Tomato Days

I finally did it! I signed up for my first ever market event! I'm nervous, scared, excited, and happy all in one big ball of emotion. Naturally, I'm a very outspoken person and don't mind crowds, but as I get older, I notice I am becoming more of a recluse. I love staying in at home and spending quality with my family vs going out to a public event. I'd rather work outside in my garden watching my ducks roam around my yard or the pigs sniffing the ground for any signs of food scraps. I value my time and who I spend it with and do not care to waste time or energy on things or people that drain me of that. It's kind of ironic that the two career fields I love doing (Soap & Real Estate) are public and customer oriented.

My super important job of being a silly Mom :)

With that being said, I am truly excited for this first event. It'll be the first time publicly that you can come smell, touch, and admire my soaps! I'll have 16 different varieties of soap, some lip balms, and lotion bars. I've spent the last two months pumping out soap as fast as I can preparing for this event. That's the difficult part with soap; you have to make soap 4+ weeks in advance for any event. If I sell out, I sell out. It's pressure for sure and I hope that I can get close to selling out or at least make my vendor fee back. I only signed up for one day too so I can see how my target market reacts to my soaps. I have already been told that there will be another soap vendor there and possibly more since the sign up deadline hasn't happened yet.

So what makes me stand out more than other soap vendors? Honestly, it's not that difficult to make a good bar of soap. I know, crazy! But, I feel like there's plenty of awesome soap vendors out there and I respect the competition. I'm different from the majority based on the ingredients I use. I try to be as organic and natural as possible, so I don't use crazy colors or unnatural additives in my soap. "If Grandma didn't have access to it, then chances are I won't use it in my soap." Plus, I'm very animal friendly when it comes to sourcing my animal fats. I know EXACTLY where my tallow and lard comes from and I know the animals were happy in the life they lived. I feel that is a cause for concern with most people that choose to buy vegan products. So, I can back up my soap with the guarantee that the cows weren't factory farm animals and had access to spacious fields, good food, and were genuinely loved by their owners. If you want more specifics, the owners are my Mom and her husband. They raise cattle from a young age and let them be cows and live life on a small farm in Northern Utah. Once butchered (humanely), I am given the tallow so I can render it for my soaps. Not a whole lot of soapers can say they knew exactly how the animals used for fat lived their lives. As for my lard, well, if you read my last blog, you'll know the care I took in acquiring that.

I'm still a work in progress too. I know as a young soaper, I still have a LOT to learn. Progress can only be made by experience. I'm always reading/researching/watching videos on soap info or techniques that can help me better my brand. Everything I do within my soap company is thoroughly researched and carefully executed. My sister created my logo, my husband named my company, my mom is helping with supplies, decor and booth setup, and my friends/family/coworkers have helped with testing and reviewing products. I'm shocked I have made it this far considering this started as a "what if" idea. But, I've got that entrepreneur spirit and knew this was something I could love. I'm a crafter by nature; my mom is the best crafter in the whole world. Working with my hands has always been something I've enjoyed so this is a perfect business for me. However, I do recruit my husband to help with the logistics seeing as that has never been my forte.

So here it is, my soap company that I consider my baby. I'm nurturing it and can't wait to see it grow into something beautiful. I hope and pray that you will join me on this crazy adventure of backyard homesteading and soap making. All the support I've received so far is deeply appreciated and has helped me continue to grow and expand. I look forward to seeing you at Tomato Days!

Now, time to make soap!

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." Benjamin Franklin