BLSoaps

I know this is a little off topic, but I also know how creative this group is. My sister in law is starting an online business selling floral arrangements. She had a supplier lined up, but they suddenly just dropped off the earth communications wise. When she mentioned this to me, I told her I'd ask around, see if I can't come up with someone else for her. She's still creating the website, but has stalled since she lost her supplier. Kind of hard to put up pictures and descriptions without a supplier. I'm going to give a quick explanation of what she's looking for, so you can decide if it will work for you or not. We're based in Utah, but she's actually looking for someone to drop ship directly to her clients. She'd take care of everything on the business end. You'd just create & ship. For the most part. Because of the 'long distance relationship', you'd need to be able to take professional quality photos of your work for her to display on her website. I don't know if she's planning on doing repeats of work, or custom one of a kind pieces. That may be something you'd need to discuss with her. We didn't discuss this at any great length, just bits and pieces during my son's birthday party as we had time. She works for a company that does Internet Business Coaching. Each employee is encouraged to host their own website so they're familiar with the different web builders that they use. So she's coming into this with some excellent knowledge on how to run a profitable online business. I'm sure it will start slowly, but I do expect it will grow nicely. I know I've used their business coaching with some wonderful success in our two online businesses. If you have questions, feel free to ask me, and I'll answer them as best I can. Or feel free to PM me if you're interested, and I'll get you her e-mail address.

There are quite a few programs that you can use to make Brochures. I personally use MS Publisher, and LOVE it! I also use it to make all my labels. Once you get it designed, look into some of the more expensive methods for printing them off. I know, that sounds nuts. But if you hand out a poor quality brochure, they're going to assume your products are the same low quality. Basically, your brochure is speaking FOR you. Make sure it says what you want it to say. There was a thread recently about printing brochures, I'd take a look through it as it had some excellent tips. Also, I never try to include EVERYTHING in my brochures. I usually spotlight several of our top selling products and only highlight those. I have a brief description of our company, then blurbs (with top quality photos) about a couple of products (usually our soaps, lotions, lip balms and then one other product - our top sellers). And I make sure to include prominently an invite for them to visit our website for details on our full product line and all our scent selections (I only include our top sellers again in the brochure).

I have been using those inexpensive (only $10!!!) stick blenders from Walgreens since I started! I LOVE these things so much that I own about four of them, and on my busy days (like today), even that's not enough! I've never blown a motor on them, and I abuse the crud out of them. I've only tossed one in over 4 years, and that's because I dropped it, and cracked off the little piece that holds the attachment to the base. But at that point, it was already 3 years old, and looking it! LOL! However, I will be purchasing a new stick blender before too long (I hope!!! it keeps getting put off). My lotion batches keep getting larger and larger, and I've maxed out the depths on my stick blender. So I'll be getting one of the drill attachment styles.

If it is their business, and they're selling your soaps, THEY register their business, collect taxes, etc. If you open a 2nd store, and it's YOUR STORE (like a chain or franchise), then YOU register in that state, collect taxes, etc.

We filed for LLC, well, DH did, so don't ask me how to do it, cuz I have NO idea! LOL! We did it to separate the business from our personal stuff. While an LLC doesn't prevent a lawsuit against you directly, they have to name you in addition to your business. Basically, if someone were to sue you over something, they most likely would only sue your company. If you're an LLC, then your personal assets are protected. If they name your business AND you, then they can go after both. I hope that all made sense!

I would have said the opposite, keep the olive, and lower the RBO, since hardness is an issue. The OO will take a little longer to cure into a harder bar, but it WILL be a harder bar. I've got a 100% OO soap and once it's fully cured, it's the hardest bar I make. RBO just doesn't get the hardness that OO will.

I usually see Orange EO in kitchen soaps to help cut grease some, but lemon EO makes sense to me as well. I know rubbing lemon wedges on your hands will help get rid of the smell of garlic or onions... don't remember which. And ages and ages ago when I waitressed, we'd clean out the coffee pots by swishing the pots with ice, salt and lemon wedges. Lemon EO is an excellent cleanser!

I've printed my own brochures since I started years ago. We only just upgraded to a laser last February, and it was the BEST business purchase we've ever made. Since you've already said it's not in your budget, I have a recommendation instead. Having your brochures printed on glossy presentation paper with a laser printer looks a million (seriously!) times better than anything you'll get out of an ink jet. I'd take it to a copy place, like Kinko's, and have them print them off with their machines. I'd start with having them print one, and make sure it's the paper that's your issue, and not your photos. If it's your photos, you're going to have to work on those first. And it may be your editing program, pixilation issues, or just your photography skills. If it's the later, one of our other 'this was a very worthwhile business purchase' gizmos was a tripod for our camera. And those are cheap. I think DH got ours from Walmart for less than $20. Even having taken photography classes, and taking what I thought were pretty good and clear photos, even I was amazed at the improvement in our photos taken with the tripod, especially the clarity. Even with the tripod, the large photo that we use on the cover of our brochure still is a touch fuzzy just because we enlarged it. If you have a digital camera, get to know all the features, and that will also help.

If you were to mix goat's milk and glycerin, it'd go bad. Basically, it'd be like mixing milk from the store with glycerin. There's no way it'd keep. And PEACH EO.... I wish. I always see red when I watch the Glade commercials. 'Made with essential oils'. Yeah right. Cinnamon Apple and Strawberries and Cream. Okay, need to stop as I have way too many bad words going through my head and my hands want to type them! :lipsrseal:mad::lipsrseal:mad: People like this just tick me off. EOs and 'all natural' are such hype words now that they hardly mean anything anymore. And for those of us who actually care and know what they DO mean, well, you know how I feel....

Is there a reason you WANT to sub out the Olive? (ETA - just noticed that you commented it was the smell you didn't like. I've never noticed the smell except in my castile soap. But to me, it's just the smell of soap... is your olive oil still good?) It's a staple soap making oil for me. I would never soap without it. Not only will it help with a stable lather (but smaller bubbles), it will also help you get a harder bar. It takes longer to set up, but it does make a hard bar once it's fully cured. My castile soaps (100% olive oil) take forever to fully harden, but once they are, they are the hardest soaps I sell, so they last FOREVER. If it's the cost of Olive Oil, honestly, I've always felt it's worth it. But for oils that will harden... Palm Palm Kernel Cocoa Butter Shea to a degree Mango Most of the oils that are solid at room temperature will help create a harder bar. You can also add a small amount of Stearic Acid to help firm up your bar.

I've found Soapmaker's Companion to be at quite a few libraries. It's one I'd borrow, but not one I'd buy. I've read it cover to cover a couple times (back when I started), and it's great education wise. But if I remember right (it's been a while since I've read it) the recipes tend to be pretty good sized. Starting out with 1-2 pounds is good. The amounts aren't so small that they're hard to measure, but the recipe isn't so big that it kills you if you end up having to toss cuz you screwed it up. I tossed three batches before I finally called on a local soaper to come help me out. For me, that was the best thing I ever did. There are some things (like seeing and recognizing the beginning of trace) that are very difficult to learn from a book or online. They visually need to be seen. At least for me, who has always been a visual learner. So if you know of any other soapers in your area, ask for an afternoon tutorial session. I'd bet most people would be more than willing to help.

My facial bar has Tea Tree (so stinky to me, but it works!!!), Lemon, Lemongrass....and a couple others that I can't remember at the moment. Some of the properties HAVE to stay in there, because it does help my skin. Speaking of that soap, I need to make some more... I wonder where I put my recipe?

I usually give out soap samples in 3x4 plastic baggies with my biz card stapled to the outside. This has always worked well for me!

From everything I have heard over the years, it is next to impossible to tell whether or not herbs, EOs, etc keep their properties after saponification. The science and testing equipment that would be needed, yikes, honestly I don't even know what would be needed to scientifically prove that it works. However, I think they do survive, at least somewhat. I know I've made soaps with peppermint & Eucalyptus EOs and they've been almost as good as clearing my sinuses during a cold as breathing in the oils straight. I also LOVE using a special blend of EOs in a facial soap. I have dry skin everywhere but my face, which tends to be oily and acne prone. So I make a soap with EOs that are intended to counteract the oiliness. I know my skin tends to stay clearer when I'm using this soap as opposed to when I use just a regular soap of mine. I think that many of us have seen some indications that they do survive, at least partially, otherwise why would we keep adding them??? :highfive:

First of all, GrandmaArial, I just wanted to comment on how beautifully and eloquently this was written. Thank you. I love this group, but occasionally, it can get a little scary. I know there are many times I'm glad I don't make candles (too many busy boys running around my house!), and I didn't find the group until I was 'experienced' in most B&B areas. Get rich quick? HAH! I think it's more like Rack Up Debt Quick!!! I have sunk insane amounts of money into this over the years. I am happy to say that it is now self supporting, and occasionally even profit supporting (as in we can take money from the business, pay household bills and not have it hurt the business!). But it took us four years to get there. As for only charging $4.00 a bar, it might be an okay price to start out at, but honestly, it's very low for a bar of handmade soap. I started at $4.00/bar. And when the price of Olive Oil sky rocketed a couple years ago, I was forced to raise my prices. I went up to $5.00, and since I have gone up to $5.50/bar. I've always thought "they won't buy it at this price", but they always do. Actually, every time I've raised my prices, I've actually seen an increase in sales. If you don't value your product, and price it accordingly, your potential customers won't see the value, and will assume it's a cheap product (which we know it's not), and won't want it because of it. I hope that makes sense. I look at other soapers' websites ALL the time. Call it market research, inspirational (it is!!!), whatever, but I always compare prices. The average price nowadays is at least $5.00/bar. If LUSH can sell MP soap for an average of $7.00/bar, then we definitely deserve at least $5.00/bar. It sounds like you've got a good idea of what you're doing when it comes to pricing, but I'd like you to take a moment and try my pricing guide. It's always kind of mind blowing to me when I plug a new product through it. It really does account for just about everything, and makes you price your product correctly. http://www.soapersworkshop.com/store/index.php?page=Product%20Pricing%20Formula I think the reason some people worry about this is because they've had people tell them they'll never use handmade soap because (fill in story here). It may be because great grandma's lye soap could strip the paint off the walls and even worse to your skin. Or their doctor has told them to only use Dove (or Dial or whomever). Or that "Soap" dries out your skin. Or 'I used so and so's handmade soap and it was awful because (insert skin problem here)." So some people will never use handmade soap again, regardless of who makes it or how much you try to talk them into it. In my not so humble opinion, these aren't real potential customers anyway. NONE of us are ever going to sell to them, so none of us have really lost a customer (except maybe for the soaper that originally turned them off of it). If it's because they used somebody's lousy soap, yeah, it sucks. But it happens in every single industry, not just ours. If you want a prime example, look at Wal-Mart. Some people love them (I happen to be one of them), others absolutely hate them to the point of boycotting them. Something happened to make this person that way. Yes, it sucks that it happened, we obviously wish it didn't, but it did. The people that get that far in their feelings will not be converted back. So when people say that by putting your product out there to early you risk hurting the reputation of the industry in general...well, maybe. I honestly see both sides of the issue on this one. But it could happen to anyone, and for a million different reasons. As long as you are confident that you are putting out a quality product, then I say go for it. Start small, keep practicing, working on improving, test everything you can, and go for it. For me, having these two businesses has changed my life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love what I do. Okay, I'm done! Whew! I've been long winded tonight!!!

I just sent an inquiry to Oberk. I'd be willing to run a pre-buy on these if there's an interest. I'll just need to be educated on the ins and outs of running those on this group, as I've never done one here. If you're interested, for now PM me, and I'll get in touch with an admin member tomorrow to get details.

You can add both, just make sure TOGETHER you don't go over the recommended usage rates. Peppermint EO is very strong. I tend to use it (by itself) at about 1%, which gives me tingles, and it quite strong. For your flavor oil, you should ask your supplier what the usage rate is. It varies with flavor oils greatly depending on the supplier. I know with mine it's a max of 1%, and they mean it! I've got one (chocolate) that if you use too much it'll start burning, fairly normal with chocolate flavor oils. But at 1% it's perfect. Anyway, if your supplier recommends 1% for the flavor oil, I'd do a blend of 0.5% Flavor Oil & 0.5% Peppermint (or any other blend that equals the 1%. But as for blending them together, I love doing that! My favorite is Chocolate Flavor Oil with Peppermint EO! YUM!!!

Are these 'consultants' the contacts you have for your wholesale accounts? I got a little lost here. It may just be because I'm supposed to be in bed, and I'm not , but I didn't quite follow who was complaining. Your customers or your wholesale accounts? If it's your customers, I'd try to build up a stock of at least your best selling candles, and smaller quantities of your other products. I know there's another thread going on right now that is talking about how much stock they keep on hand. One person mentioned keeping 6+ of her best selling scents, and 3 of her slower selling scents. That way when she gets orders she can ship them right away. But she also doesn't have a HUGE overstock that isn't selling. It also keeps the candles fresher, but it also gives them that cure time that you talked about. The concept of specially poured candles (ie, pour when the order) is great in concept. However, I have noticed, especially in the last few years, that speedy convenience is a HUGE issue with customers today. Otherwise why would Windex Wipes be so popular. I've always thought these were the laziest things in the world! How difficult is it to grab a bottle and a couple paper towels. However, they sell. Convenience and instant gratification SELLS. So for me, a two week lead time as a normal every day type of order is way too long. I expect a normal shipping time of 1-4 days for most of my orders when I order things in. Four is only during busy times, honestly. And this is a time line I do everything in my power to stick to as a seller. I've botched it a number of times over the last month after our move, but my customers were alerted to it, usually up front before they placed their order, and we got through it. But it was an exception, not the norm. If it is the consultants for wholesale accounts that are complaining, honestly, I'd tell them, "If the speed is that important to you, then you'll be better off with another supplier. If you care more about the quality of the products, stick with me, but I need the two week lead time." And then STICK TO IT! If it was part of your original terms, then they have nothing to complain about. I have always been very up front with my wholesale accounts about needing a three week lead time. More if I'm out of stock on soaps, as they need a cure time. I give them a brief explanation of the cure time needed for soaps, and make sure they understand how important it is. I also ask them to give me forewarning of pending orders for soaps if they happen to have them. Some have forewarned me, most haven't. I think it's unreasonable to expect a company to provide wholesale products in less than two weeks. If your terms were clear up front, just politely remind them of that. And STICK TO THEM. If you bend the rules once, they'll expect it every time, and they'll push you for more later. Anyway, off my soap box!!!

Lye pockets are pretty much what they sound like. Little pockets of lye in the final soap bars. Sometimes they're liquid that will end up burning your skin if you touch. Other times it can appear as whitish crystals. How it happens? Well, somehow the lye didn't get fully mixed in. Either it didn't fully dissolve in the water, or you discounted the water enough that it started to recrystalize (I did this), or you didn't reach a true trace before pouring, and you had some free lye floating in your soap mixture. These are the situations I can think of where lye pockets might show up. Anyone else think of other situations?

You've got the concept of super-fatting correct, Tereasa! As for how it's calculated, both ways are right. You just don't want to do both. Calculators are set up two different ways. Most take a lye discount, which then results in a superfat. Basically using the Lye Discount method, the calculator calculates the exact lye needed for the soap recipe, and then give you decreasing amounts of lye for various superfatting levels. The soap calculator at MMS is a perfect example of this type of calculator. I believe this type of calculator is most common as well. However, you can also add excess oils to your recipe. Basically you'd calculate for 0% superfat (exact lye to saponify all your oils), then add extra oils above and beyond that. If there is a calculator that calculates this way, I'm not aware of it. (anyone know of one???) It would be much more difficult to calculate the percentage of superfat using this method. The reason you shouldn't do both is because you'd be doubling up on the superfat, and could easy end up with 12%, 15% or more in superfat. And like you mentioned, these free oils in the soap decrease lather, they also can make a softer bar, and contribute to DOS problems.

http://qosmedix.com/ also has a lot of options. They do have a $100 minimum though. I just love to browse through all their stuff. They're got some great and unique containers.

Those are very cool. Unfortunately I've never seen them. But it might convince me to change to jar creams. I hate using creams in jars.

Glad I could help. If they're mostly or all 201 & over, you could still use USPS. But chances are they aren't, so UPS would probably be best. If you still want to know the policies, let me know, and I'll type them out. It's still a good thing to know.

I guess I'm not really sure exactly what you're asking? I love making product. If I didn't, I wouldn't be in this business. There are some days when I need variety. I had a point back in March when the last thing I wanted to do was look at another batch of lotion. So I took a day off (instead of restocking my bases like I should have), and made up a bunch of soap. I played with fragrance and color, and had an absolute blast! I was then able to jump back into the lotion making the next day without any complaints whatsoever. As for taking orders, I still get a little thrill every time an order comes in. New Customers & Repeat Customers each have their own thrill. New Ones, well, that's obvious. Repeat Customers brings a thrilling satisfaction, kind of like someone else recognizing all the hard work I've put into this over the years. They like it enough to buy it again. Even though I've been doing this for years, and I KNOW I make a good product, having it 'confirmed' by a complete stranger brings a satisfaction and awe that can't be matched. If this is what you're asking, there's my answer. :highfive: If I totally missed the mark , can you explain a little more what you're asking???

Only place I can think of is www.boxcoop.com. I don't do much with boxes, so I probably won't be much help. I've been told this company will make custom sizes for you if they don't have exactly what you need.