Behind the shiny curtains - The evolution of a thriving family business

The untold story of what really happened while growing the extraordinary Chalke Valley Soaps

People often see the polished version of Chalke Valley Soaps. The dreamy photos, the gorgeous blends, the sense of calm and beauty in every bar, the perfectly set up workspace. But behind the shiny curtains lies a story that’s much messier, much harder, and far more human than most people realise...

There's a whole story that led me here and it gives me goosebumps (in a good way) every time I think about it.

In just 5 years, Chalke Valley Soaps has become one of the biggest names in the handmade soap world in the UK and possibly worldwide. It still blows my mind.

This blog post is different. I included more photos than you might expect, most of which are not polished, not professional, just raw, unfiltered snapshots from my phone. But every image tells a story. A real timeline of how our small business has grown, with all the struggles, setbacks, and small wins along the way.

Before the soap… there was the camera

Before Chalke Valley Soaps was even an idea, I worked as a full-time lifestyle photographer - @leonessphotography on Instagram. I was happy in many ways, but deep down, I always had this quiet feeling that something was missing. I loved the creativity and the people I met through my lens, but I didn’t feel fully aligned with that path. It didn’t light me up the way I’d hoped. Looking back now, I realise photography was just one step on the journey, teaching me how to see beauty in small things, how to tell stories visually, and how to capture the magic in everyday moments. Skills I still use every day in my soap business.

Our business was never planned. It wasn’t born from strategy.

It was born from survival...

 

The fall that changed everything

In October 2019, during a family holiday on the Acropolis of Lindos in Rhodes, Greece, I fell into a 7-metre-deep ditch while taking a photo of my children. One second I was smiling with them, the next, I was gone.

My children saw everything and screamed at my husband, who was a few steps away. In seconds, he ran to the edge and climbed down to reach me, holding me, calming me, and doing everything he could while emergency services were called. People stopped to help, and a kind couple looked after the children while I was being rescued.

I had fallen through a dry tree growing out of the ditch, which likely saved my life by softening the impact. I landed on jagged rocks. My lip was badly bitten, and when I spat blood I thought it was coming from my stomach. Thankfully, it wasn’t. But I had multiple fractures in my hip and femur and was covered in cuts and bruises.

I was taken to the local hospital first and spent one night there before being flown to Southampton by medical aircraft. That’s when the surgeries began. I had no memory of the fall itself. I likely lost consciousness during it. But the trauma lived on in all of us. My children couldn’t sleep for days. I developed PTSD. Just as I was about to drift off at night, my body would shake violently and jolt me awake. The exhaustion was deep and unrelenting.

 

Recovery, restlessness, and the beginning of something new

My recovery was long. I had to learn to walk again. There were months of physio and painkillers. And yet, even in all that pain, I felt thankful. Because I survived. And because of the incredible love and help I received from our community.

People cooked for us, helped with school runs, watched the children, and gave us the support that made an unmanageable time feel a little softer. I’ll never forget it.

So when the pandemic hit months later, and shelves were empty and people were scared, I knew it was my turn to give something back.

 

It started with cinnamon Lego soaps

We had some leftover melt-and-pour soap bases from Christmas crafts I’d made with my children. So we got to work. We made little "virus killer" soaps shaped like Lego blocks, blended with cinnamon powder and pure essential oils.

We left them in a basket outside our house with a simple note. “Please take one”. We didn't even know it was officially called a handmade soap; we called it "homemade". But it did not matter at all. 

We were simply happy to help people wash their hands and feel a little safer. Then something beautiful started to happen...

People left thank-you notes. Then small donations. And before long, they began asking for more.

As the demand grew, we gently began asking for small donations, but only once we couldn’t keep up with the cost of making soap for everyone. It was clear how much people needed it. That’s when I felt something shift.

People didn’t just want soap. They wanted our soap. And I had this deep longing to create something more intentional, something with meaning, something I could fully control. I wanted to make the real, cold-process soap.

I asked my husband what he thought. He said, “Let’s do this.”

 

From community kindness to calling

I’d made soap before, years ago with my dad and had a clear understanding of the process from my grandmother. I wanted full control over the ingredients, the process, and the purpose. I ordered what I needed. I taught myself everything again. I tested, I failed, I reformulated, I gave it all away again.

My very first (and very own) cold process batch was Chamomile, Calendula and Honey. Although the base formula was perfected over the years, it remained part of my collection as Honey Meadow, and it’s still one of my best sellers today.

From the very beginning, our soaps were truly natural. Always essential oils. Always botanicals. Always wrapped in paper, never plastic. 

We chose simplicity and purpose, every single time. We dried our own flower petals, citrus peels and herbs, and intentionally used only natural ingredients, toppings, and packaging, because that was always the way for us.

I upgraded our little outdoor pickup space (the sign still said “homemade,” which makes me giggle every time I see those old photos). It looked so sweet, and people genuinely loved stopping by to pick up their bars. They continued leaving donations and placing small orders, and it all felt beautifully personal, like a quiet little community moment, right outside our front door.




As people kept coming back, the notes became messages, the messages became orders. And suddenly, what started as survival became a real calling. My sister encouraged me to start an Instagram account, plus working on labels and more...

I picked up my "big" camera again and started to work on better photos. I constantly improved my product photography skills by learning and practicing so much. My first 'pro' photos I've posted on Instagram were so successful, people loved them and I had amazing feedbacks

Although I was a professional, product photography was an all new field for me. I had to learn props, lightings and setups again.

After countless hours glued to my computer, sleepless nights, and a brain that felt like it was running on empty, something finally clicked. I created a look, a feeling, a presence that felt like me. It wasn’t perfect, but it was honest. It was soulful. And it made me proud. That’s the moment the brand was born, not just as a business, but as an extension of everything I believed in. I designed the brand myself, created a logo and built a website with the help of my lovely web designer friend. And just like that, Chalke Valley Soaps was born.

Next, I began creating labels, stickers, thank you cards, business cards, and other essential stationery items for small businesses. I focused on expanding my reach through Instagram, forming collaborations, hosting giveaways, and continuously sourcing new products to enhance my offerings. I didn't know any of this as part of a plan; I just did things I thought were right.

I spent more money on unnecessary items, software, products and tools I never used. Trials and errors drained my finances like a black hole, and I often felt lost about what I was doing. I built this business from the ground up and even though I was familiar with business and marketing, managing a product-based business was a whole different challenge.

The messy middle no one saw

No one, except my close family, saw how chaotic it all was behind the scenes. I worked from our family kitchen and a tiny dark corner of the house that became my soap space.

The donation shelf slowly turned into a 50p sample shelf, and I started investing in different tools I thought it was part of the growth. 

At first, I tried so many different small cutters, tried many ways and types, including cheese cutters and hand cutters.

At this point, our batches were getting bigger to keep up with demand, and that’s when I probably made the most mistakes. I had no clear path to follow, just trial and error... Lots of error. Many things were challenging, yet I pushed through almost blindly, without considering important factors like family life or even my own health needs.

I remember my first loaf moulds weren’t cheap, but they didn’t even last six months. The silicone liner became loose and unusable, and in the end, I had to bin the whole lot. It was frustrating, but also part of the learning curve.

I experimented with so many different moulds, all shapes, sizes, and setups, trying every method I could think of. It took a lot of trial and error, but eventually, I found the one. The professional moulds I still use today. Reliable, sturdy, and worth every penny.

We were scaling up our other tools too, big bucket, big blender and a large barrel placed in our family kitchen for batching oils.

Every product photo you saw in our first few years was taken under a gazebo outside in our garden, because I had no space or proper natural light indoors. I really learned how to make them look amazing and it's something I now teach in one of my ebooks.

Things in the business took off, it was incredibly exciting. My instagram was growing so fast, I had amazing collaborations, growing wholesale accounts, big orders rolling in, and even began supporting a local charity to help the NHS. Yet I was working way too long hours to make this all happen...

I was so excited to see all this happening. It felt like the dream was finally becoming real. But behind the scenes, I was constantly on edge. My brain and body were stuck in survival mode. Even though the business was thriving, I was working around the clock. My cortisol levels were through the roof, and I couldn’t switch off.

I wasn’t sleeping properly. I was snappy with my family. I had no time for myself. I stopped working out. I stopped cooking healthy meals like I used to. And before I knew it, I had gained over 15 kilos. I did not look and feel good at all, I was rather exhausted.

Of course, there were moments of joy. I was passionate, driven, all in. But my perfectionism and imposter syndrome wouldn’t let me rest. I was always alert, always switched on, always working. It was exhausting, and I didn’t even realise how deep I was in it until much later.

My family has always been supportive, my husband and the boys done so many tasks and little jobs from our kitchen, not complaining about the mess and often soap pieces left on our dinner table. I'm incredibly proud of them.

My sister was the other hero in the picture. Even after long hours at work, she would come over to spend the evening with me, wrapping and preparing orders late into the night.

Thanks to our Instagram, orders were pouring in, and the space filled up far too quickly every single day…

Our room was shrinking constantly… What started with just a few crates quickly turned into over 20 ones on wheels, all packed with curing soap. I even squeezed in an extra table just to carve out a bit more workspace.

The beautiful orders and the kind feedbacks kept me going…

Eventually, we outgrew our home space. A lovely friend from the village offered us a beautiful refurbished barn with a small kitchen. We turned it into a workshop and studio, and for a while, it felt like a dream.

Our new space was gorgeous and we couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity.

But it was also the time I felt the most lost...

The space was beautiful, but my path still wasn’t. Now I had a rent to pay, but I had no idea what I was doing. No idea where to go next. Should I scale? Stay small? Take on big stockists? Keep it simple? Hire? Not hire? What if I fail? I had endless doubts. I didn’t know. I was tired, confused, and completely overwhelmed. But I didn't give up, and eventually, I worked it out, found solutions and ways to break through the mess.

I kept going, still learning through trial and error. There were plenty of unfinished products, accessories and unreleased soaps piling up. The picture I had in my head of a successful business turned out to be completely wrong.

I was proud to stay true to our ethos, always striving to be as natural and eco-friendly as possible.

Whenever I could, I grew, prepared, and used my own herbs, straight from the garden to the soap.

One of my proudest moments was when we were featured in a beautiful magazine. A full three-page spread, completely organic, I didn’t pay a penny. They simply found our story worth sharing and wanted to feature us. I still remember holding it in my hands, seeing my soap and my story printed on glossy pages, it felt surreal. After so many late nights, mistakes, and starting from nothing, that feature felt like the biggest validation. It wasn’t just about the recognition, it was a reminder that all this hard work was leading somewhere beautiful. I cried happy tears that day. 🥹

I started making more products and bigger batches. I had lots of new collaborations, growing wholesales and scaled up rapidly. We had so many orders from all around the world.

I had countless emails for collaborations, offers etc. and looking back, I have missed so many opportunities along the way. By the time I figured it all out, I was almost burned out.

This was punching me in the stomach, hard as possible

As I was navigating through business and life, my Instagram was stable, growing, and something I was really proud of. I worked so hard to build it up, and it honestly felt like a dream come true.

Until it all crashed.

In 2021, just before Christmas (our busiest time ever) my personal Facebook account was hacked. It was flooded with horrible, disturbing images that caused all my linked accounts, including Instagram, to be blocked. I wasn’t able to access anything. It looked like my years of hard work were just… gone.

I was in full meltdown. I felt helpless. I thought I had lost everything I’d built.

At the time, I didn’t know there were other ways to reach my audience. I didn’t understand yet that I wasn’t powerless without the ‘gram. I only knew how to work incredibly hard every single day and hope the algorithm smiled back.

But something in me refused to give up.

I didn’t rest. I moved every stone to get my Instagram back. I sent endless reports to Meta, tweeted like mad, tagged everyone I could think of, even sent several handwritten letters to Meta’s office in Ireland. I got featured on local radio, and created a temporary account to explain what had happened. The soap community showed up. I had over 1,000 followers overnight on the backup account, and countless amazing soap makers shared my story, trying to help.

Then, after an entire week of stress and tears… it happened. I got the email. My account was back.

I rushed to log in, changed all my passwords, and set up two-factor authentication immediately (please do the same, it’s a must!). It was a wild, emotional rollercoaster, but it taught me something huge: you cannot rely on social media alone. Ever.

There are other ways to connect with your beautiful audience and customers. You just need to build them.

After things have calmed down, the business went beautifully. We had two lovely ladies helping in the workshop, doing lots of packaging, order fulfillments and even soap. 

However, I still did not have a clue what I was doing. No spreadsheets, no plan, just going with the flow, rather blindly. So I started working on a strategy...

The following year went very well, we scaled up, had lots of orders from all around the world, expanding wholesale customers and ever growing Instagram.

I've learned so much much about product-based business strategy and efficient management. Clarity started to show up and everything seemed to be perfect. One year after my Insta crash, just after the summer, my landlord gave me three months’ notice to leave the barn. I broke. Again.

I had emotional meltdowns. I felt like it was the end. I felt unworthy and lost. I felt like all the world is against me. I had the wrong mindset and I attracted it myself.

I wasn't ready for a big scale up, yet too big to move back into my house. I had no energy left, I wanted to give up.

Once again, my husband stepped in. He encouraged me to keep going. We bought a caravan and placed it in the garden of our rented house. It was far from ideal. We faced complaints from a few villagers. Even the local council pushed back, as the area was under conservation restrictions. But after a few very difficult months, somehow, we secured temporary permission.

It was stressful. Exhausting. But it also became a turning point...

 

Where it all began to make sense

Through all those challenges, I grew. I finally knew what I needed. What I wanted. We renovated that tiny caravan studio with intention. And as I built the inside, I also built a roadmap, a clear path to building a meaningful, profitable, manageable soap business. I had the clear picture.

That was the first time I felt clarity. That was the moment everything changed.

After four, incredibly hard years, my business was finally stable.

It was profitable.

It was peaceful.

It was mine.

I built a path.

And I was finally proud of it.

 

When clarity leads the way

I learned so much about my mistakes and struggles and wanted to help other fellow makers and small business owners to make their journey smoother and get successful faster. I really did not like my struggles and honestly wanted to avoid anybody going through them. I knew most people wouldn’t have been able to handle the kind of stress I was under, they would’ve given up long before. I realised, I had to turn my strength into something meaningful. Something I can help others with.

I started writing ebooks and eventually started seeing students in person. I realised I found my real passion.  I discovered something that I was even more passionate about than soap making itself. Teaching. Guiding. Empowering. People are coming from all over the world to visit my studio and meeting me in person. I had students flying over from Canada, India, Brazil, Belgium, Netherlands and more, just to learn from me. I am proud of what I've achieved and that I'm able to help these amazing people. I'm here for you too.

In early 2025, I finally launched the online course I’d been dreaming of and it’s going incredibly well. Hundreds of students have already signed up, eager to learn the art of beautiful, natural soap making, the Chalke Valley Soaps way.

Our next move

Eventually, we moved into our own property. I sold the caravan to a wonderful wedding dressmaker who now creates magic in it. And now, we’re building my new studio in the garden of our family home. 

After a year of break while we were moving house, from November 2025 I have the space to see students again, teach online, make soap, create, film, and share what I’ve learned. I'm now taking bookings again for in-person day courses 🥳

But I’ll never forget how hard it was to get here.

 

You don’t need to struggle like I did

I’ve made this journey the hardest way possible. I had to find my own path.

I made mistakes. I invested in the wrong things. I burned out. I cried. I almost gave up.

But I also figured it out. And now I want to give you the roadmap I never had.

Because building a soap business shouldn’t mean losing your sleep, your energy, or your joy.

You don’t need a huge budget.

You don’t need to sacrifice your family.

You just need the right path.

The soap business course - Now on pre-order

I created a course: Build Your Dream Soap Business. I give you everything I learned the hard way, packaged into one beautiful, step-by-step roadmap.

It’s launching in January 2026 and is available now at a special discounted pre-order price.

This course isn’t about soap making.

It’s about turning your soap into a business.

A business that’s profitable, manageable, and aligned with your life.

If you’ve got the passion, I’ve got the blueprint.

Let me help you skip the struggle and build something you’re proud of from day one.

Because behind every shiny business is a story.

And behind yours?

There doesn’t have to be so much pain.

I'm here to guide you.

 

Sign up below 👇🏼

Hugs and bubbles,

Founder of Chalke Valley Soaps