Aroma Body & Bath

www.aromanaturalsoap.com.au

1. Tell us about your business

Aroma Body & Bath create beautiful natural based handmade soaps. We also supply body & bath products such as Massage oils, cuticle oil, funky bath bombs, bath products, face products and products for feet. The business is situated in Western Australia and run by a full-time mother.

2. When and why did you start your business?

I commenced my business a little over a year ago. I was pregnant with my second child and my Naturopath was concerned with the body products I was using at the time as "...they were coming up in my system". I tried some natural soaps and loved the way my skin felt after use so I did some research on natural soaps and before long I was making them and selling them to family and friends. My family and friends suggested that I should try selling them on a professional level in stores and that is what I did!

3. On a personal level, what have you achieved with of your business?

I have achieved many things: confidence, creative flair (became more artistic), developed my business acumen, learnt many new things and above all I have achieved great satisfaction that people love what I do and find it both fascinating and inspiring.

4. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in growing your business?

When I first started I had a newborn baby and a 2 year old toddler and working around them proved very difficult because I was so sleep deprived and my husband works away. So I learnt how to work around my children because my goal was to work from home so that I could be with the children full-time so I always put them first. Some people also were a little negative and not as supportive which didn't affect me because I was so driven and passionate that I ignored them and spoke with people that were positive. There is a lot of work in getting the products out there because I have to work twice as hard to get my products known because they are new to the market.

5. What activities have been successful in promoting your business?

I tried selling at a market, craft fair and online but personally find that stocking my products in stores has worked best for me. I also had a few family and friends selling to their friends which also proved successful because people tend to buy from others that they trust!

6. What activities were less successful for marketing your business?

Selling at markets and craft fairs that were not suitable for my products. I have invested quite a bit of money in attending these and in the end when it didn't work for me, I thought about what I could have done and came to the realisation that its possible that I should try other activities to promote my products. As mentioned earlier, placing my products into stores seems to work well for me.

7. Name your favourite thing about your business

Creating the soaps and trying out the finished product!

8. Who or what other businesses or business people inspire you?

There are a few other soap makers out there that I find very inspiring. I love what LUSH have created with their business.

9. What are your plans for the future of your business?

My goal for the next 12 months is to stock my products into more stores from Health Food, Gift to Florists stores. I would love to sell in a few interstate stores, primarily Melbourne and Sydney.

10. Share your best business tip with our readers.

Research - Look at what your competitors are doing. Look at their website, packaging, advertising methods. How do they 'word' their products? Accept that some things may not work. Don't dwell on it, look at what you have done and work out how you can improve for next time. Networking - even though the market and craft fair did not work for me, I was happy to have spoken to others because I received tips and was given advice on where I could purchase ingredients, packaging, labels etc. Ask lots of questions!! If you don't know the answer to something ask someone that does know! Its a learning curve!

Visit us at: www.aromanaturalsoap.com.au