Soapmaker Program

[Kat]

Hi all, I haven't posted in such a long time, but have been distracted in other things. I apologize, but I'm still here in both mind & body lol!!
I do have a quick question for someone who uses the soapmaker program.
I'm pondering the purchase.
Can this be used for other things besides bar soap? Like liquid soap and lotion making?
How easy is it to use? how hard is it to input your oils for inventory, it sounds time consuming. For instance, if you came across a good deal on Olive oil (for example), can you add this "bargain" to the already inputted OO in the program?
If making lotions, for instance, does it show something on the graph? Still going thru the tutorial, but this has piqued my interest.
Thanks in advance for any answers.
Kat

 

[IanT]

Hey Kat, I dont have experience with the program but you know you can download a free trial right??

 

[Kat]

Yes, Thank you Ian, but I guess for the amount of money they want, I wanted to know if it also included other things like liquid soap & lotion formulas, besides bar soap. After taking the tutorial, honestly it doesnt really tell me.

 

[IanT]

Ok, havent even tried the trial...so I wouldnt know but just wanted to make sure you knew of it (thats all I can do!!)


alright...let me see if I can find someone whos used it...I forgot who i was talking to that has in the past...let me see if i can dig a bit...

 

[IanT]

Ok pm Woodi, I think they are one of the creators of this program?? I could be wrong but I know theyve used it and had experience with it! hope that helps! Im sure theyd be willing to answer your questions (i hope at least!)

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Your correct Ian. Woodi and her husband, Crawford, created this fine program. She can and will help anyone who has questions about Soapmaker. It is a great soap program! 8) I have known Woodi many years now from shared soap forums. She is a peach! 8)

Paul :wink:

 

[Barb]

i have it and luv it. i just wished it was the first thing i purchased so i could have been entering supplies as they came in when i first started making things, instead of a couple of years later. it meant i either had to weigh everything on hand and dig up the invoices for the costs, or wait and just enter new supplies as they came in after i got the program. i'm a glutten for punishment and weighed every soap making oil, luckily i always weighed my fragrance bottles when they came in and put that and the cost infor on a label and attached it to the back of the bottle, so that wasn't so bad. all my packaging was in totes with a index card showing how many on hand and cost also. they also include a cost calculator for new supplies.

i know at a glance if i'm low any particular oil. it has a place for base oils & one for additives. under the additives i enter things like packaging, goats milk powder, all my fragrances, even my labels, distilled water, all the things that are not oils. by entering what amounts of things i've used for a batch i know to the penny what each product costs me. you just have to be deligent and enter supplies as you get them.

it keeps track of all my soaps that i make and if i pull up my products it shows what soaps are ready to be pulled off the curing racks and wrapped. then when i sell a bar, i change the number of sold bars and it keeps track of how many bars are in inventory.

it has catagories for bar soap, liquid soap and lotions.

woodi has also included some soap recipes that she used for the baseline of fiquring the bars hardness, stable lather, fluffy lather and moisturing. this comes up in a graph and you can then compare your recipe against it.

for me it was well worth the money spent. if they do any updates they don't charge any additional fees for them. and they are very helpful if you have any questions.

never thought to check the graph when i made a lotion, so i'm off to check that out, nope no graph for lotion.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Let me tell you, Woodi won't admit it, but she makes some of the best soap I have ever used!

Kudos to you Woodi, you are a great soapier, and person who I count as a great friend. As you know, you have gave me words of wisdom many times! 8)

Thank you!

Paul :wink:

 

[IanT]

awesome! well Im glad I was able to point Kat in the right direction!!

This is a program I will most definitely be purchasing when i get some cash because I would like to eventually turn this into a biz (but thats a LONG way off so Ill prob get the prog when I start the biz unless ive got some extra cash somewhere down the line...)

 

[Woodi]

Hi Everyone! and thank you Paul, Barb for the kind words and kudos.

My husband and I designed the soapmaker program ( I am the creative one, he is the hard-working techno-Geek) after my first year of soapmaking (2001) because I was wasting money on oils when I was having quite a few throw-away batches, looking for a perfect soap recipe.

It began as a spreadsheet, and we shared that freely with anybody who was able to use it with Canvas. But many more people wanted it who couldn't afford Canvas, so we hired a young programmer to write code and turn it into a self-standing, downloadable program. It took him a full year to write it.

We added an inventory control feature to it, which many people are very grateful to have, especially at tax time for your soapmaking business.

For the past 6 months, Crawford has been adding in all the features which are many customers have requested. He is slow at programming though, so it may be awhile yet before release. He wants me to write the Help Files so it will be in English, rather than in 'engineerese' which Crawford speaks best.
For those of you who are waiting, you're gonna love it!

P.S. I love you too Paul. (Shhhh, don't tell his wife...

 

[Missjulesdid]

I really like the program and have found it very easy to create, store and resize recipes...

My only beef is that the help screen does not work with Windows vista (stupid Bill Gates)

 

[Barb]

woodi does't know it yet, but one of these days i'm going to canada if it ever quits snowing up there, and come snatch crawford for a couple of weeks, i have a woodworkers huny do list a mile long and he is an excellent carpenter and my hubby is a very hard working guy and i would be lost without him, a carpenter he is not. so woodi beware if your hubby comes up missing i won't give him back till my list is completed. :wink:

my soap displays are modeled after the diagram they share on the soapmaker.ca site

 

[Kat]

Thank you for all your replys. Barb, you sound so organized, makes me envious! as I want to get hold of organization also. This program seems like it definitely would help in that aspect.
Woodi, my admiration goes out to you and your hubby for creating something that is needed in theis field.
I will ponder the purchase, go back and have a look/see.
I knew I'd get a great answer from all of you with my question, and I wasn't disappointed. Thank you once again.

 

[IanT]

no worries! glad we could all help! thats what we are here for

 

[Woodi]

MissJulesdid: (and anyone else who has Windows Vista)..

You can download a separate users' manual for soapmaker, here:

http://www.soapmaker.ca/SMmanual.htm]