finding your special niche in the great soapmaking universe

[heartsong]

a forum member made a very valid point in another thread, that many new to soapmaking imitate or seek to copy other's achievements. everyone has to start somewhere, but then you refine your technique and begin to push the envelope of new ideas and creations.

we have so many talented and creative artists in this forum! true pioneers that that have been so kind to help the rest of us in our endeavors.

to simply say i want to make soap is just not enough. it should reflect your own inner self. you breathe life into this little bar of soap and send it out into the world as a little ambassador showing the world who YOU are.

i think it may in part be a lack of self confindence at first to strike out in a new direction, or possibly a fear of rejection, but we've all had to face that at one time or another. and most importantly, lack of some real soul-searching and thought behind mapping out a general business plan.

unfortunately, you cant operate on the premise that "if you build it, they will come". you've got to figure a way to move the ball further down the field.

anyway, i've lived in many states, in major cities, rural farming communities, tourist resort areas, and retirement communities. i have no experience with virtual e-stores, but i do know something about personal contact sales, and i will be happy to share my experiences with you.

the one thing that is truly carved in stone: PEOPLE NEED SOAP!

now let's figure out a way for them to get some!

don't let me do all the heavy lifting...feel free to jump in and tell your story on how you found your niche.

my first story:

when i was living outside of seattle, wa there was a "new age" shop, kind of like the '60's "head shops" but cleaner, more up-scale and expensive. they had lots of crystals and unicorns and beaded jewelry, incense, tie-dye etc. i went in and had a really good look around. they had a complete line of "karma sutra" skin care products (expensive!) i dont think anything except the incense was less than $10. for the time i was there, a saturday afternoon, they had a pretty steady flow of customers-of which many purchased. light but steady sales.

it took a few weeks of thought and research but i came up with an idea. i also knew they had a sales weakness as they had few items under $10 and nothing near the register for "impulse purchases".

i came up with the concept of "chakra soaps" so i don't need to make this any longer than necessary go to www.threeheartscompany.com for a complete explanation on this subject.

the whole concept is there are 7 centers of energy in your body and each one is a different color-violet, indigo blue, light blue, green, yellow, orange and red. are you connecting the dots yet?

i made large, rough cut (artisan style) colored soaps each with a different essential oil or blend. the red one with rose f/o and rose petals, the violet with lavender e/o and lavender buds, the green with eucalyptus and ground oats, etc.

my labels were a simple cigar band that had my chakra soaps name and a short explanation of the significance of each chakra color and intention of the soap, and a list of ingredients, etc.

what really set off my soaps and made them stand out was the little half-round flat plastic foil backed cabachons in the matching colors of the soaps glued to my labels on either side of my logo name. in the dim light they glowed like the crown jewels! you can get them in any craft/hobby outlet.

the other thing i spent a lot of time on was my display stand. i didnt want my soaps stacked up somewhere at the whim of some clerk, gathering dust. i wanted to showcase them and make them shine!

i got 2 nice 1" x 6" x 24" inch boards and glued the long sides together to form an "L" shape. the board resting on the counter i elevated the edge with a wooden dowel underneath the front edge so the whole thing tipped back slightly. then i lined up the soaps according to color 4 bars deep.-gravity held them in place and it looked great. so i then woodburned "chakra soaps" on the top of the board above where my soaps were to rest, and some chinese symbols-and voila!

these 6 oz soaps retailed for $7.50-and this was almost 6 years ago. also keep in mind that this was seattle-a major city and everything is expensive.

 

[carebear]

I had to find my own groove. Yes I try things I see, even try to imitate things that appeal to me and for my first couple of batches with that technique I might try to match the other soaper's results. BUT it MUST become my own - must reflect a part of ME. So nothing that I copy stays a copy.

We all use each other for inspiration. That's fine and dandy. It's nice when credit is given, by the way. But it's important that each craftsman (craftswoman) among us develops their own style. And honestly a true craftsman cannot help but do so because we pour our souls into our work.

I have tried EVERY technique, look, style, thing out there. I have found that clean lines and simplicity speak volumes about who and what I am. I'm a bit of a granola-head, but am well aware of my anal-retentive side. So what I am, and what I try to achieve in my soaps is... well earthy but with sharp edges so to speak. I aspire to keep that but add an upscale look through the packaging, but it's a challenge because I don't want to burden our environment any more than I have to. So I have my soap groove, but continue to work on my packaging groove...

 

[mandolyn]

Head nodding. Yes, I was awestruck by the beautiful rectangular bars with the swirls, layers & textured tops. When I started soaping, that's what I aspired to do. Did it. At the end of the day, though I wasn't happy with those bars.

I didn't want to keep making what everyone else was doing. I looked locally at what was to become my competitor's soaps. They were the same rectangles, swirls, layers, textured tops. So, first & foremost I knew the shape had to be different. He#$! I don't even like the way rectangle soap feels in my hand, so I tried different shapes & sizes. Mind you, we're talking cp here. I decided pvc was the way to go & ditched my awesome TOG molds while I experimented. Round was ok, but not quite right. Great for shaving soap, but just didn't feel right in my hand. Then I went a step further & decided oval was it. Tried some, loved the feel & am transitioning to mostly oval soaps.

Nope, I can't do all the glityzy stuff inside a pvc pipe as I can in a log mold, but I still have swirls, I have yummy additives & I've concentrated on my own EO/FO blends that make my soaps mine. No textured tops sprinkled with mica & stuff, but the texture wears down anyway & all those pretty sprinkles go down the drain really fast.

Then, I considered my prospective customers, & designed packaging that would appeal to down home conservative folks & period re-creationists. They're not intimidated by some glitzy, upscale packaging. I never here, "Oh, that's just too pretty to use!" & then have to agaonize as the person walks away. Instead, they pick it up, smell it & BUY it!!! My soaps fit into all kinds of craft fairs & other fairs, even gun shows, & I know they'll be perfect at a farmer's market next summer. They're nothing too fancy, but I found my niche!

 

[Bigmoose]

I like what you have said and agree with it. I am still carving my niche and having a great time doing it!

Bruce

 

[heartsong]

soap

i like to stroll down a busy downtown shopping district-places with lots of foot traffic and lots of interesting little shops and look at each business and realize someone had an idea, took it from "kitchen table planning" and made it a reality. each shop i pass is someone's dream-come-true.

just for "brain excercise" i would look at each shop and think of ways to tailor my soaps to fit in with the business. you have to put yourself in the owner's shoes by asking yourself questions like these:

1. how can my soaps improve the shop's bottom line? (profits)

2. what kind of soaps would appeal to the customers who shop here?

3. would the owner of maybe a salon or day spa or bed and breakfast like a soap produced just for them with the their name on it? (private label)

4. how can i stand out from the crowd?

you want to sell your soaps? start doing your homework. treat everything like a school assignment. here's a few ideas to find your customer base-there's lots more out there.

1. find the demographics of your town or area-population, average age, income, household size, education level, and basic economic activities. (farming based, industrial, light manufacturing, etc.) you can usually "google" it.

2. the chamber of commerce can give you a lot of info on businesses, activities, local doings by business groups.

equipped with this basic knowledge you can start narrowing down your search for your niche.

if your demographics show that the median age of your targeted area is over 50, then i probably wouldn't make soaps that appeal to the under 30 crowd, the same goes for if there is a lot of new growth (babies) then children's soaps my be the right direction to move towards.

 

[mandolyn]

Those are excellent ideas Heartsong, & I'd add that you can focus on picking up the types of customers your competition may have neglected to target. You'd be surprised at the numbers.

Of course, that means knowing who your local soapmakers are, the types of soaps they make & who they sell to. That's research that's going to help you find your niche.

Part of my plan was to fit into the local soapmaking community (if there was such a thing,) & compliement the whole rather than just be another source of competition.

 

[heartsong]

soap

excellent point! if you stop and think, there are many areas of the population that is being under-served!

a few ideas on that one:

1. fire-fighters-they come back from a fire covered in soot, chemicals, grease, filth and sweat! they need an effective cleaner that wont strip their skin, and take that "fire-smell" off them. how about the "hook and ladder soap company" and 5-alarm soaps!

2. alot of people have very sensitive skin after kemo-therapy. something rich and emollient and UNSCENTED with walnut, apricot kernel and evening primrose oil, a little carrot seed oil-solar infuse the olive oil with calendula, arnica, marshmallow and chamomile, etc.

3. nurses would like the above because they are around a lot of chemcials, stinks and such and many have allergies or become hyper-sensitive because of it.

 

[mandolyn]

Re: soap

excellent point! if you stop and think, there are many areas of the population that is being under-served!

a few ideas on that one:

1. fire-fighters-they come back from a fire covered in soot, chemicals, grease, filth and sweat! they need an effective cleaner that wont strip their skin, and take that "fire-smell" off them. how about the "hook and ladder soap company" and 5-alarm soaps!

2. alot of people have very sensitive skin after kemo-therapy. something rich and emollient and UNSCENTED with walnut, apricot kernel and evening primrose oil, a little carrot seed oil-solar infuse the olive oil with calendula, arnica, marshmallow and chamomile, etc.

3. nurses would like the above because they are around a lot of chemcials, stinks and such and many have allergies or become hyper-sensitive because of it.

Exactly!! My SIL is a nurse, so I had her try my whipped shea butter. Now she's buying for all her co-nurses. I'm calling it Nurses Aid.

 

[mandolyn]

This holiday season, I'm going to have a look at Bath & Body Works to see what people are buying, then after Christmas go back to see what people didn't buy.

I think part of finding your niche, is discovering what products the mass markets don't supply to people. Everyone gets caught up in buying what everyone else has, but there's a cadre of shoppers who want to buy what no one else has. There's a niche.

 

[heartsong]

niche

since i changed from c/p to rtcp i have been fine-tuning my recipe with soap calc. i then make a batch unscented and give it out to close friends and family who are really "spoiled" with my fragrances. when i start getting favorable feedback and wistful requests for "more" then i know i'm on the right track.

you can have all they fancy packaging in the world, but eventually it all comes down to you and that little bar of soap together in the shower! the quality of your soap is what builds your repeat customer base. needless to say, a word of mouth recommendation from a happy customer is your best advertisement! in fact, it's priceless!

 

[heartsong]

x

(bump for the newbies!)

 

[mandolyn]

Nope, it just didn't work for us. You have to want to work a 12 step program, & I haven't found a soaper yet who wants to stop making soap.

 

[topcat]

Thanks for bumping this heartsong. I read this post when I was a newbie and now it is just so much more relevant to me as I start out on the 'selling my wares' path!

Tanya

 

[Guest]

This is a great thread , thanks for posting it.

This is what is working for me so far .
Research , many ,many hours of continuing research . Knowing as much as I possibly can about soap, creating "my" recipes . Testing those recipes thoroughly . Like heartsong said , you create that bar of soap and send it out into the world .For me it has to be the best it can be . It really is a reflection of you and it says a lot about you , and that is where you will or will not get your return buyers. imho.
Your branding and all the rest follows , I think once you truly know what your niche is.There are no other soapers where I live , so I am doing moderate sized upscale and conservative lines .It really seems like a natural progression to me , it seems to be falling into place as I go..( I don't mean to say that it is easy by any means).
I don't think one should rush this process , should have and could have is not a good thing to be thinking ,once you have paid for branding , packaging , advertising and started selling your wares.imho.
I admit I am just a smidgey bit anal about my soap and my business plan , but that is what works for me. I am the only soap maker in town , I **** well better have an awesome product or I will be giving handmade soap a bad name and I would be out of business .
Rome was not built in a day and my little soap making business won't be either.I think it will take me at least a year but it will be the very best that I can make it.
You have to do what you love and love what you do. I don't think it would work if you just cranked out soap to make a buck.

Mrs.RambleOn aka Kitn

 

[artisan soaps]

Re: niche

..

 

[heartsong]

x

i know what you mean!

tho the fragrance does a lot to sell your soap, (love at 1st sniff!), the main objective is to make one that has all the qualities that we all strive for-the perfect balance of oils to make it gentle, cleansing and moisturizing!

that's what brings them back!

 

[AshleyR]

I've noticed too, just from giving my soaps away to friends and family, that they usually ONLY notice the scent that the soap has. I want the other good qualities my soaps have to shine, so I've made quite a few unscented or naturally scented soaps lately (ones with honey that comes through a bit, and dead sea mud which smells earthy). I really, REALLY love my unscented soaps, even more than the scented ones - I hope other people do too!

 

[zeoplum]

That reminds me of something I've noticed on Etsy. A lot of times when I'm reading feedback that people leave, they do it BEFORE actually trying the soap. All they do is get it in the mail, sniff it and leave positive feedback about how great it smells. While I do understand human nature and the fact that most non-soapmakers are woo'd by the scent, I bet it's a little disheartening for the sellers on Etsy who really put a LOT of time in testing and developing what they feel is a perfect formula.

zeo

 

[Guest]

I have noticed that too on etsy , I thought it was strange but what do I know?

Kitn

 

[mandolyn]

I have noticed that too on etsy , I thought it was strange but what do I know?

Kitn

Me three. It's frustrating for sure.

At fairs, it's the smell that grabs my customers first. I'm going to be selling my first unscented, non-colored soap at my next craft fair. It's selling point is that it's made with fresh goat's milk. It will be a test to see if people will pay any attention to it, other than those who are sensitive to smells. My guess is, it won't impress very many, & won't get much attention.

It just seems everyone is all about the scent.