I totally agree person should gain some experience because it’s person skin we are dealing with. Love love making soaps I have been doing it a year now and I finally have my own recipie . My soaps have rice, seperate, gel and never harden, oil flowed to the surface and leaked out of the soap when I took it out from the mold. At the end I can tell other I know now to identify issues with soap making. Thank u Amanda we in Trinidad and Tobago love u for your support and knowledge.

I want to say that I have found sometimes people dividing to real soapers and to those who do it “only” as a hobby as their soaps are inferior. I want to say that making soap is my beloved hobby so I do a lot of research and always try new things. I have repeat the same recipe only twice and still change a little bit. I am selling soaps to friend from the early beginning and never had a doubt about it. Tell you why. It is not only about at least one year soap career to do a fine soap. Some people can make soap for years and never did it as someone else after three months. It depends on so many factors. But what is the main reason I am not ashamed to ask for money for my soap is that the fact it is my hobby is not a reason to just give away. I bought the ingredients that I put in and pay for them at least, I also put my knowledge and my energy to it. So EVERYONE can and SHOULD ask for money for their soap. If I just give it away (yes I sometimes do as a gift or if I ask someone to test new soap) there would not be a balance and I would probably feel discomfort soon. I sell soap because I want to do more and more and it is more than my family need. Honestly, everything goes back into soap 🙂 I can’t imagine to earn money by making soap only! Or not now 🙂 For me it is a nightmare what I read in the post about the product line and about thinking of customers on the first place. To have 8 or more basic soaps and do them again and again all the time and only few new… Even if I run my business I don’t think this is a way or this guarantee a success. There is no evolution, this is what I call stagnation. I think and have the experience that the success is in the joy when making soap. I do soap ONLY if I feel so happy that I need to blow off the happiness and joy or my heart is gonna to explode and that is my special ingredient, never just to calm myself or fight with boredom. I find that other important thing is to do it by yourself no matter how others do it. That means I do soap designs and recipes as I want to do at the moment because I WANT and not because I HAVE TO because of customers. Basic product line has everyone, there is no problem to buy lavender soap everywhere, why should I have to do it constantly? It has no sense to me. I want to create and enjoy the process not to turn myself into soap making machine of product line. If I do it with love and passion I will always have customers even more that if I have a permanent product line but made with “have to feeling”. Every time I did soap for people (what they could love or what is popular) it was never successful as I expected. When I do it by myself, it disappear. That is my experience and my thoughts to share with others, my way that works the best for me. 🙂

Great piece of advice, Amanda. Consistent product line is everything in this industry. Everything. Really good stuff.

I do agree with the guy who posted above when he writes, “that’s probably snarky”, and I applaud you, Amanda, for responding in a reasonable and confident manner. I learned a lot from the exchange. Social media is a big part of doing business these days, and there will always be negative comments. Glad to have seen such a great example of how to respond to them.

Reading about and researching soapmaking is important, but nothing can replace actual experience. My first soaps developed DOS a few weeks after I made them. Fortunately, my soap was for family members and I didn’t have to deal with customer complaints. I do think, though, that buyers should be informed that handcrafted soap does not have an indefinite shelf life and should be used and enjoyed within a reasonable amount of time.

Great article Amanda. This is the voice of Wisdom. Anybody can research, collect knowledge and learn quickly, but it takes trial and error and time to hone your skills and come up with a consistently great product. You learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. Any new soap maker can read, research and join groups, but it takes a long time to perfect one’s craft. Thank you.

I think one of the things to think about, and that this screams to me, is the people on the forums/groups that join, and immediately post, “I have never made soap and want to start a soap business, can you guys teach me?” I have people ask me to teach them all the time, usually when I am selling my soaps at market. I generally refer them to different websites that will guide them on their path. ( I have to admit that I am sometimes offended by peoples audacity to ask me to teach them to make what I am selling.) Some people believe that this is an easy business and that they are going to get rich. Well, the people that are making money in this business have busted their butts. Made soaps till they couldnt see straight, pimped themselves to wholesale accounts, worked markets and developed their business. Its about finding something you enjoy vs making a business and hoping you enjoy what you chose. The niche thing is so very important, knowing your market, what works for you, what works for your customers, where are you going to make money. Even though I have been selling for a couple of years, and had extensive business experience before that, I still find myself in mental vapor lock over what might seem to be simple decisions. Packaging, website design, budgeting, events, business name, etc. All of those things should be a reflection of the story that you are trying to convey. They should reflect your personality and the personality you are creating for your business.

I’ve seen a few similarly themed posts recently and in a general sense your advice is sound. However, I don’t believe it holds true for everyone as different people learn at different speeds, expend different amounts of time, energy, research, testing, etc. So while you say something like “you shouldn’t sell your first bar of soap you make” is generally helpful what specific steps would you recommend, how is your post helpful to those new folks considering the things you speak about…other than telling them like some finger-waggling parent “don’t do it!.” Let me address each of your points: 1. I sold ‘crappy’ soap. Soap varies. Different consumers want different things, beyond ensuring you’re soap is safe, “good” and “bad” soap are much a matter of personal preference. Beyond telling folks that it was crappy and is now “killer”, what’s a specific example you changed? And maybe you don’t want to share your hard won secrets, that’s fine, but expect me to take your advice with a grain of salt . 2. I didn’t have enough experience to make safe soap. Ok, this one makes sense, you talk about specific issues of concern…and I certainly agree knowledge is power, expend the time and energy to research, research, research. For some folks that’s a few weeks, for others a few months, for some, maybe years. However, it is soap after all, it isn’t rocket science; it’s certainly science and needs careful consideration, but people learn differently…one size does not fit all. 3. I sold soap without letting it cure “long enough”. Ok, so we need to watch our soap carefully, over time, see how the individual ingredients react with one another, in different environments, different temperatures, etc. So, what’s “enough” 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years? Do I myself need to store a bar of each batch in a closet, a dark drawer, at the equator, in the rain forrest? Sorry, that’s probably snarky, but you get my drift. Consumers take responsibility for their purchases. I make soap to be used in the bath and shower…you want to tie a rope around it and hang it from your rear-view Mirror like some crazy air freshener? Have at it, it may not behave in the same manner as was originally intended 4. I didn’t have a niche/product line/great story. This has what to do with MAKING soap? This has to do with selling soap…and people sell for all kinds of reasons, maybe it’s a small hobby business that simply supports the making of more soap, so I can get those years of experience. I don’t need world class product branding to do that.

And can I point one thing out? You did it. I mean, you self admittedly say you sold soap “too early”. Did someone die? Did you get sued? Did you ruin your reputation so that people never want your opinion now? Probably not. Did a business fail? Maybe…buts that’s a risk you take opening a business, and some great successes come out of learning from our failures. So the trail and error, the testing, the successes and failures you made were ok, but it’s now not ok for someone else?

Here’s the thing, I don’t mean this as any kind of personal attack, really I don’t. From what I have read, you are a really great person, with a great cause and years of experience. But think about how this comes across to new soapers. As a new soaper, I have to say, I’m a little offended. This isn’t the only post I’ve seen in a similar vein. I am in no way saying that I know everything, I hope I keep learning until the day I die, but I have done a ton of self learning about soap, and I started selling soap about six-months after my first batch. I’ve tried lots of other “professional” soapers soaps…and I think mine holds up, and so do the folks that have bought it (and honestly I love my soap more than many others I’ve tried…doesn’t mean theirs is bad, I just like mine better). I don’t need to sell thousands of dollars of soap, I sell to support my addiction (my soaping addiction that is)…I want to keep making soap and keep learning and trying new things.

I think I will end on this point; just as every bar of luxurious handmade soap is different, like a little bubbly snowflake, so is every soap maker…be confident in your own abilities, believe in yourself, if you think you are ready…if you really believe it, you probably are ready.

Great advice! There is always room for improvement. I enjoyed reading your tips! Thank you.

First off I just love the picture! What a great shot! That hooked me and drew me in to read the blog. And what great advice! I think I may be passing this info along. I don’t sell a great deal of soap, but so many times I get asked by people if they can learn to make it and sell it. This addresses that often asked questions. Thanks!