Maker of the Month: Jennifer's Handmade Soap
I started making soap in 2009! I was writing an article about the history of soap and cleanliness. I thought the class would be interesting just to understand the modern day process of soap making. I took the class, wrote my article, and forgot about the soap I’d made. Six weeks later, I realized my soap was ready to use. I did, and well, an obsession was born.
Bramble Berry was actually where I got my first batch of supplies from! Eventually I was making more soap than I could give away or use and friends suggested I sell it. I am an introvert and the thought of selling in person gave me panic attacks, but I decided to try out some small local farmers markets and from there my confidence grew. In 2012, I officially started my business. It’s become my full time job and I love it.
What sets your products apart, what makes them unique?
Before I went full time with Jennifer’s Handmade Soap, I was an architect. I’d also taken some graphic design classes and a variety of creative writing classes in school. I love to create. Everything I love to do is creative in some way. Soapmaking was another creative outlet for me. As the world of soap making has grown and the tools available to makers have also expanded, my love of design has flourished. 3D printers opened a whole new world for me. I had the CAD and design background to create extruder discs and a few years ago decided to invest in a 3D printer. I quickly learned how to use the printer and now I can create almost any tool I need to make the designs I see in my head. Extruder discs are my favorite “tool”. I can create almost any shape I want with them. I love the more complex designs. They’re like puzzles putting all the pieces together to create a finished embed.
Where do you find your creative inspiration?
Sometimes I just see an image and it inspires a design. Other times I think about a season and my favorite things and I design around that. A lot of times it’s an embed I want to make that then inspires the rest of the design. Many times other soap makers inspire me whether it’s through their use of color, how they combine techniques, or the embeds they use. I have a notebook that I am constantly filling with ideas.
What has been your biggest challenge to navigate as a small business owner?
Making the embeds. Not all of my designs feature embeds or embellishments, but most do. I love embeds. It is the biggest thrill to see an idea I have come to life. From gnomes, to trucks, to snowmen, and so much more, it makes me smile every single time I create an embed.
What advice would you give to makers looking to start their own business?
First, learn your craft. Don’t rush into selling. Everyone’s timeline will be different, but truly understand the products you’re making, how they work, and why they work the way they do. Second, less is more when you’re starting (or even if you’re a veteran maker). Don’t try and do everything. It took me a long time to realize that I can’t do everything. There are not enough hours in the day or room in my studio for supplies.
I also realized I didn’t like making everything. If I didn’t enjoy it I stopped making it. I turned my focus to the products I loved most and established my own unique style that sets me apart from other makers.
How do you balance making products with content creation, managing your social media pages, and website?
Sometimes I feel like I fail miserably at this. I do all my own photography, photo editing, and webpage listings. I actually enjoy that aspect of the business. I also have a YouTube channel: The Soap Artist. I try to record every new design that I make and create videos. I actually really enjoy making videos. It’s a way I feel I can connect better with my customers and followers.
Social media on the other hand stresses me out. I feel like I have to be “social” and “fun” and “personable” in everything that I do with social media. For the introvert in me, that’s so hard and sometimes exhausting.
What other makers do you admire, and what do you like about their work?
I love seeing what other soapers create. Some of my favorites are Willbee Naturals, Twister Soaps, and Midnight Soapworks. I love their use of color, their designs, and their styles! They’re each unique and I can generally spot their work when I am scrolling social media because they each have distinctive styles.
What are your dreams for Jennifer's Handmade Soap? Where would you like to see your business in 5 or 10 years?
I’m coming up on the end of thirteen years being in business! Over the years, my goal has always been to be able to continue doing what I love. I’ve discovered who I am as a business owner and what I love most. There’s always more to learn, so I hope to continue to always be a student of soap/bath product making. I also want to share the knowledge I’ve gathered in a book. I love teaching and I use my YouTube channel for this, but hope to expand it further!
What are three of your must-have Bramble Berry products, and why do you love them?
Snowflake UltraSparkle Mica is my absolute FAVORITE Bramble Berry product. This mica has a sparkle/glitter/shimmer to it and I love to coat my embeds and top embellishments in it. It makes them sparkle and is so pretty! I also love using this to create mica lines of dust the top of the soap.
Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil is my top selling holiday soap every single year! People LOVE the fragrance. If you haven’t tried it you must!
My last pick (which is actually two items) is Black Amber and Lavender FO and Black Amber And Lavender Fragrance Oil. I blend these two together and it creates the most divine combination!
