Summer has arrived and it is time for summer festivals and other outdoor selling events. The festive atmosphere and buying crowds make for a great opportunity to earn money. Unfortunately, the same weather also presents challenges to outdoor sellers. Storms, sun and relentless heat cause difficulties for makers of bath and body products. Unsightly condensation … Continue reading Summer Sales: 5 Ideas to Protect Body Butters
How do you treat your customers? If you are like most small business owners, you treat them well enough . . . to their faces. The real question, however, is how do you feel about your customers? No, how do you really feel? I have heard people criticize customers for things like not understanding saponification, … Continue reading Your Customer, Friend or Foe?
Inspiration, where does it come from? If you had no access to books, social media, friends or other influences, how much would you create? Probably very little. I suspect you would run out of ideas in a short time. Any of us would. We find inspiration in nature, in places we go, music we listen … Continue reading Inspiration
It is not unusual to see makers criticize large, successful companies. They criticize the product line, the ingredient list and more. Because the company is large, they feel free to heap criticism, and everyone feels free to add another snarky comment. Let’s take a look at this phenomenon. It is not relegated, of course, to … Continue reading Jealous?
How can I compete with the person at my market who sells her soap for $XX? If I price mine that low, I’ll be out of business.” “How can I compete with the person at the other booth who says their soap will cure eczema and psoriasis?” “How can I compete with this other soapmaker … Continue reading How Can I Compete?