Brainstorming about soaps for new year

FARMER'S MARKET DISPLAY

It is that time of year that I think about one year ending and a new one beginning.  I am happy with my soap business for the year.  I got out and did the farmer's market for several weeks, and did a few craft fairs, and enjoyed online sales.  It was fun and rewarding.  Now I must set some goals for next year. 

GOALS

• I will focus on improving packaging.  
• I will group my products into the following categories: classic collection, hair set, facial set, feet set, sensitive skin collection, and butterfly collection.

-Fanuppa Soaps

Customers Love Lavender!

I am truly enjoying the opportunity to talk with customers every week at the farmer's market.  It is an opportunity to see what customers like, and what they don't like.  Kids are the most fun to watch as they sniff and smile.  They are also the most honest!  They shake their heads if they don't like it!  The Lavender/Sea Salt soap bar (exfoliates) has been the top seller, and next would be plain Lavender. 

I appreciate the benefits of Lavender essential oil.  It is a relaxing scent that is great for acne, burns, and cuts (has anti-bacteria properties).  At the market, I have found fresh Lavender in cookies and even lemonade. 

The funny thing is that Lavender is not one of my favorite scents!  I prefer something citrusy like lime.  I have to be careful with most floral scents, because they normally trigger headaches.  However, I have never had a reaction to Lavender.  So, I could see doing a combination of Lavender and Lime and really enjoying it! 

My favorite thing about Lavender is the color.  The purple is so pretty. 

I actually had a request to offer the facial toner in a Lavender scent.  I will be adding it soon. I enjoy listening and making the customers happy! 

What are some of your favorite scents?

www.fanuppasoaps.com


 

    

Soap biz - Goals

Well, last week I started my baby step goals that I wanted to accomplish in each of the key areas of the business.  How did I do?  Well, I am still crawling :)  

UPDATE ON CHALLENGES:
The goal is to do baby steps in each of the key business areas because they all work together.

• Customers/Sales:  Mail a sample and coupon to at least 10 customers who have ordered online in the past (include a second set for them to share with a friend).
• UPDATE: I made samples to mail, but I haven't mailed the samples yet.  The challenge is creating a flier and literature to mail with the sample.  I need inspiration!  
• NEXT STEP:  I will go to the mall tomorrow and get some samples for inspiration.  Then I will create the flier/literature, then mail them by July 7th.

• Business:  a. Work on paperwork that is due in a few weeks. b. Hang up a work schedule for the week.
• UPDATE:  Good news, I have a work schedule now that is on paper!  It should help me to plan better.  I organized some paperwork, but hate I haven't started.  
• NEXT STEP:  I have scheduled to work on the paperwork this weekend.

• Product:  Place log sheet in a binder so it is easier to access when creating products.
• UPDATE:  I have the sheets printed.
• NEXT STEP:  I will buy a binder to hold the log sheets.

• Connect:  Make at least 25 sample bags to hand out to potential customers.

• UPDATE:  I have the bags and samples.  
• NEXT STEP:  Working on the flier to include.

Practice makes you better, so I will keep pushing.  I hope my online soap business blog help you to set goals in your life, and I am always open for suggestions.  I will update you next Tuesday.

Note:  The Bellevue Farmers Market is closed this Friday due to the July 4th holiday, but join us next Friday.

Soap biz this week

Operating a soap business is fun, but it is work too. My main goal is to stay focus and help people who have sensitive skin like me.  Right now, it is a one woman show.  My youngest son likes helping, but no interest from the rest of the family!  That is fine, but it does mean that I have to wear many hats to accomplish everything.  I like to visualize the business in 4 parts.  1) Customers/Sales - individuals and wholesale , 2) Business -banking, budgeting, booth rental, taxes, accounting,  3) Product - supplies, tools, research, production, lab, inventory, purchasing, and 4) Connect - marketing, web, email, social media.

I struggle with balancing my time in all 4 areas.  I usually focus on the Product area, and struggle in the other areas.  All the areas have to work together.  Sales is not my favorite area, but I love sharing how my product may help others.  Even though accounting is what I do full-time, it is not something that I enjoy doing for the business!  However, my accounting background forces me to keep good notes and support detail.  Also, filing taxes is not fun either.  I enjoy marketing, but it is time consuming.  I run the business part-time, so my time is limited.

I hope blogging forces me to focus on all the areas of the business more.  I will set some goals each week, and see if I can master them.  Since my time is limited, I probably should make a weekly schedule so that I am more productive.  Think I can do it?????????

BUSINESS CHALLENGE FOR WEEK:
Okay, baby steps...I think the challenge this week should be to accomplish a baby step in each of the areas since the areas should work together.

1. Customers/Sales:  Mail a sample and coupon to at least 10 customers who have ordered online in the past (include a second set for them to share with a friend).
2. Business:  a. Work on paperwork that is due in a few weeks. b. Hang up a work schedule for the week.
3. Product:  Place log sheet in a binder so it is easier to access when creating products.
4. Connect:  Make at least 25 sample bags to hand out to potential customers.

Alright, I will update you next Tuesday on how I did!

Look for Fanuppa on Etsy, Facebook, or visit here.

Quick Overview on Making Soap

Making soap is actually really easy with practice.  It is very similar to baking a cake because you add ingredients and stir. Some challenges include measuring ingredients exactly, following rules for safety, developing good oil combinations, and waiting 3-6 weeks for the soap to harden and cure.  I have been making soap for about 7 years, and really enjoy it.  It is rewarding to select natural ingredients and know what is touching your skin.

One challenge with soaping is that the ratios have to be exact.  When baking a cake, we remember grandma adding a dash of this and pinch of that.  Even measuring cups are not a good option with soaping.  It is important to invest in a digital scale to weigh the ingredients.

Another challenge with soaping are all the safety rules.  This is probably the number one reason most people don't make their own soap.  Soap has three basic parts which include liquid(s), oil(s), and sodium hydroxide. These ingredients must be combined in a specific order or you will create a volcano.  First, combine the liquid (which is normally distilled water) with the sodium hydroxide (wear gloves and masks during this step). Place the sodium hydroxide on top of the water, a little at a time, and stir.  Next, put this to the side to cool (this combination creates its own heat). Next rule is to always add the sodium hydroxide mixture to oils, and not the oils to the sodium hydroxide mixture.  Otherwise, you get the volcano.

Developing a good oil combination for your formula/recipe is challenging too.  Each oil is different and has different properties that causes it to react differently in the recipe with the sodium hydroxide.  Coconut and palm oils are often used because they add hardness and lather to soap. There are various soap calculators on the internet to help with selecting the oil combinations and providing the sodium hydroxide amount for that combination.  The calculator helps you to create a virtual batch, so you can test for hardness, lather, and other properties of the soap.  The calculators are good estimates, but other factors like the weather (humidity, temperature...), or other ingredients that you add can change the recipe results.

Once you make a batch of soap, another challenge is curing time.  Most recipes require that you wait at least 3-6 weeks.  Some traditional olive oil soap recipes can take up to 6 months to cure.  It is easier to run to the store and get soap instead of waiting.  Soaping requires planning ahead to meet deadlines.  Imagine making a batch that is not great, and not knowing until a month later!  Soaping can be really frustrating because of this factor.

The key is practice, practice, and more practice.  Also keeping good notes because you want to learn from these challenges.  I hope this overview was helpful, and makes you appreciate your next bar of soap even more.  (Note:  There are tons of tutorials on soaping on the internet - good and bad. If interested in learning more,  I suggest joining a group on Facebook or LinkedIn and asking questions instead of just following videos on YouTube.)
  
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