One of my favorite things in life is to look at beautiful things; specifically, YOUR beautiful soap creations. My book hashtag, #soapcrafting, on Instagram has many stunning photos already. But because I just can’t get enough of your photos, I’d love to see even more! Each Friday, I will pick a photo on Instagram to win a copy of the Soap Crafting book, and share on Bramble Berry Instgram account. To enter, use the hashtag #soapshare on your Instagram photos. I can’t wait to see your soapy projects. =)
Interview with Burly Stone: Soap with a Masculine Perspective
Some people assume that the bath and beauty market is a women’s world, but Burly Stone Soap Co. proves this is not the case. Created by Gates and Maurice, Burly Stone is cleverly marketed towards men with rustic packaging and masculine names. In addition to cold process soap, Burly Stone also specializes in other products for men, such as beard elixir and hand balms; they even have soap for mans best friend! Read on to learn more about Burly Stone, and how they developed their niche market. – A.M.
A collection of Burly Stone’s cold process soap, wrapped and ready to sell.
How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I’ve been soaping for just over 2 years now. It sounds weird, but I started soaping because I was frustrated. I was frustrated that I couldn’t find a big enough bar of soap in scents that I wanted.
What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
There’s a lot of competition out there – you need to find away to make your product unique, to find a slightly different niche that gives you a foothold in a crowded market. But don’t let this stop you from going for it. There’s so much success to be had for people who believe in their product – who have passion & let it shine through.
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Guest Post: Soap Guild 2014 Wrap Up
The Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild concluded last week, and we had plenty of fantastic guest bloggers on the ground to report back on all the soapy goodness. Over the next few weeks, look for Soap Guild session recaps on everything from how to price your products to how to develop a killer body butter recipe.
To start things off, Gates Councilor of Burly Stone Soap Co. gave us his overall impression of the guild, as well as some important takeaways. He is already excited for next year! — A.M.
So after all was said & done, what did I learn? What were my takeaways from the week?
First and foremost, I’m humbled and emboldened at the same time.
I’m humbled for several reasons. I’m humbled by the level of skill, dedication & talent that I witnessed while I was at the conference. Soapers are kind enough, generous enough, and cool enough to happily share the knowledge they have. I’m humbled by the people who have been doing this for years, and have forged friendships, businesses & small empires!
Some of these great folks are absolute rock stars in the hand crafted soap world, for good reason. So thank you all for the gifts you gave me.
I’m emboldened because the folks I met are just like me. I may be behind the curve a little, but I now know that if I bust my butt & really focus, I can make Burly Stone a success.
The conference was an invaluable resource for learning, connecting, sniffing & seeing what is possible.
The 2014 conference was held in Tucson, Arizona