An introduction to us! Why and how we started our soap making business and plans for our 2021 videos

[@AniaBumba]

I really enjoyed listening to your story. I’m very sorry about your dad, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you. However, I admire your drive to start a business from nothing. You are doing so well and your videos are inspiring and very educational as well. Thank you.

[@qubic7even409]

Sorry for the loss of your dad you are sound great and your dad would be so proud of you! You can achieve everything! God bless you.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much :-) Your kind words mean a lot and I know he would be so proud (and excited as well!)

[@Leanne-Lea]

Thank you for sharing, so happy I finally found a very informative channel based in the UK!

[@sadafshah2893]

Thank you for sharing 🙏

[@Hilary_ClarbySoaps]

Thank you for sharing your story. Looking forward to your next videos 😃

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Hilary, plenty more videos are on the way :-)

[@Magomerlin90210]

Blessings my dear for your hard work and for sharing it with others, You're not a miser person. Sorry to hear about your loss. Best of luck in whatever you do.

[@theterifox]

Thank you for your story. I love y'all.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

You are welcome Teri and thank you for watching :-)

[@rjchannel5442]

Wishing you all the best of luck in your business and I like to watch your funny joke, tips and hope you will keep making more videos.... :)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Rosita. I am glad you enjoy our videos and can appreciate my (sometimes strange) sense of humour! Do not worry, we have lots more videos planned and we will certainly carry on making them! :-)

[@denanowlin8451]

What a lovely shared story. I really enjoyed learning about you guys and your company. I wish you guys great continued success!.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much Dena, I thought it was time we gave a proper introduction and a little back story! Glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

I'm so happy you telling about you business. I'm happy especially about legal issues in UK according to soap making. I'm looking forward to hear that. 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Katarzyna. Our next Tuesday video is all about what you need to do to be able to sell soap legally in the UK, so you don't have long to wait for that one :-)

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany thank you in advance! 🙏🍀🙏

[@LunaFaeCreations]

Sorry about your dad but it turned in to a Great story

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you :-) It was definitely a hard time, but I know if he were here now he would be loving seeing our little business grow and would most definitely be helping in any way that he could (mostly by doing my tax returns!)

[@lisaalty5776]

Your dad was a very wise man to have faith in you! Heartfelt sympathies for his loss. You are a real inspiration with your openness and positivity. I would love you have a coffee with you we could probably talk for hours lol.

[@DebsShipley1969]

Incredibly open and honest video. Loss sent me down the direction I have gone too. Thank you for this video and for giving me the encouragement that a crafting business can flourish.

[@stellamarisokello2140]

Thank you for sharing your journey. Your father lives on what a legacy.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much Stella for such a lovely comment :-) He does indeed x

[@tassiegirl1991]

It’s so lovely to hear how you started your business and to know you love it and are happy such an important thing in ones working life. I look forward to hearing more. Thank you

[@cathygilani4663]

Hello Anne! (+ Hello Wayne!) I enjoyed your backstory very much, and was struck by the similarity to my soapmaking journey. I began making my first soaps in August 2018 & also bought Jan Berry's Simple & Natural Soapmaking book. It became my Bible of sorts. I made maybe half the recipes on the book for my daughter in law. I created a soap mountain, as they say - became completely obsessed - couldn't stop. Well, after a year or so, I started selling to friends & family. Many people loved my products but some weren't thrilled by the higher cost of handmade soap. I sell for $8./bar or 2 for $15. The profit margin is pretty slim I tell you. I haven't got a business license yet - not sure if there's much profit in the business, especially if you use good quality ingredients & expensive essential oils. But I still LOVE making soap, body butter, etc. Hats off to you!! You are strong & fearless - love that! Towanda!! Best of luck in your business venture! It's great to spend your days doing things you love!!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hello Cathy! Thank you so much for your lovely comment. Our journeys do sound very similar indeed. I absolutely love Jan's book and it taught me so much in the very beginning, every recipe she includes looks so beautiful! Until last year, we predominantly sold at crafts fairs and events and we had some that were terrible where we came away with a loss and others that were fantastic. We did a Christmas fair that cost £150 and we made back over £1500 - that was a fantastic day and feeling! After the events of last year we really focused on our website and online sales and that is going pretty well at the moment! Making soap and body butters is such a joy - whether that be as a hobby or as a business and I wish you happiness in your own soapy adventure! Also, I am very much loving being described as strong and fearless - so thank you :-D

[@Margoinva]

I love hearing your story and how your dad inspired you. My mom is living with us right now as she is dying from cancer. Your videos have helped me a lot in inspiring me in making soap and also as a way to relax and get my mind off cancer and covid. PS. My daughter loved the beach scene soap of yours I gave her for Christmas.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Margaret, thank you so much for such a lovely comment. I am so sorry to hear about your Mum, I know it is not an easy time at all and I am glad that our videos help take your mind of things, if only for a little while. So pleased to hear that the soap arrived safely and that your Daughter loved it. Sending you lots of love from us here in the UK x

[@cathygilani4663]

💕💖💕

[@lovereigns4017]

Loving your hair, Anne! Gorgeous 💗

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Iris, most of the time it is a mess but I do try and look vaguely presentable when I am doing a video! :-)

[@lovereigns4017]

Much appreciated, Anne. I do look forward to your videos looking up in my notifications box. 💝

[@lesliesteadman9134]

Thank you for sharing! So sorry for the loss of your Dad❤️. I can tell he was very special to you! He would be very proud of you!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Leslie, he was the best! He would definitely be enjoying seeing our little business grow if he was here!

[@stephanieparsons4793]

One of the things I am finding tricky is knowing the correct percentages of essential oils, how can I calculate these please? I'm sorry for your loss, I'm sure he is looking down and very proud Xxxxxx

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you very much Stephanie for your kind comment. When it comes to using essential oils they can vary wildly. Some will have high safe usage limits and some are very low (or cannot even be used in soap at all). Unfortunately, it can often be hard to get hold of this information and to make things even more confusing, from time to time, the limits will change. In January 2020 the limits were altered which meant that Lemongrass and May Chang (among others) had their safe usage limits lowered. For current and up to date information, I would really recommend contacting a cosmetic assessor as they will be able to tell you the current allowable limit. Once you know what percentage can be used it is then easy to work that out in grams. The allowable percentage given will be as a percent of the weight of the oils, lye and 10% of the water weight, so you need to add all of that up. Say I had oils, lye and 10% water that totaled 800g and I was using Lavender essential oil that can be used at 3%. I would need to know what 3% of 800 is so the sum needed would be 3/100 then times by 800. This would give 24 which is the amount of Lavender that I would be able to use in that batch of soap. I hope this makes sense! :-)

[@LS-lb7pw]

What a challenging yet wonderful journey you've had. I'm sure your dad is proud. You make beautiful soap!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much :-) It has certainly been an experience! I know for sure Dad would be proud - funnily enough he always used to advocate the use of soap and water and as a teenager I wanted fancy shower gels and lotions, I always told him he was wrong, but here I am, making soap!

[@lovereigns4017]

Thank you for sharing so personally. I was very touched by your honesty.💗💗💗 Iris

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Iris. I think honesty is important in all aspects of life :-) I realise I may share more info than other people do, but I have always been a bit like that and don't mind sharing :-)

[@jacquelinestafford2737]

Thank you for sharing your story & your challenges in general life, which we all have 😊 Very thankful i have finally found a channel & lovely people who make soap in the UK. Looking forward to your future videos on the business side of things as I've struggled to find these on UK terms. Good luck for the rest of your journey & you guys have 100% inspired me to carry on with my journey in the lake district UK 🇬🇧 😀 Thank you. 💕

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Jacqueline and welcome to our channel! It is so nice to hear that we have inspired you - I was hoping the video would inspire people :-) Yes, it is harder to find UK soap making / soap business videos, which is one reason why we have decided to add in the Tuesday business videos too! We already have a lot lined up and ready to go and next Tuesday it will be one covering all the things you have to do to be able to sell soap legally here in the UK :-) Good luck with your own journey and I wish you lots of luck and success :-)

[@tara6777]

Such a sweet story. Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Tara :-)

[@ChampagneProperty]

Thank you for sharing your story, sounds like its been quite a journey, wishing you continued sucsess xxx

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Amanda :-) It has been quite a journey and I am sure it will continue to have its highs and lows - hopefully more highs though! xx

[@JeanLoch]

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s inspiring and getting me thinking about taking my soap hobby to the next level. Looking forward to your next video. Stay safe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you and good luck with taking your soap making to the next level :-)

[@11rubina]

Thank you for sharing your story. Hearing it has been so inspiring. All the very best with your business. I hope it continues to grow and succeed!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much and I am so glad to hear that it has inspired you! I thought a little introduction would be nice as I seem to spend so long talking about what I am doing now, but until this video I had never talked about the backstory before!

[@hmvesey]

Hi Anne, how do you go about selling your monthly limited edition soaps in regards to the CPSR and the variants? Also i'm interested in making a business but do i need a CPSR with a toxicology report or can i just get a CPSR? Thanks Martha :)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Martha, We have a CPSR for all our limited edition soaps and then we will redesign them in a few months but keep all the ingredients the same but the design will change. This is permitted in our safety report. Whether or not you need the toxicology report depends on where in the world you are located. I believe in many countries in Europe it is a requirement, but not here in the UK

[@zeekomkommers]

What a nice journey you guys had! Did you still have any other jobs during the first year or so when starting your bussiness?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

It has been a lovely journey :-) We were both self employed before embarking on soap and for the first year we did have other forms of work to fall back on, but to be honest we didn't really have to very much. We were lucky that we started out at the beginning of the "busy" sales season and though money was very tight we got by - somehow! We probably would have continued the same way in 2020 but the situation that arose around the world meant we had to rely solely on the soap making. We were both incredibly lucky to be able to benefit from small government self employment grants though, which I am so thankful for as I know of other self employed people who weren't so lucky.

[@zeekomkommers]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany thanks for your reply!