One small typo... 200 bars ruined.

I remember that morning so clearly…

It was early December 2021, the Christmas rush was in full swing, and our shelves were stacked high with our beloved Woodland Spice soap, one of our most popular seasonal bars.

We’d spent hours the day before labelling over 200 bars. The studio was filled with that comforting scent of spice and pine, the packaging looked beautiful, and everything was ready to go out to stockists and pre-order customers. 

I’d even finished the fresh product photography, something we always do in-house. I set up the shots myself, with natural lighting, warm textures, and just the right props to capture the mood of the season. It’s one of those quiet joys of running a creative business, seeing your product come to life not just in scent and feel, but in beautiful visuals too.

I went to bed with that feeling of satisfaction only a soap maker knows after a big batch day.

Then, the next morning… my heart sank.

There it was. A glaring typo.

“Wodland Spice.”

Yep, Woodland was missing an ‘o’.

Just one letter… but it meant everything.

The panic sets in

At first, I tried to laugh it off. “It’s just a label,” I told myself. “It’s not the end of the world.”

But then reality hit.

Over 200 bars were affected.

We had stockists waiting, gift boxes due, and a mountain of pre-orders from customers counting down the days till dispatch.

The soap was perfect. But the labels, completely unusable.

I remember standing there in my workshop, staring at the soaps, thinking… How did I miss this?

 

 

Team to the rescue 

As always, my amazing team and family jumped in to help.

Felix, Max, Peter, Petra, Kelly, all hands on deck.

We took off every label.

We reprinted.

We re-cut.

We relabelled.

It took hours, and we had to put off all our other tasks that day. No rest, no admin, no gift wrapping, just damage control. But we got it done.

And while the pressure was real, especially so close to Christmas, we somehow made it feel… fun. We even had music playing. 

Once the new labels were on and everything looked just right, I got straight back to the photography the next morning.

As you may know, I’m also a professional photographer — so I restyled the setup, took a fresh round of high-quality shots, and edited them right away.

By the time the soaps were packed and ready to leave the studio, I was uploading the new images to the website. Everything was back on track — and looking better than ever.

Turning waste into wonder

Now, you know I hate waste.

So staring at hundreds of typo-laden labels, I had a little brainwave.

💡 Let’s turn them into Christmas garlands.

And we did!

We turned those “Wodland Spice” labels and a few more leftovers into quirky, festive chains that we hung all over the studio. Felix was SO into it, and honestly, they looked adorable.

After Christmas? We popped them into the fireplace to help light the logs. Nothing wasted. Not even the typo.

 

Lessons learned (so you don’t make the same mistake)

That one letter mistake taught me so much, not just about proofreading, but about systems, planning, and how easy it is to overlook something when you’re running a small business alone.

Here are a few things I now do religiously (and that I wish I’d done before):

✅ 1. Always print a test label first

Before printing the full batch, I now stick one on a sample bar and leave it overnight. It gives me fresh eyes the next day, you spot so much more with distance.

✅ 2. Get a second pair of eyes

Ask someone else to check the text, ideally someone who hasn’t seen it before. Your brain fills in gaps when you already know what it’s supposed to say.

✅ 3. Keep an “approval checklist” for every product

This includes:

• Label spelling
• INCI list accuracy
• Batch code visibility
• Font size and alignment
• Print quality
• Barcode scans properly

Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.

✅ 4. Have backup time built into your schedule

Delays and mistakes will happen. If you’ve got a buffer, you can recover without tears (or rage-eating chocolate truffles in the stockroom).

✅ 5. Don’t throw away your mistakes, get creative

Whether it’s label misprints or off-cut ribbons, try to reuse them. We’ve made bookmarks, box fillers, testers, and of course… garlands!

 

Bonus tip: keep it in-house when you can

If you’re running a small soap business, one of the biggest advantages you have is being hands-on.

Designing and printing your own labels, doing your own product photography, stamping, cutting, batching, and packing right there in your studio, it might seem like a lot, but it gives you the flexibility to fix mistakes fast, without relying on outside services that could take days, or even weeks.

If I had to wait for a designer, reprint labels externally, or hire a photographer to reshoot, this one little typo could have caused major delays.

But because we do it all in-house, we recovered in a day.

It’s one of the many reasons I prefer staying in control of the creative and production process, especially for things like:

• Label design, printing and cutting
• Photography
• Stamping of boxes and gift wraps
• Website updates
• Etc...

Want more real-life business lessons like this?

Running a soap brand isn’t just about making beautiful products. It’s about:

• Getting your packaging right
• Staying legally compliant (CPSRs, labels, EU/UK laws)
• Finding customers who LOVE what you make
• Marketing without feeling pushy
• Planning stock for seasons and launches
• Working around family life without losing your mind

And so much more.

That’s why I’ve created a full Soap Business Course, specially designed for makers like us.

No bull**it, no overwhelm, just real strategies that work in the real world. Exactly how we do it here at Chalke Valley Soaps.

 

💻 What’s inside the course?

• Business planning & mindset
• Branding and product line building
• Legal compliance (UK, EU, and US)
• Label design and printing systems
• Stockist & wholesale strategies
• Pricing formulas that protect your time and profit
• Packaging, shipping, and batch tracking
• Marketing that feels natural and attracts the right audience
• Templates, systems, and done-for-you resources
• Time-saving workflows and outsourcing tips
• Sales funnels, email marketing, and customer loyalty tricks
• And even tips on how to involve your family and keep your energy going

 

✨ This course is your shortcut.

It’s everything I wish I had when I started Chalke Valley Soaps ,back when I was making labels at the kitchen table and shipping out orders in between making dinner for the boys.

If you’re tired of figuring it all out alone…

Or you’ve just made your own ‘typo moment’…

Let me save you some heartache (and some sticky label peel time).

👉 Click here to check out my Soap Business Course

Let your mistakes turn into magic, and your business into a brand.

You’ve got this!

Hugs and bubbles,

Founder of Chalke Valley Soaps