DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap "A day in the life"

 

"A day in the life" series post 4

I started these posts for people who would maybe like to have a soap business like mine or any type of craft business some day to give people an idea of things I do year round.

Currently I'm preparing for

the busy fall and holiday season and as I've mentioned before this is the time of year that small businesses like mine either make it or break it. Crafters like me can make as much as 70% of their yearly income during the last few months of the year.

Today I am measuring out ingredients in advance to prepare for making lots of batches of soap. It's something that I've started doing in the last couple of years as when it gets hectic here I can just pull the pre-measured ingredients off the shelf and make the soap. It makes things quicker, cleaner and easier during the busy season.

Today I am also making a batch of the Cedarwood Sage soap as even though it is one of my new soaps I predict it will be a big seller this fall due to it's colors and earthy fall scent. https://www.etsy.com/listing/95793260/soap-sale-1-dollar-off-cedarwood-sage

DeShawnMarie.com

DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop

"A day in the life" series post 3 Ordering ahead of time.

 

"A day in the life" series post 3 : I've always said that soap and candle making is like "Art, cooking and science class all in one" You have a recipe you follow, you have to weigh and measure oils, plus manage temperatures like chemistry and you need to have some artistic ability to get it to look pretty.

Today in preparation for the busy fall and holiday season I am starting to order more oils, ingredients and supplies so that I will be able to make enough inventory for the season. This is something that every crafter struggles with prior to the busy time of year. It takes an investment to have all of that inventory built up in time for the busy season. Soaps require a curing time too so you have to make them way ahead of time to be ready.

In the photo here I am heating up oils to begin a batch of my Organic Spearmint Eucalyptus soap, due to it's green color it sells quite well during the holiday season. https://www.etsy.com/listing/94795977/organic-spearmint-eucalyptus-soap-cold I have started making lots of batches of it in the last week. These are the kind of things I have to think about way ahead of time every year. So this is just another tip for any one who would want to start a business like mine or who would like to know what it takes to run a handcrafted soap business.

DeShawnMarie.com

DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop