Soap Queen

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Interview with Burly Stone: Soap with a Masculine Perspective

Filed Under: Business Musings

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.

Display 2A 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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Soap Guild Ticket Winners Announced

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

It’s been a little more than a week since we announced our Soap Guild Ticket Giveaway. I know everyone has been waiting patiently to see who won. With hundreds of inspiring stories to sift through, making a choice was not quick and was not easy. With the help of the Bramble Berry team, we finally reached a consensus.

We’re excited to announce Dawn of Horsin’ Around Soap as the winner of our ticket. Dawn’s commitment to volunteering in her community and her desire to help other women start small businesses is inspiring! Dawn’s soaps are bright, fun and full of color, and her packaging is elegant and professional. Take a look at some of them below:

And now… the twist no one saw coming! When we announced we had a Soap Guild ticket to give away, another soaper who couldn’t attend the conference came forward and said she wanted to give her ticket away as well. From the long list of incredible stories, the soaper chose Gates of Burly Stone Soap Co. as the recipient of her ticket. Gates and his partner Maurice make manly (some may even say “burly!”) bars of soap, and although they started making soap only 9 months ago, we all have high hopes for them. Take a look at their soaps below:

Thanks again to everyone who shared their stories with us — we wish we could have given everyone a ticket! The conference isn’t until May, but we’re already excited to hear about Dawn and Gates’ take on all the soapy workshops and presentations. Thanks again to everyone who shared their stories, and congratulations to our winners. Happy soaping!