New York City Soap Class, Creams and Lotion Making and More!

Join me in New York City in for one or all five hands-on, educational, natural bath and body classes. The next series of workshops take place in May.

Held on the Upper West Side at a great studio inside Little Shop of Crafts (711 Amsterdam Ave. at 94th Street).

Classes are filling up. Sign up today at my website.

These classes are intended for both individuals and entrepreneurs with current bath and body companies and for individuals wanting to start their own business. Come join these small, intimate classes to learn how to run a successful bath and body company.

You'll learn from me, Marla Bosworth, a 12-year bath and beauty expert and market research analyst, who launched Back Porch Soap Company with only a few hundred dollars. Now I supply more than 200 upscale boutiques, Whole Foods, resorts, gift stores and spas with my products. In this class you'll learn how you can do the same.

Coming from out-of-town and looking for accommodations? Email me for recommendations.

Note: All classes must be prepaid in full on www.backporchsoap.com prior to attending. You will receive a confirmation email. Register before March 10, 2010 for special, early-bird discount!

Can't make this class but want to stay in the loop with us? Sign up for our newsletter here and we'll email you to let you know the latest happenings for new classes and more!

In addition to group classes, Marla is available for one-on-one consulting for individuals interested in learning how to make bath and body products or for existing companies looking for market research and/or consulting.
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Soap class, handmade soap market research, handmade soap trends, how to make soaps and start a business, Soap making class, soap making classes, how to start a soap making business in New York city, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Wyoming, Montanta, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York City, Boston.

How to Start a Soap Business, Part Two: Profile of a Successful Soapmaker

This is Part Two in a series on How to Start a Soap Business (Part One is here.) It's important to really delve into your personality and passion as to whether you are the kind of person who can turn your hobby/craft into a full-time business.

There are common threads that run through every successful business soapmaker I've ever met. Those common threads are a fire in their belly, a resistance to failure (because it comes knocking again and again), and an undying enthusiasm as well as passion for their products and business. There's not a class that will teach you about passion. Either you have it - or you don't. But there's much more beyond passion.

It's imperative to strike a balance between the passion of making your handmade beauty products and incorporating the business side. A well-run soap business is like a finely tuned machine. First the soapmaking, then the marketing/selling (usually more than the actual product making), then the bookkeeping. Some weeks the focus is more on marketing/selling. Nonetheless, review the bottom line weekly, then repeat.

Why is it important to review the bottom line? It gives a telltale sign as to what is working for your business, and what isn't. We'll discuss this more later in the blog series.

What happens frequently is that a soapmaker may get caught up in the soapmaking, afterall it is fun to create. We are all artists at heart, yes? But one of two things is going to happen. First, soapmaking funds are going to run dry, and you'll be sitting amidst a lot of stock that needs to be sold. Or second, you keep pouring funds perhaps from your day job into soapmaking while giving away stock and realizing you've never made a dime.

Successful soapmakers know the importance of the company's bottom line. Turning a fun hobby into a money-making business requires a watchful eye on your finances - what's coming in (profit) and what's going out (cost of goods/expenses). The encouraging part here is that if you're not the accounting type, you can hire someone to manage your financial books. Be honest with yourself. If you're not entering your receipts and knowing where you stand on a weekly basis, then it's time to hire help. Depending on the size of your business, you should be able to hire a reputable accountant for as little as one to two hours a week. Not only will this help get your business finances on track, it will also allow free up your time to focus on growing your business.

Owning and running a soap business is not for the faint of heart. A successful entrepreneur needs creativeness, a vision, confidence, can-do attitude, fearlessness, business savviness, and the ability to be a world-class multitasker. Afterall, you are going to be creative director, computer specialist, customer service rep, shipping agent extraordinaire, chief bottlewasher and janitor all wrapped into one (or at least until you have the funds to hire someone for these respective positions).

You must be able to spot and seize opportunity and be open to changes in the marketplace. Every successful entrepreneur I know is passionately obsessed about their business. They are constantly brainstorming – at various times of the day - ideas about ways to improve their business whether it be marketing, new products development and possible joint ventures or leveraging with other businesses.

A wide spectrum of marketing is crucial to bring exposure to your handmade products. To some entrepreneurs, marketing is almost innate. Stay tuned for more in future posts.

Building a part-time or full-time business takes time. It also takes money. So don’t quit your day job yet. Roll up your sleeves and be prepared to work on this new venture when you are not at your full-time job – evenings, weekends, whatever it takes.

What are some characteristics or traits that you've noticed in yourself or other soapmakers?

How To Start A Soap Business; Make Research and Planning Your First Priority

This is the first in a series of posts aimed at helping you launch your natural skincare or cosmetics line. Over the coming weeks we'll take detailed look at the steps to get your new or current business off the ground.

Earlier this week an entrepreneur asked me how to find a niche for a soap company she is launching. She also asked how to determine her target market. You see, she had already created her products, logos and labels with great enthusiasm, but had not yet focused on sales and marketing.

She is not alone. Many soap hobbyists and crafters reach a point where they are making products for fun and then decide at some point they want to start a business. They've created soaps for friends and family, and perhaps have sold at a few shows, but are so immersed in creating products that they miss a key business point: who's my target audience and how am I going to appeal and market to them?

As a whimsy, creative type, I flew by the seat of my pants when I started my business back in 1998. Business types would ask me if I had written a business plan, and I'd shrug them off saying that I was "...going where the winds took my sail." I was convinced otherwise by several business advisors, and sat down and wrote my business plan. Was it a breeze to write? Not really, it took me several months. However, the process and the final result was eye-opening and enlightening. It gave my business new life and new direction. I found my niche, and my business skyrocketed.

In my consulting practice today, one of the first recommendations I make to bath and body entrepreneurs is to get their vision down on paper: niche, target market, marketing plan, SWAT analysis, competitor analysis, short-term goals and long-term goals.

We'll be covering all aspects of starting and running your own bath and beauty business in next week's class, which runs simultaneous with our 4-Day Bath & Body University.

What are your questions for starting or running a successful bath and body business? Post your comment below and I will answer them in the upcoming posts throughout the next few weeks.

In the meantime, you can find out more about private consulting and classes on my website. Sign up for my newsletter to stay up-to-date on future product and business webinars.

Here are some of the business classes I teach:

How to Launch and Run a Successful Bath & Body Business
How to Differentiate Yourself in the Bath & Body Industry
Business Plan Writing
Product Planning
Marketing Strategies
How to Implement Social Media and Internet Marketing
How to Wholesale Successfully

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Soap class, how to start a soap business, NYC, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Wyoming, Montanta, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York City, Boston.

Top Five Tips for Starting A Successful Bath & Beauty Business

Recently I was asked for tips on how to start a bath and body business with limited income. Sometimes starting out on a limited income can be a blessing. Having limited income will force you to watch your spending, and to only spend on what is necessary.

Also, don't quit your day job. I recommend my clients to stay with their day job until their bath and beauty business is up and running before "jumping ship."

Top Five Tips for Starting A Successful Bath & Beauty Business

1. Avoid funding your business with credit cards.

2. Write your business plan. It does take time and effort, but you need to know your target market, marketing plan of action, SWAT analysis, pricing, and five year plan.

3. Gather a focus group of people you consider your target market. Choose people who you respect (not necessarily friends or family) and who will give you their honest feedback, even if it is negative. Be open and willing to listen to them. Meet with them at milestones in your business to get feedback on potential packaging, products, etc. Compile a list of detailed questions to give them for feedback on products. This way you get your valuable questions answered with information you can use instead of simple feedback such as "I liked it."

4. What makes you/will make you different from your competition? This is very important. It is going to be your selling point and it is going to be why your customers are going to buy from you versus your competitor.

5. Become your customer. Take away all you know about your company and approach it as someone who has just been introduced to it. Would you be drawn to your image, you products, your website? Step back and take a look at your products and company like this on a regular basis.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for starting your own bath and beauty company. Check out my classes and private consulting for further assistance with launching your business or taking your current bath and body business to the next level.

New York City Organic, Cold Process Soap & Creams/Lotions Classes!

Join me in New York City in March 2010 for one or all four hands-on, educational bath and body classes:

March 24, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Scrubs, Bath Bombs, Balms & Body Butters

March 25, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Cold Process Soap Making

March 26, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Creams and Lotion Class

March 27, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
How To Run A Successful Bath & Body Business

Held on the Upper West Side at a great studio inside Little Shop of Crafts (711 Amsterdam Ave. at 94th Street).

Classes are filling up. Sign up today at my website. In January, students travelled from more than five states as well as NYC to attend.

These classes are intended for both individuals and entrepreneurs with current bath and body companies and for individuals wanting to start their own business. Come join these small, intimate classes to learn how to run a successful bath and body company.

You'll learn from me, Marla Bosworth, a 12-year bath and beauty expert and market research analyst, who launched Back Porch Soap Company with only a few hundred dollars. Now I supply more than 200 upscale boutiques, Whole Foods, resorts, gift stores and spas with my products. In this class you'll learn how you can do the same.

Coming from out-of-town and looking for accommodations? Email me for recommendations.

Note: All classes must be prepaid in full on www.backporchsoap.com prior to attending. You will receive a confirmation email. Register before March 10, 2010 for special, early-bird discount!

Can't make this class but want to stay in the loop with us? Sign up for our newsletter here and we'll email you to let you know the latest happenings for new classes and more!

In addition to group classes, Marla is available for one-on-one consulting for individuals interested in learning how to make bath and body products or for existing companies looking for market research and/or consulting.
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Soap class, handmade soap market research, handmade soap trends, how to make soaps and start a business, Soap making class, soap making classes, how to start a soap making business in New York city, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Wyoming, Montanta, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York City, Boston.

Don't Miss the Next Cold Process Soap Class Set for January 23, 2010!

Want to learn how to make soap from scratch? Curious about the cold process process? Then this is the perfect class for you!

Marla Bosworth, 12-year soap business owner, will teach you how to make your own healing soaps using oils of your choice at home. This class is perfect for beginners and those who've never made soap. Whether you're a hobbyist or thinking about starting your own soap business, this is a great place to begin!

We'll cover safety guidelines and ensure that you reach a level of comfort so that you can finally make soap by hand at home! We'll discuss how to properly use and store lye, mixing lye and water, oils for soap making, fragrance oils, essential oils, superfatting, additives and exfoliants, coloring, molding and curing. Students will receive soap recipes and a list of my favorite places to buy soap making supplies and equipment.

We will make two batches of soap as a class. Each student will take home 10 handmade bars of soap.

Saturday, January 23
9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Consider taking "How To Run A Successful Bath & Body Business" on January 21. View other January 2010 classes.

Class is held in my Duxbury, Massachusetts studio. We are located just 30 minutes south of Boston.Can't make this class but want to stay in the loop with us? Sign up for our newsletter here and we'll email you (once a month) to let you know the latest happenings for new classes and more!

Click here for information on private, one-on-one classes and how to launch your own bath and body business. Email owner Marla Bosworth at marla@backporchsoap.com for more information.

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Soap class, soap making classes, soap consultant, how to start a soap business business, Soap making class, New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Wyoming, Montanta, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York City, Boston.

Win $100 in Free Bath & Body Products...and I'm One of The Judges!

From Nature With Love, founded by Kibby Mitra and her husband, Jay, is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of ingredients and raw materials to the micro-cosmetics industry. A few weeks ago, I was approached to judge a contest held by From Nature With Love and Indie Beauty Network which features the creativity of handmade bath and body product designers in an event showcasing how much fun it is to make your own health, beauty and lifestyle products.

How The Beauti-Fall Bath & Body Recipe Contest Works
The objective is to reward people for their creativity, and to enjoy a fun way to share interesting and inspirational ideas for seasonal gifts made with ingredients that are reminiscent of the lovely fall season. This is not a contest for food recipes! Bath, bodycare, skincare and home fragrance only.

All you have to do to enter is publish your recipe with a photo of the finished product and/or a video showing how you made it to your blog or website, and to IBN’s social networking site in our Recipe Contest Forum, between now and November 20, and our judges will announce the winners the following week!

Beauti-Fall Contest Rules
Eligibility. No purchase of From Nature With Love products is necessary to win. Membership in IBN is not necessary to win. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the United States or its territories in order to be eligible. One entry per person please, multiple entries will be disregarded. From Nature With Love or IBN employees are not eligible to enter.

Entry
To enter the contest, post your original recipe to your blog or website and then also post it (word-for-word) to IBN’s social networking site in our Recipe Contest Forum.

Disclosure
To enter the contest, post your original recipe to your blog or website and then also post it (word-for-word) to IBN’s social networking site in our Recipe Contest Forum.
To be eligible to win, the entry posted at your site and at our Forum must contain this disclosure: This recipe and post is submitted as part of the Beauti-Fall Recipe Contest. The contest is sponsored by the Indie Beauty Network and From Nature With Love, a supplier of raw materials and supplies to the cosmetics industry. Contest judges are Marla Bosworth, Lori Nova and LaShonda Tyree.

Important note to entrants: The judges names, Indie Beauty Network’s name and From Nature With Love’s name must be linked to their websites just like they are here!

Disclaimer
Neither IBN nor From Nature With Love nor the contest judges and organizers are responsible for recipes that are lost or which, for any reason, are not entered because of some fault of technology.

Entry Period
The entry period will be from 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, November 6, 2009 to November 20, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. All entries must be posted to your blog or website and to IBN’s Forum by the deadline to be eligible to win.

Prizes
First Prize: A $100 gift certificate from From Nature With Love. Second Prize: A $50 gift certificate from From Nature With Love. Third Prize: A $25 gift certificate from From Nature With Love.

Judging
Judges will be asked to agree on a first, second and third prize as indicated above. Prizes will be awarded to the winners via gift certificate. Contest entries will be judged on originality, interpretation of the “Beauti-Fall” theme and presentation of recipe via photograph or video.

Originality
Your recipe and all accompanying graphics, videos, photos, etc., must be your original work original works of authorship on your part and have not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other work and do not violate, misappropriate or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietary right of any other person or entity.