Launching my business

Making soap has been in my family for years. I grew up using handmade soap and loved making it myself. It calls for water to make soap so I thought why not use the natural resource that is so abundant here in Oregon … rain! Many complain about the rain, but not me!  I called it Oregon Rain Soap. My soap was unscented just like Mom's, until I met my husband, Rob. He bought me my first lavender essential oil and the soap turned out wonderful! My family and friends loved it too. I was so happy that he was so supportive of my hobby. I think he enjoyed it too.

Then a series of events changed our lives. We got married, he became a step-father, he lost his job of 14 years because of downsizing, I was a substitute teacher so I didn't have a steady income and we needed to move. You know those moments when everything seems to be against you and you just don't know what you are going to do?  You either let it get you down or you make lemonade or in our case … make SOAP! Well we decided to take charge of our future, so we loaded up the soap that we made, our canopy, tables, and displays and headed out to our first little Saturday Market. When we got there, this little Saturday Market was not so little. Come to find out, it was a car show; the Saturday Market was canceled for that Saturday. The organizers informed us that they had a cancellation and that we could have a 10 x 10 space. We looked at each other wondering what  we have gotten ourselves into. It was ten times more expensive than the little Saturday Market we were wiling to pay but we decided to follow this path we had been lead down. It ended up being an amazing show for us.  That was 6 years ago.

My husband helped make my dream a reality and turned it into a thriving business. Starting with a couple of soap molds that my Dad built when they made soap to now 60 soap molds; enabling us to make over 25,000 bars of soap last year. Every penny we made we invested it back into the business, expanding our product line to lotions which are also made with purified Oregon rainwater, lip balms, bath salts, soy candles, body scrubs and spritzers. My husband and I make all of our products, design and print all labels, label all our products with help from our kids, family and friends, and manage our website. It was a rough beginning; starting a business venture together as newly weds and a new family, but it has been the best experience. We take pride in our growing business and continue to create the best products we can.

Advice for others

Starting a business has many challenges and obstacles along the way; you can either look at them as a hindrance or an opportunity. Sometimes we get  so hung up and stuck in the box that it's hard to look past and find another way. With determination, hard work and an open mind a business can grow into something very prosperous and fulfilling. It is important to love what you do and enjoy the people you work with. It can be challenging to work with a spouse, but it is a great opportunity as well.