started with the ingredients I had on hand, basically taking a stock count. I didn't add the soap that had already been made. What remains of that soap is in a separate box that I use for gifting and giveaways.

Once a year, I'll have to do an inventory, just to keep my ingredients up to date.

When you purchase the program, join the Facebook page, too. You'll find a lot of answers there and, when warranted, Crawford chimes in, too. It's nice to know that you can have that kind of interaction with the program's designer.

When I bought the program, I didn't realize you could buy it elsewhere. I bought directly from their web page. I saved the original download file to my Dropbox and each time there's an update, the update file gets saved to the same folder as the original file. That way, there's no CD to keep track of.

 

[lsg]

I have had the program for several years and I purchased it from https://www.soapmaker.ca/. With a password, you can log in and download the latest version of the software you purchased. If you save your database on a flash drive, then if your computer crashes, you can download the software and use the flash drive to download your data base. I like it because it is fairly easy to use and I love the idea that it keeps an inventory of my supplies and products as well as stores my recipes.

 

[amd]

I do a combo of what lsg and Misschief do. I save backups (it asks every time you exit the program if you want to make a backup) to dropbox. I don't worry about saving the download or updates to dropbox, as lsg said, when you buy it as a download you create a login/password. Should you need to reinstall on a new computer, you would go to the website, login, and download from there. They email you a link when there are program updates, that works the same way, you have to login and download the latest update. I purchased mine from BB, it was the cheapest option I could find at the time. I don't know if they still offer it there. I wouldn't worry about not buying it directly from soapmaker, as long as it is a reputable supply company. They've already been paid when they sold it to BB or Nurture or whoever is carrying it for them these days.

For Inventory, when I set mine up I had just gone through taken a physical inventory so I had my actual quantities handy. If I were starting today, I would guesstimate. If you end up short or long, it's easy enough to edit in the software. Although when you're getting to the bottom of something, check that you have enough for the next project before you're in the middle of it, at least until you have inventory built up/spot on in the software. I still mostly rely on eyeballing my inventory and not what the software tells me I have.

I don't think I use the software to the full extent - I just keep my recipes there, export ingredient lists for labels, and to keep track of costs and cure times.

 

[redhead1226]

Ive used this program for many many years and gone through many updates to the program as they constantly improve it. When I started using it I had just bought a lot of different items and so I started entering those and new items as I purchased them. I guessed at the amounts of oils that I had already opened an used. ( If you run out you can change the qty on hand) so it didnt matter much. I did not add my stock of finished products. I added my recipes and as I made them I saved them in the products section. eventually I only had on hand what I had newly created so it worked out in the end after a few months.

I love the program. I add every FO and EO stock and divide those in categories ( you can define those ) and I have caegories for ones that discolor and ones that accelerate so I know what Im going to use. ( I have an extensive stock of fragrance so it was easier to keep track of.

I also have my blends ( infused oils ) in there under blends so when you use them in a recipe it includes the cost of making that blend. ( It subtracts from the herbs and oils when making an infused oil ) and them adds the cost of that blend to your recipe when you make something with it.

They have a FB page and if you need to know something or how to do something there is a lot of help there. Or you can come here.

Good luck!

 

[Dahila]

I use it every day , as soon as the shipment comes I do put it in inventory, Keep the back up on different drive so if anything happens you have back up to restore it, I got it for $ 99 CAD through discount from soapmaker guild HSCG has this discount too . What is NG ? Is it Canadian? If not no doubts it is cheaper than Canadian (conversion )
I update it regularly and I am telling you there are a major difference in the one I go few years ago and right now. Crawford is working on it all the time. Whatever we ask in Soapmaker support group on FB we got it. I can no imagine making anything without this program

 

[jcandleattic]

Many old threads so I wanted to make a new one.
I know this program is a good one. All of the older post here and Dish say so

Because it is!

While Excel is a good program it is not my thing, never has been. I would rather use pen/paper --- Even Sticky notes

I use my SM3 with a combination of that and excel. I LOVE Excel, and I have some functionality in excel that I can't get in SM3, and vice-verse.

I see it for sale one some sites for $89, $90, $96, $99. I see it is Crawford and Diane at www.soapmaker.ca ? How is it that theirs is $99 while NG is $89.10 ? And one site offers the CD which would be good incase your computer dies.

I can get points and $10 off from NG with the download but I am also torn about buying from the maker too.

I'm sure resellers like NG and others get a discount from the maker (Crawford), and pass it on to the consumer. That's just as guess though, I don't actually know for sure.
I've had mine since it was first promoted by Diane here on SMF YEARS ago, and got it for I believe $59 for the pro version at the time.

Since I already have made some stock and obviously used supplies how does that work.
When I DL it, I know I have to put in supplies etc... DO you just start from what you have now and the stock you have now, or do you have to figure out how much of something you used, put that into the supplys, make the loaf then enter the bars ?
Sorry I know that is confusing.

Are you on Facebook? There is a group that Crawford is in (maybe run by him?) that helps troubleshoot the software and you can get every question you would have ever thought of or not thought of asking, answered.

For me, what I did was put all of my inventory in by what my invoices said I had, (even if I had used some without putting it in the software) and then I did an inventory adjustment.
At year end when I do my yearly inventory I also adjust my inventory accordingly.

 

[Lin19687]

TY

 

[srenee]

Im still trying to figure out how to add labor cost. I have the Pro edition and no employees as of yet. I was trying to add it in as a packaging item. Anyone else? Advice?

 

[user 29721]

I can't imagine doing business without soapmaker. I like how easy and versatile it is. It allows you to keep track of your recipes, inventory, stock and sales, although you can choose how much or how little you track. I like when I create a batch, it reduces all components by that amount. It can also keep track of the packaging and additives. You can also define the threshold for an ingredient and you'll be alerted to reorder when its running low. Highly recommended! Cant imagine doing all of that in Excel.

 

[amd]

Im still trying to figure out how to add labor cost. I have the Pro edition and no employees as of yet. I was trying to add it in as a packaging item. Anyone else? Advice?

Sorry, I can't help at the moment. I can take a look when I get home and let you know what I figured out tomorrow.

 

[Cellador]

Since we're talking about SM3....is there a way to add indirect costs in the system?

 

[amd]

is there a way to add indirect costs in the system?

Such as...? When I think indirect costs I think molds, gloves, freezer paper for lining molds, but you might have something else in mind.

 

[Cellador]

Such as...? When I think indirect costs I think molds, gloves, freezer paper for lining molds, but you might have something else in mind.

Nope, that's exactly what I'm referring to, including website costs, insurance, etc. I still am struggling to figure out how to appropriately charge per item for them. Is it really a guessing game in the end? Like, " I think I will sell 'x' number of bars/yr so I need to charge 'y' per bar to cover that expense"?My CPA friend suggested I look into whether or not SM3 had a place to record those costs.

 

[srenee]

Thats a good question . I would think something done on a regular basis with each incident of making it would be counted. Just add as a packaging entry? Ex: shrinkwrapping, boxing, etc