The missing skill most soap businesses don’t realise they need
There is something I have noticed over and over again in the handmade soap world, and I believe it is one of the biggest reasons so many talented businesses struggle absolutely unnecessarily...
Most soap makers are incredibly skilled at the craft itself. They spend years learning about their...
- Oils
- Formulation
- Additives
- Essential oils
- Mixing techniques
- Design techniques
- Gelling
- Curing
- Product quality
They invest huge amounts of time, energy, and money into becoming better makers.
And because of that investment, they naturally become confident in their soap making abilities.
If I asked most skilled soap makers whether they could confidently create a beautiful batch of soap tomorrow, most would immediately answer yes. Of course they could. They have spent years building that skill.
But then comes the second question...
If I asked them whether they could confidently attract five new paying customers tomorrow, the confidence often disappears almost instantly.
And this is where the real problem begins.
Not because they are untalented. Not because their products are bad. Not because there is “too much competition.” But because they are trying to build a business without ever properly learning the skills required to grow one.
Soap making and business are two completely different skill sets
Yet so many people expect themselves to somehow magically understand marketing, branding, sales, customer psychology, social media, pricing, launches, positioning, and business strategy without ever properly learning any of it.
When you really think about it, it makes no sense.
Nobody would expect themselves to make beautiful cold process soap without first learning about lye, oils, temperatures, SAP values, or formulation. If someone skipped all of that knowledge and immediately tried to make soap, they would probably fail repeatedly. Not because they are incapable, but because nobody taught them yet.
Business works exactly the same way.
And psychologically, this matters far more than people realise.
When people repeatedly try to grow a business without understanding marketing or sales, they often begin blaming themselves instead of recognising the real issue.
They start thinking:
“Maybe I’m not good enough.”
“Maybe my products aren’t special enough.”
“Maybe the market is too saturated.”
But often, none of that is actually true.
The real issue is that they have built a beautiful product without learning how to communicate its value to other people.
And that is an entirely different skill.
My own journey with Chalke Valley Soaps
This is also something I understand very personally.
I built Chalke Valley Soaps completely from the ground up. There was no secret investor, no huge team, and no magical shortcut behind the scenes. It started with learning, experimenting, making mistakes, improving slowly, and trying to figure things out one step at a time while balancing family life, stress, and all the emotional ups and downs that come with running a business.
There were moments where I genuinely considered giving up.
There were times when I felt completely overwhelmed, burnt out, emotionally exhausted, and unsure whether all the effort was even worth it anymore.
At one point, after losing my original workshop space and dealing with enormous pressure behind the scenes, I truly questioned whether I could continue. Like many small business owners, I had reached that point where the passion was still there, but the constant pressure of trying to do everything alone became overwhelming.
But... I now realise something very important.
Most people do not fail because they are incapable of success.
They fail because they are trying to carry the weight of an entire business without the right guidance, systems, support, or education.
I also want to say something very honestly here...
Yes, of course, you can figure everything out alone over time. You can go through all the struggles, all the mistakes, all the trial and error, and slowly build your own path piece by piece. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I truly respect anyone willing to keep going despite how difficult business can sometimes feel.
But the reality is, that path often takes years longer than it needs to.
I had support around me, especially from my family, and honestly, that support is one of the biggest reasons I managed to push through the hardest moments instead of giving up completely. Without them, I genuinely do not know whether I would have made it through some of those periods.
But what I also know now is this:
If I had the systems, strategies, and understanding back then that I have today, I would have been able to build this business far faster, with far less stress, overwhelm, confusion, and emotional exhaustion, even without relying so heavily on others.
And this is exactly why I now teach what I teach.
Because sometimes people are not missing motivation, talent, or hard work.
They are simply missing the roadmap.
And if you have been in business for years without significant growth, without consistency, or without feeling like things are finally “clicking,” then maybe it is not because you are failing.
Maybe you are simply trying to build something important without being given the right tools first.
Why so many beautiful businesses quietly disappear
Over the years, I have seen so many beautiful handmade businesses quietly struggle.
Some remained stuck for years despite having wonderful products. Others slowly burnt out and eventually closed down completely.
And every single time, I kept thinking the same thing:
“If they only knew what I know now.”
Not because I believe I am somehow special or unusually talented. Quite the opposite, actually. I fully believe many of those businesses could have become incredibly successful.
But they were missing the business side of the puzzle.
They were investing into ingredients, moulds, equipment, stock, markets, packaging, labels, and supplies while investing almost nothing into understanding marketing, branding, customer psychology, positioning, and business strategy.
And this is exactly why I became so passionate about teaching.
Because once you truly understand business and marketing within the soap world, everything changes.
Once you see it, you cannot unsee it
You stop seeing successful businesses as simply “lucky.”
You begin understanding why certain brands attract attention, why some products feel irresistible, why certain posts convert so well, and why some businesses seem to grow effortlessly while others remain invisible.
You start recognising patterns.
You begin understanding that successful marketing is deeply connected to psychology. It is about understanding people, emotions, trust, positioning, storytelling, and human behaviour.
And the beautiful thing is that these are all learnable skills.
This is exactly why I do not believe every small business immediately needs an expensive marketing agency. In many cases, learning the fundamentals yourself first is far more powerful and far more affordable.
When you understand marketing yourself, you gain confidence and control. You stop randomly posting and hoping for the best. You stop feeling completely lost every time sales slow down. You begin making intentional decisions because you finally understand why things work.
And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
Marketing starts becoming easier and easier over time. You begin spotting opportunities naturally. You start understanding how to position your products properly, how to build trust with your audience, how to communicate value, and how to create content that genuinely connects with people.
Eventually, you become the kind of business owner who can confidently market yourself like a professional and sell with clarity instead of fear.
About my Soap Business Course
I created my course, Build Your Dream Soap Business to help soap-makers build a successful business.
I’m simply no longer willing to watch talented soap makers pour years of love, energy, money, and hard work into beautiful businesses, only to end up overwhelmed, stuck, or eventually giving up, when I know from personal experience that with the right guidance, systems, and strategies, so many of them could absolutely build something successful, sustainable, and life-changing too.
I did not create this course to teach people how to “post on Instagram.” I created it because I wanted to help soap makers avoid the years of unnecessary confusion, burnout, trial and error, and overwhelm that so many small businesses go through before eventually giving up.
Inside the course, I teach the missing side of business that most makers never fully learn. We go deeply into branding, customer psychology, pricing, positioning, social media, easy content creation, launches, marketing strategy, wholesale, growth, working with family and long-term business building.
Most importantly, I teach how all of these pieces work together.
Because beautiful soap alone is not enough if nobody sees it.
And sometimes, the biggest thing standing between a struggling business and a thriving one… is simply the missing skill nobody ever taught them.
I'm here to help you finally build the soap business you've always dreamed of.
Hope to see you inside soon!
Hugs & bubbles,
