For those who sell..

I thought I'd get another thread going that helps us get to know one another better. Sharing positives is awesome, but what about the negatives that we don't routinely share?
What is the greatest source of discouragement or stress for you, in your business?
Money? Lack of support? Low/slow sales? Failed batches for mysterious reasons? Supplies being delayed? Friends/family expecting freebies all the time? People misrepresenting product and affecting the reputation of hand-crafted soaps overall? Potential lawsuits around every corner?

For me, it's the learning curve of balancing home with work, since I'm home-based. My family can be very trying, especially when I'm working with a deadline and they're asking me to do a million things for them. It drives me batty that they don't understand that while I am home, I'm still working, and can't just dash off for a couple of hours to drive around town or such.

Growing faster than expected. I sell out at the farmers markets and never have enough to do bigger events

Also people who want to argue about "lye soaps"... I have to keep my attitude in check and smile at them even though I just want to tell them to get away from my table...

And the heat and humidity... I live in Florida and it can really get bad.

It's so challenging to smile and carry on, when you want to shake sense into someone, isn't it?!? Lol.
I can relate to the humidity issue, being in Seattle...it makes things so miserable, at times!

Soap queen, I have or I should say I had a similar situation. .... I used to work from home when I started making soap..... but trying to adjust the work with soap and a 2 year old, I have my hands full so I don't like to be on a deadline for delivery of soap (if I have an order) I have not made soap since I changed my position at work and going in the office every day

It's such a challenge to find that balance! Carve out some time for indulging in soap love, as often as you can. Crayon soaps for the little one, or an exfoliating bath treat for mums tired feet.

Mine are pretty much the same as Numbers. Scaling and systems are my issues. Takes me freakin' forever to box and label, inventory, pack up, keep up with social media. I swear I have no time to actually SOAP.

Lack of support seems like it's shaping up to be a problem for me. I'm not sure why, but some of my family members don't seem to take it seriously.roblem: I mean, really?!? They don't even know the time & energy spent plus the amount of research I've been doing to be sure that my soap recipes always fill a skin need or serves a useful purpose and is not just another "pretty" soap.

Numbers said:

Growing faster than expected. I sell out at the farmers markets and never have enough to do bigger events

Also people who want to argue about "lye soaps"... I have to keep my attitude in check and smile at them even though I just want to tell them to get away from my table...

And the heat and humidity... I live in Florida and it can really get bad.

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I find that it's simpler to just highlight the fact that commercial (and "natural") companies go to great lengths to hide the fact that they use lye to make their soap. Then I simply list some the alternative terms for lye, such as sodium/potassium hydroxide - saponified oils - saponified olivate - etc, which is probably found on the ingredient list of products used by the nay-sayers, then I direct those listening to feel free to look up these terms on their smart phones. :lolno:

right now i am struggling with packaging. i've not found a packaging i really like that is simple and not time consuming to do. my recent packaging consists of 3 steps, which is very annoying. thank god i have my mom, who is very supportive, to do those for me. i'm thinking a box, but it's gonna add to cost too much. unlike in the US (or other western countries), i can't sell my handmade soaps in the $5 mark. people here are still not that appreciative of handmade soaps, it's sad (and also annoying!).

i've not sell for a very long time, and is still in the process of building my brand and presence. it takes time and A LOT of patience and work. like i said, the handmade soap market here is totally different than those in the western countries. on one side it means good, not many competition. on the other hand, people here still need to be educated a lot about handmade soap and its benefits.

i'm staying positive though. it's an interesting challenge for me to make it work like i wanted it to be.

I think mine is lack of sales on Etsy and at the two craft fairs I have done. I promote my butt off online and have had a handful of sales. I know Etsy is tough because it is flooded with soapers so I shouldn't complain too much. Doing the two craft fairs, I had plenty of foot traffic of people smelling the soaps and candles but I only made a profit on the last one I did because my mom bought some stuff from me. I am hoping my first Farmers Market will be good. It is in my town and as far as I know I am the only soaper there. I don't know anyone else in my town that sells/makes soap.

lpstephy85 said:

I think mine is lack of sales on Etsy and at the two craft fairs I have done. I promote my butt off online and have had a handful of sales. I know Etsy is tough because it is flooded with soapers so I shouldn't complain too much. Doing the two craft fairs, I had plenty of foot traffic of people smelling the soaps and candles but I only made a profit on the last one I did because my mom bought some stuff from me. I am hoping my first Farmers Market will be good. It is in my town and as far as I know I am the only soaper there. I don't know anyone else in my town that sells/makes soap.

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Have you tried making free sample size bars with your ingredients & info on them to giveaway to people? Doesn't have to be much, just like small 1 or 2oz bars. You could even go to neighboring towns and just start handing out free samples. One per person of course. That way people get to experience your soap and will miss it after it's gone then come hunt down your etsy shop for more.

lpstephy85 said:

I think mine is lack of sales on Etsy and at the two craft fairs I have done. I promote my butt off online and have had a handful of sales. I know Etsy is tough because it is flooded with soapers so I shouldn't complain too much. Doing the two craft fairs, I had plenty of foot traffic of people smelling the soaps and candles but I only made a profit on the last one I did because my mom bought some stuff from me. I am hoping my first Farmers Market will be good. It is in my town and as far as I know I am the only soaper there. I don't know anyone else in my town that sells/makes soap.

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Ipstephy85, there is definitely a learning curve involved in doing craft fairs. When I started, I consulted a friend of mine, who is a craft fair fanatic. She goes to every craft fair she hears about. She was able to tell me which ones were really good, and which ones were duds. If you ask around, you may find someone like that. Before that, I had done some really awful ones. There are usually some fairs in your area that have been around for years, that are very well attended. Find out which ones they are, google them, find the contact person and write to them. Tell them that you've heard they have a great fair, what kind of products you make, and that you'd love to participate in their fair if possible. If they're really popular, you may get put on a waiting list, and if people drop out, or cancel, they may call you. Just get on their contact list, because many organizers share their lists, and you may start to get emails from other organizers telling you about their fairs and asking if you're interested. In the beginning, you may have to do some duds, but it's good to get your name out there. Even if you don't sell a lot, smile, hand out samples with your business card attached. You never know who may be planning a wedding shower and want some soaps as favors! It may take a couple of years to get going and get to know the good shows from the bad, but it will happen. Give samples to the plumber, the mailman, the UPS driver that delivers your supplies. They may give them to their wives, who fall in love with them and want more. I did that with my plumber, and now he works for soap. It was his idea, and of course, I jumped at it. Leave a little sample with your business card on the table when you leave the restaurant. Get your name out there in as many ways as you can. You never know what will happen. Most important, don't be discouraged. Getting started doesn't happen overnight, even if there are some people who think it does! Good luck to you!!!

Thanks, Nav for the sound advice. The shows that I did were nice quality shows. There was a more seasoned seller there and a lot of people I think went to her booth just because they knew her. I like the sample idea, I think I will try that. It can't hurt anything, right? I do have a local brewer that I have sold about ten bars at in a month that I made with one of their beers. He takes no profit from it which is nice and he even said it was ok I sell some of my others soaps as well so that will help.

You know I was reading on another forum/blog something the other day and they were talking about going to BrammbleBerry just for their monthly sample. I thought this was crazy but maybe if the more season soaper at your fairs is sweeping the business then you could post a sign in your booth saying free sample of ...... with every purchase. Seems people really like free and may motivate some people who are on the fence. Hope this helps, Good luck.

I've only just started selling a little and I'm finding a lack of interest. My town has two soap stores.

I don't plan to make or sell a lot just a few markets here of there - but it would be nice to turn a profit.

In a way I'd kinda like to be bigger because I enjoy making my own stuff - but realistically I don't think I could. I'm happy if my soap and stuff is free because I sell enough to cover supplies. But then sometimes I dream big - because all those big cosmetic manufacturers out there disgust me.

Numbers said:

people who want to argue about "lye soaps"... .

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THIS! I'm am amazed how often this conversation happens.

lpstephy85 said:

I think mine is lack of sales on Etsy and at the two craft fairs I have done. I promote my butt off online and have had a handful of sales. I know Etsy is tough because it is flooded with soapers so I shouldn't complain too much. Doing the two craft fairs, I had plenty of foot traffic of people smelling the soaps and candles but I only made a profit on the last one I did because my mom bought some stuff from me. I am hoping my first Farmers Market will be good. It is in my town and as far as I know I am the only soaper there. I don't know anyone else in my town that sells/makes soap.

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lstephy, i don't do etsy or craft fairs, but i can totally relate about slow sales. my 1st online sale didn't even happen until a few months. i can understand though. people didn't even know my website exist. like i said, it does takes time and patience to build your presence in the market.

i thought about opening a shop on etsy but didn't. it's too saturated, it'll be hard to compete. i am also located outside the US, which concerns shipping. would ppl pay top dollar for shipping only for a few bars of soap? i doubt it, unless my products are EXTRA EXTRA special. not saying i don't have faith in my products, but you get the gist.

i am thinking on doing my 1st bazaar later this year. i am being modest, i'm not going to aim for profit. it's more of (again) building my presence, giving lots of samples, business cards, etc.

so far, i've been really lucky from my offline sales. party favor orders are my life saviour. those paid for my supplies, etc.