New Opportunities & Networking at 2010 HSMG Conference

There's one place you can always find me in May - at the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild (HSMG) Conference. A soap conference, you ask? Yes, a soap conference. For those of us in the industry, it's an annual event that is inspiring and uplifting. It's educational and fun. Oh, and the goodie bags and vendor events top the highlights.

This year's HSMG Conference was held at the Inverness Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Although I live in Boston, I am a Wyoming girl at heart. Gazing out at the snow-capped Rocky Mountains from my hotel room made my Western heart very happy - despite the daily 6 a.m. alarm clock.

I met many new colleagues and reconnected with other soapmaking and industry movers and shakers. In the next few weeks I'll be making a some exciting new announcements that came from networking at the conference.

Above is Kayla Fioravanti from Essential Wholesale and me. She and her husband threw a fabulous party Western party Saturday night that featured can can dancers and an improv comedy show. Kayla also gave a wonderful presentation entitled "You are the Secret Ingredient: Formulating Your Dream Business."

My presentation on New Opportunities in the Melt and Pour Market was sponsored by Debbie May of Wholesale Supplies Plus. Debbie hosted a wonderful dessert event on Friday evening. There were several thousands of dollars in giveways, and I won a $175 gift certificate! Debbie gave a very educational presentation on Taking Your Business to the Next Level.

One of my favorite presentations (there were many) I attended was one on Trace Analysis by Kevin Dunn (see photo above). Kevin's book, Scientific Soapmaking, is a must read for any cold process soapmaker.

Another favorite presentation was "The Safe and Effective Use of Essential Oils in Soap" by Robert Tisserand. He elaborated on aromatherapeutic oils and blends for soaps - antibacterial, skin soothing, skin protecting, etc. He gave examples of historical and current blends, and how to make blends that last and have fragrance impact.

Although I had already interviewed Joshua Onysko of Pangea Organics back in February, I enjoyed hearing him tell "The Story of Pangea Organics." Joshua shared how he took Pangea from the initial bright idea to an award-winning company setting new environmental and sustainability standards in the industry. (Pangea is the first company to introduce and be awarded for biodegradable, compostable, plantable packaging.)

There were many other wonderful presentations by Anne Marie Faiola, Donna Maria Johnson, Kelly Bloom, Amy Kalinchuk and Marie Gale. Check out HSMG's website for more info and check out their Facebook fan page.


Next year's conference will be held in Miami, Florida. Hope you will pack your swimsuit and join us!

Did you make it to this year's conference? What did you find valuable?

NYC in May! Soap Making Classes and How To Start Your Own Soap Business Classes

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

May 19, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Scrubs, Bath Bombs, Balms & Body Butters

May 20, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Cold Process Soap Making

May 21, 6-9:30 p.m.
Organic Creams and Lotion Class

May 22, 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

How To Run A Successful Bath & Body Business

May 22, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Organic Glycerin Soap Making

May 20-22, Limited Availability
Private Consulting Appointments

I'm excited to be returning to teach a third round of classes held on the Upper West Side at a great studio inside Little Shop of Crafts (711 Amsterdam Ave. at 94th Street).

Classes are already filling up for May classes. Sign up today at my website. In March, 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 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 May 1, 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 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.
*************************************************************************
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.

Top Five Essential Oils for Soap Making

One of the most frequent questions I am asked during soap class is "Which essential oils should I buy to have on hand for soapmaking at home?" It's a very good question for several reasons.

First, essential oils are one of the most expensive ingredients in soapmaking. It's wise to be selective as you won't want to buy 12 or 15 essential oils as you ease into your new craft. Remember, you are adding 0.5 oz of essential oil per pound of oils in your recipe. So if you are creating a batch of soap that requires four pounds of oil, you will be adding 2 oz. of essential oil. It can be one essential oil or a blend of oils, but right around 2 oz. Some soapers use a bit more, and others use a bit less. As you become experienced, you get a feel for your particular oils and their staying power.

Second, if you narrow down your oils to the top five, you can purchase in larger quanitities (I recommend 16 oz. of each) for best pricing. Most suppliers charge more per ounce on 2 oz. or 4 oz. than they do on a 16 oz. or pound of essential oil. So you're spending your money wisely up front.

Lastly, if you choose your top five wisely, you'll end up with blending options. This means besides making a one-scent batch, you can also make a two or three-scent batch.

In the natural skincare and soap classes I teach, students use only essential oils. These are derived from nature - from herbs, flowers, fruits and more. They provide physiological and psychological benefits. For example, two of lavender essential oil's many physiological benefits is that it aids in relief of psoriasis and skin wounds. One of its psychological benefits is that it is calming. You'll want to choose essential oils based on their essence as well as for the healing properties they provide.

Note for new soapmakers: Fragrance oils are synthetic and man made. They do not have physical, emotional or other healing properties. If you are using fragrance oils just confirm that they are intended for use in soap making and ask your supplier if they perform well or if there are any known problems.

Here are my Top Five Essential Oils for Soapmaking:

Lavender
Properties: Calming, soothing and relaxing, which helps those with stress and nervous tension, headaches and migraines. It is a natural choice for healing many skin conditions such as acne, bruises, burns, dermititis, eczema, inflammation, psoriasis, sunburn and wounds to name a few.
Blending: It blends well with many oils, from citrus to florals.

Rosemary
Properties: Rosemary immediately alters my mood. If I'm feeling a bit down, just a little sniff will help restore and balance my mental state. In addition, it is wonderful to use to aid in dermatitis, acne, eczema, and your boosting immune system.Blending: Try blending with lavender, peppermint, cedarwood, basil, and lemongrass.Note: Rosemary should not be used by individuals who are pregnant or who suffer from epilepsy.

Peppermint

Properties: Refreshing, restorative and a wonderful stimulant. It aids in circulation, muscular pain, can relieve asthma, and boosts the immune system.
Blending: Works well with rosemary, lemon, eucalyptus and of course lavender just to name a few.

Patchouli
Properties: Calming in small amounts, and uplifting in larger amounts. A known anti-inflammatory and useful in relieving dry skin.
Blending: Patchouli is one of several essential oils known to "anchor" scents. Use in small amounts, even when blending, as it can easily become overpowering. Blends well with lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, bergamot, clary sage and many more.

Lemongrass:
Properties: Uplifting and refreshing (one of my favorites for a kitchen soap). Aids in healing of acne and improves muscle tone.
Blending: Works well with citrus oils, lavender, geranium and bergamot. I love it with peppermint or eucalyptus. It is exceptional with a bit of patchouli.

Suggested Blends based on 4 oz. oil:

Lavender (2.5 oz.), Rosemary (1 oz.) and Patchouli (o.5 oz.)
Lemongrass (3 oz.) and Peppermint (1 oz.)
Lemongrass (3.5 oz.) and Patchouli (0.5 oz.)
Lavender (3.5 oz.) and Patchouli (0.5 oz.)
Rosemary (2 oz.) and Lemongrass (2 oz.)
Lavender (3 oz.) and Peppermint (1 oz.)
Peppermint (3 oz.) Patchouli (1 oz.)

It was challenging to pick just five, as Eucalyptus and Spearmint would have both been next on my list along with Vetiver, Geranium, Bergamot and Tea Tree.

Feel free to post your comments and let me know which oils you love or if you have any questions. You can check out my soap classes and natural skincare classes on my website.

*************************************************************************
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.

Inside the Heart & Soul of Pangea Organics: Part Two

A week back from Boulder, Colorado and I'm still inspired by listening to the thoughts and ideas of Joshua Onysko, founder of Pangea Organics. Founded 10 years ago at the age of 23, Joshua now owns the largest handmade cold process soap company in the U.S. Pangea is not your average soap company. It's the leading manufacturer of organic, sustainable, handcrafted and cruelty-free skincare.

You can listen to Part One of my audio interview, posted earlier this week.

In this 23-minute interview (this is part two) Joshua talks about:

• Living inside Pangea's first three facilities;
  
• The importance of balancing your career and your personal life;
  
• Why being palm-free is important; how 95% of all ingredients used in cosmetics and skincare are imported and how one of Pangea's missions is to source 50% from the U.S.;
  
• Raising capital;
  
• Being ahead of the organic wave in the U.S.;
  
• How it took five years for Pangea to post profits;
  
• Why he expects it to take until 2015 for the U.S. natural industry to weed out inconsistent brands and be filled with authentic, organic products
  
• How and why Pangea's ingredients are food grade
  
• This year marks Pangea's 10-year anniversary in April and how Joshua views the celebration
  
• One of the biggest challenges that he faces today (hint: he had to cut 72% of his stockists.)
  
• What going mainstream by selling to Sephora in 2009 has done to his business.

One of his messages to soapmakers in the U.S. is to create a high quality product to raise the bar (my pun) on the quality and sustainability of ingredients used in handmade bath and body products. "If you're out there making skin and bodycare products, know that if you put a poor product together, you're not doing the industry any good. Because people are going out there and having a bad experience with this gooey, separated mess and associating that with organic. So if you're going out there and make an organic product, make it work better than everything else on the shelf. Don't sacrifice quality for one ingredient you don't want to use."

Be inspired and take a look at Pangea's research and development mission. There are three key factors that have to come together before their product will hit the market: everything has to be natural, it has to be food grade, and as many organic ingredients as possible. Once these three factors come together it then must be an efficacious product that outperforms everything else on the shelf. For example, the reason Pangea hasn't introduced a haircare line is that there is not yet a surfactant on the market that meets their environmental and quality standards.

All business aside, perhaps one of the best suggestions Joshua gives to bath and body company owners is a philosophy on how to view life. "Focus on the small victories and view every day as a gift. There's challenges and there's weaknesses, but there's also these moments, these small victories that happen every moment, every day that you have to focus on."

Enjoy!

~Marla

Inside the Heart & Soul of Pangea Organics: Part One

Joshua Onysko and me at Pangea Organics, Boulder, CO

I just returned from Boulder, Colorado where I had the pleasure of interviewing and being inspired by Joshua Onysko, founder of Pangea Organics - the largest handmade cold process soapmaking manufacturer in the U.S. In case you don't already know, Pangea is not your average soapmaking company. It's the leading manufacturer of organic, sustainable, handcrafted and cruelty-free skincare.

What I found most impressive about Joshua (besides being incredibly gracious and having lived in my hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming), is what's inside his heart and soul and how he transfers this gift to his company. For example, Pangea Organics gives 5% of its profits to Women for Women International, a program founded to micro-finance women-owned cooperatives in developing countries who are producing ingredients that he uses in his company's products.

By the way, Joshua founded Pangea in 2000 when he was 23. Although it took the first five years to reach profitability, from 2005 to 2010, Pangea will have grown from almost $0 in sales to over $10 million. He is candid in this interview about the low margins on his soaps, especially with sustainable and organic ingredients, marketing and the company's overhead.

In this 20-minute interview (this is part one of two) I ask Joshua questions on how to be a successful bath and body entrepreneur. He also shares insights into Pangea. I hope you find him as engaging and facinating as I do. Check back on Friday, February 26 for Part Two of the interview!

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.
*************************************************************************
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?