Where it all began...

So I have a blog!!! I feel like these Blog Posts will probably be a combination of a personal journey written by me, along with the occasional post about the stuff I actually make and sell. Primarily I think they will be either too long or waffle too much as I have an inability to get straight to the point, but hey what can a girl do?

Having been in business for 14 years now, I have quickly learnt that a lot of what I do is aimed at pleasing the wonderful people that have become my customers over the years. However, this blog is for me! If nobody reads it I won't be too upset. But having learnt so much over the years and feeling overwhelmed sometimes at the huge expectations for running a small business and everything that comes with it, I wanted to do this for me. Writing is a cathartic exercise for me and it's high time I chose to do something for myself. For those that have made it this far, or are remotely interested maybe grab a cuppa and get comfy, as this post may waffle along for a while.

Back in 2012 I had an idea that instead of paying huge amounts of money for bath bombs (at the time I was spending a LOT) that surely I could make my own...right? It couldn't be that difficult....surely??? Doing a bit of research, sourcing some ingredients and deciding to give it a go one night, started something that I hadn't planned or even given thought to. That one bath bomb turned into 2 and then 3. Next thing I knew friends were asking if they could try them, and before I knew it they were coming back and asking for some more. It was at that point i realised that if people were using them I couldn't just give them away, I needed to make sure I was doing it all correctly and making sure the products were safe to use. That opened the door to a whole world I knew nothing about. It involved having licences to manufacture, produce and sell your own items. Yes it was complicated but strangely that didn't put me off.

A month later and I had all my licences in place, the mountains of paperwork ready to go alongside it and my small little business Soap-Dodger was born. Named by my husband it screamed 'South London' which is where we are from, and with the help of my good mate who happens to be a Graphic Designer, I had a logo and a new business in place...that wasn't on my bingo card I can tell you. I then realised that selling just to friends and family wasn't cutting it because friends of friends wanted to try stuff. I soon realised that another thing I needed to do was build a website. I had zero idea of what to do and spent a LOT of time learning how to get a website built and finally plucked up the courage to actually build it. Looking back at that first website I inwardly cringe, however I now realise I should be proud of it. It was far from right but it was the start of a journey that has allowed me to run a business for myself and it's been one hell of a ride so far!

When my website launched I remember receiving my first order and the sheer joy that it brought. In truth even 14 years later every time I get an order you get a pure shot of joy and that's a fact. To realise that you have not only built a business, but managed to sustain it for this long is something I am incredibly proud of. The one thing I did not account for was the sheer time and effort it would take to sustain it, especially once I launched my second brand (but that's for another post). I was working full time (as I still do) but myself and my husband had our own place which meant housework and all that mundane stuff we do as adults had to be squeezed in among my free time which was largely taken up with this new venture.

This was just the start of the journey and at that point I would have been happy to receive one to two orders a week. I didn't quite foresee the lengths I would take my business too, but am sure glad I stuck it out...