Start a Soap Making Business

Producing beautifully handcrafted soaps you are proud of will show in your final product. The time to get started is NOW! Start producing enough now so you will be ready for the spring farmer's markets, Mother's Day, Christmas and all the other sales opportunities that crop up. Planning a head for special occasion sales will help reduce stress when holidays and special promotions become available. Selling out at a farmers market or craft/art fair is wonderful! However, it is not wonderful if you sell out at 10 am and have paid for an entire weekend for your booth! Because you didn't have enough product it may look unprofessional to other business associates and to any customers who will see you packing up early. Always look and act the part of being a professional business person. There are some crafters and artisans that plan for only a few select fairs or events per year and they truly make their money at only these affairs. Others take advantage of internet sales, local shops, and other consignment arrangements.

Marketing and branding is the key to becoming a successful small business owner. Be professional, you can learn from the pros watching and mimicking what they do! The marketing ideas are endless! Word of mouth is a great way to get noticed on a small scale. Consider giving away your bars at first and before long friends and family will be buying from you for themselves and as gifts. Gift shops are always looking for new products to keep their stores fresh for the public. Working in cooperation with a local salon could be a great idea to get your product out there as well. Offer the salon so many free bars with every color or perm, whatever they would be willing to do. See if they will carry your new line of designer soaps even if it is for a trial basis to begin with. Baskets are always a hit at showers and you could produce specialty baskets with designer scents or themes. Again, sales ideas are endless putting those ideas in action is what will ultimately sell your product. Remember you are associated with the brand itself, you are essentially selling yourself when you sell your handcrafted soaps. Make your brand memorable in packaging and in your sales.

Making the soap itself, design and packaging, creating your logo are all the 'fun' parts of business. Now you must also pay attention the not so fun parts, getting sales permits, tax ID numbers and of course any and all state laws that pertain to your new enterprise. This all sounds more daunting than it is. In reality it is usually a very simple process with nothing more than filling out few forms and submitting a check. In my state a sales permit costs only ten dollars a year. Keep accurate records of all sales and costs involved and owning your own soap making business can be a joy as well as providing extra income and when you are ready to make it a full time business!

Be willing to learn from others and join the soap making community for advice and support. Learning from the pro's can help you avoid costly mistakes. Get acquainted with all the in's and out's of soap making as a business and you too can be successful in your new endeavor! See my favorite pro's below.