Steady Growth Through Hard Work

The Soap Fairy was born in 1997. As Scott made more and more soap, he began giving bars away to friends and family members, especially at the holidays. By January 1998, Scott was making so much soap that it filled the house and he started selling it at craft shows and to local shops for resale. Scott worked full time when he started the business. He made soap on evenings and weekends. He soon quit his full time job and worked three 10 hour days a week, freeing up 4 full days to devote to the business. It took 2 years before he could quit his job entirely and devote full attention to The Soap Fairy.

As the business grew, the addition of a Web site and shopping cart enabled Scott to expand and he began picking up private label contracts for companies with catalogs. By mid-1998, Scott outgrew his kitchen and took over a small room in the basement of an historic ice plant is Lewes. Before long, he outgrew that! The Soap Fairy now occupies 2,000 square feet on the ground level of the building and are looking to expend further in 2002.

Scott's partner, Ron, recently left his full time job to become The Soap Fairy's full time employee. According to Scott, Ron is a wonderful asset. "He is great with customers in the shop and loves pulling Internet orders, two jobs I dislike. His contribution allows me to spend more time making products and working on advertising, promotion and public relations. Our part time employees run the shop when Ron and I are away, or help out when we are overloaded. We have recently contracted with two retired people who wrap soap on a “per piece” basis. They pick the soap up, wrap it and bring it back to the shop."

The Good, The Bad ... And The Sales!!

Scott says that the toughest part of running The Soap Fairy is that "there are just not enough hours in the day. People think that, as a soapmaker, I spend 9 to 5 making soap and then go home. In truth, I make soap only about 5 or 6 times a month. The rest of the time is spent making other products, so we do make something almost every day. But even that is not where the bulk of my time is spent. Most of my time is spent just running the business ... on the phone with accounts, pulling orders, designing labels, drafting newsletters, bookkeeping, finalizing payroll, managing our retail shop and just generally welcoming customers who want to see how I make soap when I'm in the middle of a hundred things. The bright side is that I have a short attention span, so getting to do so many things keeps me from getting bored."

Despite the many items on Scott's "to do" list, he still loves to make soap. Says Scott, "I love to play with new scent blends, new color combinations and swirls and 'garnishes' for the tops of soap bars  I like educating people about handmade soaps and I spend a lot of time on our newsletters nowadays. I also teach soapmaking classes in various venues around the country. I enjoy doing a little bit of everything, from designing labels, to going to the post office. I never become bored because there's always something new and different to do if I get tired of doing any one thing.

According to Scott, The Soap Fairy's best selling product is their Lavender Oatmeal soap. Scott says this is because  of people’s interest in aromatherapy and their desire for more natural bath and body products. Lavender is a natural fit for these consumers.

Scott expects 2001 sales to be in the neighborhood of $100,000! Says Scott, "We want to grow even larger than that! We love doing private label soaps and we hope to pick up new and large accounts. We currently pour about 5,000 bars of soap a month, but we can far exceed that with very little adjustments, even up to 20,000 bars a month. While we plan to expand within our present space, buy our raw materials and packaging supplies in much larger quantities and seek out bigger accounts, we are also dedicated to maintaining our local retail customers."

Scott's Advice To New Handmade Beauty Businesses

Scott's advice is simple, practical and straight to the point. "Be flexible. Learn to ride the tide for a bit, see where the business takes you and be willing to go with it. If you are getting into this business to get rich quick, pick another business."

Benefits of HBN Membership

According to Scott, who has been a member of HBN since its inception, "HBN is a great source to meet other professionals, my peers as well as my 'idols'. My favorite benefit of HBN is the Beauty Calls, where I can connect and pick the brains of experts in fields in which I am interested. I learn a lot on those calls about things that are crucial to the success of my business. These are the business pros who I otherwise would not be able to speak to and learn from."