Change in Plans! (Change can be good)

 Basically, and through a great deal of mental planning, thought-trips, and more, I've decided to hold off on the whole "I-think-I'll-be-a-professional-soap-and-candle-maker" and I've decided to just keep the craft available and accessible when I need it.  I think holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, gifts in general, and maybe an occasional sell if someone wants a few at a time.  I put a great deal of effort up front and after working the process, pouring out the money, dealing with the time constraints, schedules, (and the mess in some instances) I've put the idea to rest that I could or would make an actual sustainable living in the wares business. It can be done, but not by me at this time. It's OK, I don't mind making a mess and then admitting to it. I don't mind cleaning up the mess either. I can always keep the memories!

    I still have the company called REULACA, and I still have the molds, the tins, the oils, lye, wax, etc., but I just put the pencil to the paper and came up with the simple fact that I'm probably putting too much time and effort into it, and unless I have the actual clientele to buy the wares I'm just putting myself into another money pit; one that would take a bit to get out from under if I allowed it to go any further. I have the Etsy account, and I'll list the soaps and candles I have now on the site.  I'll sell off all I've made and keep the profits to produce my 2nd Blog Book. That's a good plan really.  I think I can actually sell off just about enough to fund the book without having to dip into my personal savings. That's a win. 

    I will and I can always try it again, and I can always buy the supplies and load up 10-15 loaves of soap, pour about 80-100 candles and start the process all over again. I just don't want to be tethered to it to the point that everyone expects me to be at home mixing mixes and pouring pours. I think autonomy is just too important to throw out the window with the soap water.  (You see, when you make soap you use at least 6 or 7 different oils and it leaves quite the oily mess.  You can't simply pour it down the kitchen sink, not if you want the sink to work.)  You get my point. 

    So, as of right now, I have about 110 bars of soap to sell. I'll sell them at $7.00 a piece.  I have about 40-50 candles and can sell them for around $6.00.  That will leave me with the money I need to produce the 2nd Blog Book, and then when I can I'll buy more oils for the soaps, more wax for the candles, and I'll think about what I need to promote. I think that's really an easy choice really, I can promote the promotion of the two blog books online and through various means such as a newsletter and/or boosting their visuals on Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram and other social networks. These things take time, it takes effort it takes money. I don't know that many realize just how much effort goes into self promotion unless one is trying to actually self promote. It's AMAZING how very few people we can actually say we know or can reach when we just rely on own own personal social circles. Nope, you gotta pay for advertising and the extra income was and is a really good means....it's just that however, extra. It's not my main squeeze for income.

    Just to give you a clue as to what you need when you get started on selling soaps or candles, I'll run through the average needs (assessment) so you can figure it out if you are thinking it may be a good plan for you. It is a great plan, by the way, it really is, but you will sink about $1000-1500 into it, and then there's all the time and energy you put into it as well. After the time, the energy, and the money you then have to wait on the clients and customers to see your ads, respond to your ads, pay you, and then guess what  - you have to send out the product!! More money, more time, more planning. This is not something you just do on a whim. Ready? Here we go:

You need supplies, this means you buy 7 different oils if you're making the good soap. You'll need lye, and you'll need all the things to mix the ingredients in so you have it all prepared to pour into the molds you have to buy as well.  The oils are: Coconut oil, Palm oil (unless you don't want to use palm, I'm using soy now to substitute) Soy oil, Avocado oil, Sweet Almond oil, Castor oil, Olive oil.  You'll need Mango butter or Shea butter as well.  (No really, believe me, you want that.  It makes the soap slippery and smooth.You'll need the pots, bowls to put the ingredients in to weigh them. You'll need a digital scale. You'll need utensils you can't use for regular cooking since they are introduced to lye. You'll need gloves and googles since you're working with lye. You'll need lots and lots of paper towels. You'll need softeners and hardeners, depending on what you prefer. You'll need scents (and no, they are not cheap) and you'll need colorants. You'll need boxes and bubble wrap.You'll want to wrap the soaps in cute paper and bind them with twine.You'll want to add a little label to let folks know who you are, and another to say what scent you're using.You'll need a warning label  for the candles, wicks, sticky pads to hold the wicks, tins to pour the candles into, and if you use glass (don't use glass) you'll need bubble wrap and heavier boxes.You'll need to figure out the postage so you can charge either a flat rate or an actual rate.You want to be sure to have plenty of space for the boxes and boxes and boxes of supplies, as well as the product itself once it's made. You can't very well make it and then not store it. You need tiered shelves with enough space to add boxes, modules, and thick cardboard to separate the batches. You'll need to set that up before you start overflowing with pretty soaps and sweet aromatic candles running out your ears - - don't do what I did...prepare ahead of time. Yes, it costs more, but you do have to do it to get started.     
    If you're thinking you really do want to make it something you do for a living, you'll need an office space. You'll need a computer with Quicken Books. You'll need ledgers and ways to keep track of the supplies the demands, the money, etc. You'll also need a good ergonomic chair, mouse pad, keyboard, and maybe one of those really cool stamp machines that weighs and stamps for you - - you can pay for those online now. Label makers are really cool - - I think I paid $99 for mine, and the rolls of paper labels can be found in bulk for about $39 for 8 rolls. You have to think of this before you start counting any profit.  Do you see where maybe this wasn't the best idea? I put out $1500 and may break even and make another $1500.  The time I put into it already, the space it takes, the gnashing of my teeth when I screw up a mix and have to wait another day to make up for it  - it can be daunting. No, it is daunting. I am happy to be honest, it's a chore.  
    
    All in all I'm glad I did it because I know I can make really cool things for my friends and family. I can make myself all the soaps and candles I will ever want. I know I can order 388 scents of smelly good stuff and be absolutely satisfied by just sniffing them and thinking of great places and things. I can know for sure, without any doubt, that I have achieved a really fun hobby and made money off of it, but the thing is, I'm not a soapest. I'm not candler. I'm a writer - - I write. I do a lot of that, and that's where the heart is. If I have to pour out a bit of Mango butter ala sudsy, well, there you go - - I'll do it. I would rather say I did this my way than to say I had to borrow the money or be obligated to anyone for it. I don't do well with obligation - - can you relate?
    
    If you have a minute, think about a passion you have or have had that you just struck out and made it happen and if you haven't done that maybe think about doing the whole soap and candle thing. You can also buy oils in bulk and pour them into bottles for massage oils. All you'd need is the oil itself, scents, bottles, labels, and luck!  I think I did the math on that. To get a gallon of the oil and enough bottles to do that gallon, you'd spend $75.00.  Then you have to get the labels, the boxes to mail them in, and wrap to contain any possible leakage, so that's about $50, but in order to get the amount of boxes to keep the costs down you have to order more. It's a catch-22, still, you can sell it for enough to earn about $250 from the $125 you paid out....IF you have the clients, and that's the rub.  (See what I did there?  "The rub"....massage oil...yeah, OK, go on, laugh, it was funny.

Photo Credit:  Me