When I started this adventure, I had no idea how to go about it. I just knew that I like the whole idea of a more natural home. And I also knew that I was soon to be an unemployed stay at home mom, due to the closure of the Kewaunee Nuclear Plant where I had worked for close to 13 years. I had always had a job of some sort since I was 14 years old and I had no idea what to do. So while I was still working, I experimented with a lot of ideas, bread making, gardening, homemade/money saving ideas, ect. Then I made my first batch of soap in July of 2013 and fell in love. I don’t know what it is, but I love everything about it. I remember telling my husband that I finally understand how he feels about hunting because I loved soap. I couldn’t get enough of learning everything I could about it.

I started making a few batches here and there and before long I had quite a bit of it and started giving it to family members and friends. I have three kids, so I figured it would be a less expensive way to give the many, many small holiday gifts for the teachers, bus drivers, Sunday school teachers, mail lady, coworkers and everyone else you want to be sure to remember at Christmas. My friends kept saying I should be selling the stuff but I really didn’t know how to go about it. So after I got laid off, a friend suggested I join them in their booth at the local Christmas craft fair. It really wasn’t my thing, but I thought I would maybe be able to unload the now huge amount of soap I had made. I felt very successful when people bought my very crude, poorly labeled bars of soap. I even had some repeat customers. Soon people were contacting me to come buy more. After my first attempt at putting myself out there to a retail business, which was a very embarrassing setback, I talked to a local storeowner about having a few bars of soap in her consignment store. She very kindly took me in and then the adventure really began.

I started going to a few local businesses and they all readily agreed to put my products in their businesses. I was amazed!!! By then I had bars of soap, lip balm and laundry soap (also a total accident). By spring I was invited to be a part of a few small gatherings, and craft fairs and we decided to branch out a bit and head to Door County. It was another amazing adventure and I started really making a lot of soap.

Then started the baby and bridal showers (I didn’t even know people gave out presents for attending their gatherings) and before long a wedding and that was a whole new world. I met people thru general life… Not sure how to say that, friends family, dentists offices, my chiropractor. Before long I was traveling everywhere with a box of soap. And it was SELLING!!! I got involved with a 4H project and they began selling my Goat’s milk soap for their annual fundraiser. I am also contacted regularly for basket donations for local charities and fundraisers.

Before long I could make as much soap as I wanted to because I would somehow find a way to sell it. I make runs to Door County Wisconsin every few weeks in the summer and keep stocking the local stores. I even have people come shopping at my house! It’s a crazy adventure. Talk about one door closing and another one opening, in my case, is very true. I never thought this would happen, I read a story about accidental businesses and in my case this is so true.

I have recently become a stay at home mom due to the closure of the company where I worked for 12 ½ years. I had known this was coming for the almost a year and had been doing research on ways to save money, since we had made the decision that I was going to stay home and care for our 3 kids.

I stumbled onto a website that gave a very detailed tutorial on how to make soap and thought I would give it a try. So I gathered my materials and in July of 2013 I made my first batch of soap. And I fell completely in love.!! I started making soap and giving it away, and eventually thought I might give this selling soap a try. SO here I am.