Teach Soap

I started soaping because I have TERRIBLE skin and buying handmade soap was expensive. I have been giving it to friends and family so I don't end up with 100's of bars of soap in my garage (because I constantly want to try new things). I have been approached by some of those friends and family who told me that some of their houseguests LOVED the soap and wanted to purchase some, so I gave them a bar to take with them. I've been considering selling my soap now. Maybe doing craft fairs, and such. I don't expect to get rich or even to be able to quit my job, but would like to make enough to take a nice vacation every year. Any tips and/or ideas? Any warnings? Quality advice? Poor advice?

Good luck to you! I've been selling my soaps for a couple months now on Etsy, my website, and hopefully the market soon. It's tough! There are a lot of soapers out there, and it's difficult to stand out (especially on Etsy). Just have fun with it! Hope you sell some. (:

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If you sell, be sure you have liability insurance and check with your local county/city offices to determine if you need a business license to sell. Also, when you sell you need to have a good base recipe because people that purchase your soap expect the quality to be consistent. If you have a bunch of different recipes you won't know which one it was that your customer really liked when they come back for more. I sell at a local farmer's market and my sales have been steadily increasing and I've had a few repeat customers, so I'm very pleased. So far, I haven't even made a dent in paying back the expenses to my personal account (initial supplies, oils, scents, insurance, printing costs, etc.) so making enough for a vacation is a ways off still!

There are several forum threads relating to selling, so if you do a search you should get lots of stuff to read.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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