Thank you PhotoLoveCat for linking to the Balance Wheel concept and EcoChildsPlay for highlighting our Eco Soap kit as a way to enjoy a crafty outlet with your children.Commenter Katw0man suggested that I use today as a break to let everyone catch up on the last three days of homework. That seemed like a good suggestion since so much of the business kickstart takes significant amount of thought:
1. Research the market (www.teachsoap.com/forum and www.soapdishforum.com)
2. Identify your current customer and your ideal customer.
3. Do a SWOT analysis
Write it all down. Don't worry about making it pretty yet. That will come later.
In other news, Bramble Berry has added a new fragrance: Marrakesh (spicy, warm and complex), a Liquid Soap Base sampler and our Grab Bags are here for a limited time. Look for Optiphen Preservative (just arrived) along with a new economical 10 pound digital scale, Lemon Verbena fragrance and our 5 pound wooden loaf molds with collapsible sides to be live on the site and ready to order in the next few days.
Things that caught my eye today: I enjoyed this blog post from Platypus Dreams with some simple soap packaging ideas. I'm researching chocolate making and liked this comprehensive supply site with a cool name, Chocolate Alchemy. This blog with babies, Fancy Toast, made me smile. And David's blog about overpaying for sugar scrubs made me nod my head in agreement.
My favorite email from a customer today came from a soapmaker who gushed over a variety of things (which is always nice) and really loved our Lemon Verbena:
I have never been able to find a Lemon Verbena, that I could just fall madly in love with... They were mostly"Okay"... This one, however is to die for... It is multi layered, crisp, with nice soft edges... A fabulous almost classic sort of scent... I am totally in love with this wonderful jewel.
I'll get back to business planning 101 tomorrow. In the meantime, get to work on your homework.
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