Masterclass in Denver: Growing Your Indie Beauty Business in 2017

Ready to get proactive about launching and running your indie beauty business? Ready to stop taking all the opportunities that come your way, even if they might not be profitable or a good match for your company? Ready to scale and grow your business?

In this information-packed, full-day masterclass, Marla Bosworth will help bring clarity to your goals and what you wish to manifest for you and your indie beauty business in 2017. Whether you have an existing booming business or just getting ready to launch, this intimate workshop will help you put goals in place to take these next steps in your business. 

You'll learn from Marla, a bath and beauty expert and market research analyst, who launched Back Porch Soap Company nearly 20 years ago. She is known in the indie beauty industry for her sage personal and business coaching. In addition to teaching formulating and business workshops all over the U.S., she has successfully opened and run retail stores in both the Boston, Massachusetts area and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She brings 30 years experience as a market research analyst and retail sales expert to this workshop.

Among the topics Marla will cover in this full-day, intensive masterclass:

• Beyond the Products - What Really Makes Consumers Buy

• What to Expect for the Indie Beauty Business Market in 2017 

• Avoiding Pitfalls: Why Indie Brands Go Out of Business

• How to Be an Indie Beauty Trailblazer

• Creative & Profitable Business Ideas

• Product Packaging

• How to Generate Excitement Around Your Brand

• Social Media Hotspots - Finding the Buzz

• Getting Media Attention

• Pricing and Profit Margins

• Protecting Your Business - The Truth About Insurance Coverage & Trademarks

• The New Age of Wholesale (It's Changing and How to Adapt)

• How To Master Retail Sales, Including Opening and Running a Retail Establishment

• Hiring, Delegating and Outsourcing

• Best Practices for Pitching Sales/Opportunities and Negotiating

• Creating a Long-Term Plan to Scale Your Business

Attendees will receive a binder of valuable handouts. There will be plenty of time for Q&A's throughout the session. Link for more information visit our website. 

Introducing Our Custom Essential Oil Blending Services

If you're seeking custom essential oil blends for personal use, your practice or for your company and products, you'll love working with Marla Bosworth. She is known in the indie beauty industry for her professional essential oil blending and custom cosmetic formulation services. With 20 years of indie beauty business experience and 30 years as a market research and retail sales expert, she is at your service for contract blending. For an additional fee, Marla may travel to your location (please inquire for details). 

This is perfect for entrepreneurs developing their own line of products as well as beauty businesses who desire specialized blends. 

Together you will custom-tailor the project to fit your needs and application (perfume, soap, skincare products, haircare, candles and more). Marla has consulted with students from around the globe - from Ghana, South Africa, to Germany, Chile, Guatemala, Ireland, Venezuela, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, Israel, Columbia, Ireland, Spain & from around the United States just to name a few. Marla is well-known in the indie beauty industry and has spoken numerous times at the Handcrafted Soapmakers and Cosmetics Guild Conference.

Blending service packages start at $498. We would love to work with you! Please inquire and determine whether we are a good fit with your project, please visit this our site here.

October 2016 Workshops: Learn to Make Indie Beauty Products in New York City

Fall is a beautiful time to visit New York City. Learn how to formulate natural and organic skincare products on the Upper West Side of Manhattan next month. Our event takes place October 24-28, 2016. Choose individual workshops or the entire week of Bath and Body University. Students from more than 100 countries have completed our courses to learn how to create products for personal use and business. Most of our students have no formal training in skincare formulation. 

Join cosmetic formulator Marla Bosworth for classes ranging from cold process soap making to an indie beauty business growth seminar. Our courses range from intermediate to advanced, but Marla's teaching style and comprehensive materials makes it easy for the novice to feel comfortable in class as well.

The full schedule is as follows:

October 24 - Cold Process Soapmaking
October 25 - Creating Colorful Designs in Cold Process Soap
October 26 - Formulating Moisturizing Body Creams
October 27 - How to Make Safe Soy Candles with Essential Oils
October 28 - Launch and Grow Your Indie Beauty Business

These workshops fill up quickly. We post number of spots left in each workshop on our website. Workshops are held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with easy access from all parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Can't make this series of workshops? Join our Facebook page for upcoming announcements and be sure to sign up for our email newsletter.

Marla Bosworth is an award-winning entrepreneur, author of many ebooks and articles for the indie beauty industry. She is a world-renowned teacher of natural skincare formulation. Marla has been using social media and the internet to grow her online presence for 20 years (yes, back in the days of America Online). She teaches workshops throughout the U.S. and has had the pleasure of consulting and working with students from all over the world.
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March 2016 Workshops: Learn to Make Your Own Natural Skincare Formulations in New York City

Join me in New York City to learn how to formulate natural and organic skincare products. Our event takes place March 19-25, 2016. Choose individual workshops or the entire week of Bath and Body University. We have students join us from all over the world to learn how to create products for personal use and business. Most of our students have no formal training in skincare formulation.

Join cosmetic formulator Marla Bosworth for classes ranging from essential oil blending, herbal infusions, body butters, soap making, emulsified body scrubs to a skincare formulator's business seminar. Our courses range from intermediate to advanced, but Marla's teaching style and comprehensive materials makes it easy for the novice to feel comfortable in class as well.

The full schedule is as follows:

March 19 - Growing Your Beauty Brand with Social Media

March 20 - Creating Signature Essential Oil Blends and Blending Services

March 21-25 - Bath & Body University

March 21 - Organic Face and Body Creams

March 22 - Herbal Infusions in Body Butters and Balms

March 23 - Organic Luxurious Body Scrubs and Bath Soaks

March 24 - Organic Soapmaking

March 25 - Build and Grow a Successful Bath & Body Business Seminar

These workshops fill up quickly. We post number of spots left in each workshop on our website. Workshops are held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with easy access from all parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Can't make this series of workshops? Join our Facebook page for upcoming announcements and be sure to sign up for our email newsletter.

Marla Bosworth is an award-winning entrepreneur, author of many ebooks and articles for the indie beauty industry. She is a world-renowned teacher of natural skincare formulation. Marla has been using social media and the internet to grow her online presence for 20 years (yes, back in the days of America Online). She teaches workshops throughout the U.S. and has had the pleasure of consulting and working with students from all over the world.

January 2016 Workshops: Learn to Make Your Own Natural Skincare Formulations in New York City

Winter in New York City is magical, and the perfect time to join us to learn about formulating natural and organic skincare products. Our event takes place January 25-29, 2016. Choose individual workshops or the entire week of Bath and Body University. We have students join us from all over the world to learn how to create products for personal use and business. Most of our students do not have any formal training in skincare formulation.

Join cosmetic formulator Marla Bosworth for classes ranging from herbal infusions and butters to a skincare formulator's business seminar. Our courses range from intermediate to advanced, but Marla's teaching style and comprehensive materials makes it easy for the novice to feel comfortable in class as well.

The full schedule is as follows:

Day 1 - January 25
Herbal Infusions in Body Butters and Balms

Day 2 – January 26
Soy Candles and Luxurious Massage Candles

Day 3 – January 27
Liquid Soaps and Shower Gels 

Day 4 – January 28Organic Cold Process Soapmaking

Day 5 - January 29
How to Run a Successful Bath & Body Business Seminar


These workshops fill up quickly. We post number of spots left in each workshop on our website. Workshops are held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with easy access from all parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Can't make this series of workshops? Join our Facebook page for upcoming announcements and be sure to sign up for our email newsletter.

Video: How to Achieve Accurate Bar Size in Soapmaking

There are three ways to cut cold process soap loaves into bars: by hand, with a manual cutter, and with an electric cutter. The disadvantage to cutting soap by hand is that it is challenging to get consistent bar size and accuracy. If you currently cut soap by hand, try weighing each bar and see how close each one is in weight. Surprisingly they can be as much as .5 oz or more different. Also, it's next to impossible to scale your soap business with cutting soap by hand. Imagine cutting thousands of bars by hand.

When we move to a manual or electric cutter, our accuracy increases and so does the professional appearance of our soap bars. I prefer a manual cutter to an electric one, the reason being is that it takes so much time to replace cutter blades from loaf cutting to bar cutting.

In the following video I'll show you how we easily cut loaves into bars. This particular batch yielded 27 loaves, which in turn produced 378 bars of soap.

How do you cut your soap? Do you have any tips to share?

Thanks for watching!
~Marla

Video: Large Batch Soapmaking Equipment: Molds and Cutter

Two years ago I invested in soap making equipment for large scale production of cold process soap. The cost was over $10,000. The investment is well worth it if you are looking to grow your soap business. My company already owned a water-jacketed soap melter, plenty of stainless steel tables, bakers racks and utility shelving. But what we needed was a system to produce thousands of bars of soap per week with ease.

Equipment for increase production can be costly. Factors to consider when contemplating a purchase in equipment include:

• How is this a wise investment for your company? (In other words, prove it to yourself.)
• Do you plan to grow this segment of your business for at least 5 or more years? 
• Will the equipment retain its value for resale?
• At what capacity will your equipment investment allow your production to grow? Then what
• As your production grows, can you add on to the equipment or will you have to purchase a completely new system?
• Is there considerable growth from your current production volume and that in which you estimate your equipment will provide? How long will you start to see return on investment (ROI)?
• How will you finance your equipment?
• Can you grow areas of your business to help pay for the equipment (such as adding or increasing wholesale capabilities, private label, etc.)?

In the following video I'll show you the large mold (pictured below) and electric cutter. The cutter hoists the soap mold onto the platform. From there the mold block is secured and the soap is released from the mold by removing all four sides. The large soap block is then positioned under the wire cutters and the soap is cut into loaves. The loaves are then cut into bars.

Have you ever seen soap making equipment in action? Do you have plans to grow your business? What questions about large-scale production do you have?

Thanks for watching!
~Marla