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therealshari said:
Hi there Tyler, I am from Oregon and transplanted to Utah.
About 12 years ago, I became an accidental soapmaker, volunteering to make soap for our local farmer's market after the previous soapmaker passed.
I didn't even know there were different kinds, like melt and pour, cold-pressed, and hot processed.
It has been quite an experience for sure.
I am in a very rural area about 46 miles west of Cedar City.
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Oh wow! That's a long way! I just live north of SLC in Farmington.
 
Welcome Tyler! Leroooy J. could have been a soaper. He didn’t like waiting either. I don’t have enough patience to spell his whole name. And probably two things most soapers have in common are wishing for a shorter cure time and a magic cleanup solution. I hope you have fun here. There is so much information. Good stuff.
 
TylerJBaum said:
Yes, I’m a guy.
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I'm a woman, and I chop, haul & stack my own wood, haul my own straw bales, drill my own holes, saw my own wood, dig my own holes, hammer my own nails LOL 😂I also have been working in IT for approximately 30 years. There are a LOT of people who are not women making soap & other personal care products. Dangly bits are irrelevant as long as kept out of the way of our stick blenders :)

TylerJBaum said:
I’m originally from Idaho but currently live in Utah with my wife and four children. While my older brother can build bathrooms—and the house to go with them—I’m over here making something you use in the bathroom. Not quite the same vibes.
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It's a complementary vibe....and a great potential opportunity to get your products out there. Welcome baskets for new home buyers & those having their bathrooms remodelled is just one angle.....but wait until you've got more experience under your petticoats so that the people using your products are overjoyed with the quality of them & come banging down your door for more :)

TylerJBaum said:
...... after I returned home it had piqued my interest enough that I ordered soap supplies. When they came, I armed myself with a sword and shield
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I would recommend a stick blender, some decent molds & lots of rags for your first & subsequent soap batches, but that's just my own take on things..... LOL

TylerJBaum said:
and shouted, “Leroy Jenkins!”
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Who in god's name is Leroy Jenkins?!? LOL 😂

TylerJBaum said:
But so you all know, I only ask my wife to help me pour the batter into molds—I clean up absolutely everything alone.
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Something which could potentially save your marriage, good thinking 😂

TylerJBaum said:
Besides using my bars every day, I’ve dabbled in selling them, but the only repeat customers I’ve ever had are my mother and older sister, and I tend to give away half of my bars anyway. On this forum, I hope to learn what I still don’t know
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This is a never-ending learning & experimentation journey :) You will also find that what works for others may never work for you based on what you feel comfortable doing, how you feel comfortable learning & so on. Expect the unexpected, accept that rolling with the waves makes this journey far more enjoyable than trying to control & conquer them.

TylerJBaum said:
and maybe reach the point of being able to sell my soaps part-time.
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Understand that you don't need to know 'all there is to know' in order to get to the point of selling. There is no such thing. Even those who have been making soap for decades are still learning, still experiencing 'failures' (more opportunities for learning), still have things they are struggling with. It's good to discover what your specific niche is in soap making & to put effort into taking advantage of your strengths, as well learning to perceive what you may term 'weaknesses' as strengths.

Once you decide you are ready to sell, there are packaging, branding, marketing, promotional considerations to also explore, as well as learning from your customers & educating your customers regarding what you do & why you do it the way you choose to. Educated customers are very often repeat customers. They very often walk away & become part of your personal marketing team, whether they realize it or not 😁 Marketing is part of my job, and I have learned that working on building this 'team' is super important.

Welcome to the group & much luck along your soap making journey :)
 
Whillow said:
It is from an MMORPG called World of Warcraft. I would have linked the scene on YouTube but I don’t think people would understand why it’s so funny, unless you’re familiar with the game
Click to expand...

Ah ok....nope, that's not my thing 😁 More my oldest son's thing :)

But thank you for the explanation ❤️
 
Welcome here brother! That was a helluva introduction!! lol.
Here is a clean-up tip. Put everything you used to make the soap in a 5-gallon bucket let it harder up!
Then add water and submerge it for a few hours then rinse with water! done.!
But not the "stick blender" lol
 

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