2/26/2010
(Anne-Marie note: When I saw Funlayo's story at the Indie Beauty Network site, I was impressed with the business lessons she imparted and hope that her story will help many Soap Queen readers when they are planning for the upcoming 2010 Holiday Season. Thinking about renting a mall kiosk? Read this first for practical real-world experience and advice). Like most Indie businesses, I am always looking for ways promote my brand and get our products into more hands. In a quest to achieve this goal we decided lease a booth during the holiday season at Columbia Mall. Columbia Mall is about 10 minutes from my house and I know the Mall demographics fit perfectly within our target market.
As you can imagine, mall rents are ridiculously high especially during the holiday. We estimated our revenues based on how much we did at farmers markets, festivals and other shows and thought we would make a pretty decent profit being in a mall 7 days a week, 10 hours a day.
We signed the dotted line and loaded up our kiosk with product, banners and sales material. We hired 2 wonderful young ladies to work during the hours I couldn't be there. We were ready for business. The first day, we made $75.00, the next day $50.00 and on the third day we made no sales at all.
All I could see were dollars slowly draining out of my account for rent and wages and no commensurate revenues coming in. What did we miss in the course of our decision making process and how could we turn things around quickly.
We learned some quick lessons that I believe helped turn our failing venture around.
Lessons # 1 You have to put yourself out there and hussle
There is no way around this in the mall. You are competing with several other vendors and shoppers who do not want to be bothered. Unless you are an established brand, you cannot survive the mall without standing up and inviting people to try your products. The mall shopper has a very different shopping mindset from the shopper who purchases from Green Festivals and Farmers Market type outlets. The typical mall shopper is in the Mall for with a particular store in mind and is trying to get in and out very quickly.
What we did.Years of doing markets gave us the confidence to know that once a customer sampled our shea butter product, they would be inclined to buy it, if not immediately then later. We came up with several ways to get the busy and distracted shoppers to stop and take notice of our kiosk by doing the following:
- Big vivid signage that told part of our unique story
- Audio visuals showing the shea butter making process in Africa
- Free product samples
- Smile, greet and invite people into the kiosk without being pushy and overbearing.

Managing the CostsThere are costs associated with selling in a Mall kiosk that go beyond the kiosk rental.
- Payroll - you may have to use a payroll service to ensure that tax and other withholdings are done correctly
- Liability Insurance - The Mall required that we carry higher liability limits than what we had.
- Workman's Compensation Insurance is required by my State
- Other State Licensing and Registration fees required to sell in the mall.
- Cost of Product Samples
- Equipment such as a Credit Card Machine and Cash Register
In addition to this Mall hours are long especially during the holidays. Plan for additional staffing costs to keep booth open for 12 hours when needed.
What we GainedThere were lots of wonderful benefits we gained from having a kiosk at the Mall this past holiday
- Increased sales revenues - As we did demos and handed out samples we got a loyal following that came back to buy gifts during the holidays. The repeat business increased our confidence. Customers were now coming to the mall looking for us.
- Increased exposure - We got featured in the Specialty Retail Report - Carts Across America which has led to more interest in our company. Another magazine editor based in the Baltimore area contacted us to do a feature on our products
- Contacts from local businesses in my area wanting to network with us
Some final thoughts on the Mall.
The two months we spent at the mall were very valuable, they were also very tough. The hours are grueling, and when an associates call out sick or doesn't show up you can end up working some real long hours. We manufacture our own products, so we stayed pretty busy between the mall and production. The cost of kiosk rental and wages really ate into our bottom line.
It was a great experience, but I don't recommend it for everyone. If you are thinking about it, please feel free to talk to someone who has done it in order to fully understand all the potential pitfalls.
The best soap supplies on the internet are found at Bramble Berry. Click here to browse Bramble Berry.
11/18/2009
We're baaaaack! Grab your afternoon snack (milk and cookies of course) and enjoy the rest of the Milk and Cookeez interview! See the first half of the interview here!
Anne-Marie: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you like to do when you’re not creating for Milk and Cookeez?
Tammy: When I am not creating I spend time with the fam. I have 3 children, a 10 year old daughter, who I might add is my biggest fan, and 6 year old and 2 year old boys. They keep me grounded and focused. I enjoy volunteering my time with my daughter’s Cheerleading Squad and gardening.
Anne-Marie: What is your favorite thing about running your own business?
Tammy: I love making people smile. I also love knowing that I am giving them a high quality bath and body product that doesn’t just look fun it is really good for you. I also enjoy knowing that I make the decisions on what products I use and what I can neglect to offer, it goes along with the Type A thing.Anne-Marie: What’s the best advice you can give to someone who wants to start their own business?Tammy: Research everything! Ask lots of questions, there are many wonderful people that are more than willing to help you. I joined the
Indie Business Network to receive my insurance, but I would be remiss not to mention all of the amazing support that the IBN has offered.
Anne-Marie: What’s your favorite product to make?Tammy: Right now it is
Melt and Pour Soaps. I change every few months, last month it was Scoopz. I am so into manipulating the soap to make not only a molded soap, but a whole new product.
Anne-Marie: What is your favorite Bramble Berry product and why?Tammy: I have 2, is that ok? I adore your
Holiday Candy Fragrance Oil. This is the fragrance that has become our signature Sweeteez fragrance. It is the perfect combination of sweet and yummy, just like Milk and Cookeez. I also love your
Like-Cold-Process Melt and Pour soap. I love the way that it does not sweat and has no detergents in it. I won’t use a detergent based M&P.
Anne-Marie: Final thoughts? Anything you want Soap Queen readers to know about Milk and Cookeez?
Tammy: Milk and Cookeez make great gifts and favors that not only look sweet, but are good for you too. I love working with customers and making products that make people smile. Who doesn’t smile when they see a cupcake or an ice cream cone? I know that I sure do.

After the Bath Blog
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Anne-Marie: Thanks, Tammy, for letting me pick your brain! Good luck with the new Ice Cream and Clean Shoppe and keep us updated with your favorite new products!
8/11/2009

Melissa Hutcheson is the owner and and founder of the
Joy of Soap out of Hayward, California. They take pride in making their bath products from organic, natural and sustainably grown ingredients. The fabulous Melissa was kind enough to send us two bars of her handmade creations; Rosy Cheeks Rosemary and Ginger Snap! They are both quality bars of soap with lovely lathers.
Alright, gang, hold on to your seats! It's time for 5 quickfire questions for Melissa. Here we go...
Anne-Marie: How did you get started making soap?
Melissa: I have always enjoyed arts and crafts and making things. I also used to travel quite a bit for work and realized that bath products in the hotels were not so nice for my skin. Once I started researching ingredients and their impact on skin and complexion I understood that I needed to make some changes. I found a great business nearby, The Nova Studio, where I could take a class on how to make soap. Lori Nova, the founder and owner of The Nova Studio is a great teacher and I admire the way she has developed her own niche and business to help others learn new skills. From there I started making soaps from scratch in my kitchen, storing them in the garage and packing them in the dining room. Several months later we built a website and sales started coming in slowly and have been growing steadily over the past year.
Anne-Marie: What’s your favorite part about what you do?
Melissa: The creativity involved. The opportunity to dream big, and to learn (by doing) how to turn the dream into a viable business. There is so much to learn, and so many people out there who want to help small businesses succeed if you just ask for guidance.
Melissa: The Synergy Blend Essential Oils. These are great essential oil blends that take the guess work out of discovering the right blend of oils. I also like the website layout. It is easy to navigate and provides clear details on all products – thank you!
Anne-Marie: What inspires your recipes?
Melissa: I am inspired by images and scenery; images in nature and in publications. I can easily spend hours exploring gardens, and when I travel I try to visit gardens to learn more about a region’s flora and how they are used in making local beauty products. Ideas come to me when researching ingredients, and from friends, family and people I interact with in all types of settings. Our Shaving Soap was inspired by my acupuncturist based on her knowledge of herbs and personal experience, and my husband inspired our Manly Man Soap which is now our most popular bar.
Anne-Marie: What’s the best advice you can give someone wanting to start their own business?
Melissa: Be patient. Be clear on your goals and set a realistic time line for achieving both small and big goals based on your time and financial resources. You may need to change course along the way in order to achieve a goal, and you may also discover a different focus as well. This is OK, and will ultimately produce a more successful business. Be open to asking and receiving help; it is OK to delegate tasks to people who have experience in areas where you do not. You will save so much energy and worry less if you realize that you do not have to do everything yourself. If you are not having fun anymore it’s time evaluate why and what you need to adjust, change, stop doing, delegate, etc. Stay inspired.
Anne-Marie: Thank you so much, Melissa, for the inspiration and advice. We can't wait to see what's next for the Joy of Soap!
Learn more about the Joy of Soap here: