Jerika, your channel is probably one of the most helpful channels I watch. As a seller who is trying to turn her hobby into a full time business, I appreciate everything you share!❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience! I've opened an Etsy shop too, selling different things but was thinking of starting a new one with bath bombs and other body products, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one seeing slow progress. I think at the early stages, even if you do an amazing job on SEO, the algorithm still has to find you. It's like the first day of school, no one really knows you so if you don't start reaching out and making some friends, no one will know you're the new kid, if that makes sense :)
I started my wax melt business a few months ago after family encouragement. I know my melts are awesome and I get to be creative with it but I started to get discouraged because I haven’t made a Shopify sale yet (besides family). Your videos are super helpful and now I know that’s completely normal! Thank you for making these videos and giving all of us new shop owners hope 🙂 I’m going to keep going and eventually people will try my products and hopefully love them as much as I do!
I’m just starting out with trying to have my own business with making a variety of things. Like bath bombs, soaps, candles, shower steamers, poop spray and a little more. But I am starting to get a little discouraged with how to market my products. But I feel a lot more encouraged with your video. Thank you so much.
Hi Jerika darling. Congrats on over 7K subscribers. Your channel will continue to grow and grow because you are such an unselfish and giving person. You are so willing to help others grow and your tips and stories that you share with us are so informative and encouraging. I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I am also from the corporate world. Been in HR for 30 yrs and now at the age of 51 I am starting out with my soap making business. I have left my soaps - all 100 bars at a craft shop and I am so delighted because since last week, my soaps are finally starting to sell. I was so despondent at first but listening to you and your experience in the first 2 years, I realised that I should just be patient, advertise continuously and trust God. He is great. Thanks again, dearest Jerika for all that you share. Stay blessed. Love and greetings from Pretoria, South Africa.
I started with your labels video and couldn't stop watching, even though I don't make sell any bath and body products. It's very interesting to see what it's like to be a small business owner. Thank you for sharing!
You inspire me so much, Jerika!! I almost gave up on my bath bomb business I started in 2019 because it wasn't going well... But, I decided to give myself another shot, be patient, put more efforts... and now I'm getting orders!! 🙌✨ I love your videos and have been learning a lot from you!! You're my mentor 😇🙏💕 Lots of love from Calgary 💖
You are so encouraging I plan to launch my new business this summer I decided to choose wix for my website. Right now I’m learning the vendor part for my products and also the wholesale part. It’s really about doing your research and not being afraid to ask people who are doing good in their fields for advice. I love your videos because they help me so much. Thank you 😊
Thank you so much for doing this kind of video. I just remarked to my husband that I have learned so much about soap making from videos on RUclips but I needed to find videos about the business end of a soap business. The best part of your channel is that you are talking to us from the perspective of an Ontario business person! I haven't made my first sale yet. I haven't actually got a bar of soap for sale at this point. My fist 5 batches are curing. So thank you for being my tutor ... you are appreciated more than you know.
Thanks for watching, Heather! I can’t wait for you to get going on your business journey. And you’re right: there’s so few of us willing to talk about this aspect of soap making!
Hey Heather, how has your business done so far? I've considered making something myself but I'm not sure if the market is over-saturated. And did you sell online, like eBay Etsy or Mercari?
@@JamieNotLamie Hi there, I have found that the market is actually saturated, mostly with people who are just getting started on soap making in itself and still trying to make a sale. I took almost 9 months to learn the art of soap making before even considering making batches to sell. I was at a market this weekend, where one lady was selling bath bombs for $2 less than me, and another lady was selling soap at $4 less than me. Not that I shy away from a little competition (in fact I sent people to the other lady selling bath bombs because she had what they were looking for). I was trying to explain labeling to the bath bomb lady (because she asked) and the other lady making soap stormed up and all rude like said that we didn't have to label our soaps when selling at a farmers market (we were at an artisan craft show). She also tried to say that selling CBD bath bombs was legal. I tried to explain that according to Health Canada she was incorrect (without getting rude) and I was then reported for "spreading negativity" amongst the customers about her and her lack of labeling ... sigh - the things you will sometimes have to deal with. I have NOT given up ... I registered my business the beginning of April 2021, and I have never looked back. Everything is a learning experience. I sell on Facebook markets, and physical vendor markets. I am adding my name to the two closest farmer's market waiting lists for next year. My sales to date have been low, but I'm sure Jerika would even agree that in the first year of business, what I have made so far has been nothing short of amazing. (I'm averaging about $300 a month, with little to no advertising or marketing) If you do decide to do this, the only thing I recommend is find a strong "why". Then when things get rocky, slow, or frustrating, look at that why and remember why you are doing this to begin with. I'm not making and selling soap to make a fortune (although that would be a really nice side affect) ... I'm making and selling soap to honour my late daughter, and her love of pretty soaps.
Good morning ☀️ Omg I can believe that in 2 days you got almost 1k more followers like🙀 congrats 🎉🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 So I tried to add SLSA to bathbombs and they were amazing I came to your channel for bath bombs and help with them so I love that I not only learned how to improve bathbombs but also soap and shampoo bars . This channel is amazing if you want to learn something new lots of tips .😊
Each time you upload a video and talk about your story keep me motivated and keep me going. I open for 4 months on Etsy and I made so little sale. But like you said in the video just gotta keep going and try everything because it’ll happens. So I am being optimistic and just keep working and learning. Love ❤️ your motivational talk. Helps me a lot. Thank you Jerika.
The effort you put into making this video useful for other people is amazing. It’s clear your priority is helping people, which is rare in my experience. Thank you very much for all of the information!!
So nice to hear that Etsy isn’t just slow for me. I opened my shop a few months ago and was becoming discouraged...but hearing your story is so encouraging! Thank you again! 💕✨✨✨
I super appreciate this motivation! I've also got a soap shop on Etsy (sup soap buddy?) and I had a surprisingly great fall, lol! And then nothing... So I feel what you're saying in my soul! Also, my shop looks kinda rough in terms of sales vs age because I originally signed up to Etsy to sell my MILs handmade jewelry and she changed her mind. So it sat there for 3 years until last January when I decided to use it! All of my sales have been in 2020, and I'm so thankful but was feeling discouraged because it's so dead. This makes me feel hopeful again! :)
It is hard to believe it took awhile to take off on Etsy. Glad it worked out eventually! Could you make a video about which business model you decided to go with? Corporation or sole proprietary, and what you did not know about running a small business at beginning?
Huge congratulations on your success, you worked hard for it and deserve it to continue. I love watching your videos and look forward to watching what you have for us next. I'm a complete newbie so I'm learning a lot from you, thank you.
I wish you all the best with your business. Like the other viewer said, thanks for your transparency. It’s so helpful in overcoming fear. Appreciate you!! ❤️❤️
Love the time stamps on your video! It will make it so much easier to come back and find your gems of advice when I can't remember them. lol So much good info. Love how fast your viewers are growing. Growing that youtube income stream woo hoo!!!
hi thank you for your video, sooo much good info. I was wondering do you need product insurance for bath and body before selling on Etsy or own website?
I’ve heard some horrible reviews of Etsy. Not only raising rates but micro managing of you site and closure of account. It was pointed out that the customers are really their and not your. Glad to see you are not living the same experience.
How did you have enough soap ready when it takes 6 weeks to cure? Do you normally keep that much cold process soap around even when you weren't selling?
I've contemplated about an etsy shop. I'm just afraid of having to pay etsy with minimal to no sales. Maybe I missed a video on this, but I think that it will help. There are so many scary videos out there with negatives about etsy, so I started a Square Space
That's fair! I find its one of the cheapest ways to go in terms of fees. For a small amount of money, you are gaining access to Etsy's marketplace of shoppers looking to buy handmade things. It's a great place to start but once you are able to generate your own traffic, you may want to look elsewhere.
4 thumbs down two days after posting. Congratulations 👏 your are starting to get big enough that the haters are going to show up soon. Looking forward to seeing how the community is going to handle the toxic commitments when they start showing up.
Yeah... I’m prepared for it! Always looking for the corresponding comment for some constructive feedback but nope, people are just here for the dislike 😂.
Jerika, how do you deal with taxes at markets vs online? In my area, customers seem to expect a flat price at markets which means I have to absorb the taxes.
Quick question, I tried using a recipe with Hemp Seed Oil recently. The first oil I purchased was unrefined. After I added T.D. To the white part of my mix it lighted it very little. Is there something I’m forgetting to do? I used a good amount of T.D. So I’m not sure. I ended up purchasing and trying refined Hemp Seed Oil and was able to achieve a brighter white. Do you feel that refined and unrefined both offers a quality bar? How do you achieve such a white bar using unrefined? Thanks, Hope I wasn’t too confusing with all my questions! 🛀🏻🧼🛁🌱❤️
Hello! Question, is it also still a good idea to just create a website? I started a shopify and bought my domain name with them...I just didn’t get started on making my website just yet. It’s just me and I have two small kids😩
You are such an inspiration, thank you so much for sharing your journey. I hope my shop follows a similar trend in the future (@myminimalco). I'm really enjoying your content, I wish you all the best
Jerika, your channel is probably one of the most helpful channels I watch. As a seller who is trying to turn her hobby into a full time business, I appreciate everything you share!❤️
You are so welcome!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I've opened an Etsy shop too, selling different things but was thinking of starting a new one with bath bombs and other body products, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one seeing slow progress. I think at the early stages, even if you do an amazing job on SEO, the algorithm still has to find you. It's like the first day of school, no one really knows you so if you don't start reaching out and making some friends, no one will know you're the new kid, if that makes sense :)
I started my wax melt business a few months ago after family encouragement. I know my melts are awesome and I get to be creative with it but I started to get discouraged because I haven’t made a Shopify sale yet (besides family). Your videos are super helpful and now I know that’s completely normal! Thank you for making these videos and giving all of us new shop owners hope 🙂 I’m going to keep going and eventually people will try my products and hopefully love them as much as I do!
I’m just starting out with trying to have my own business with making a variety of things. Like bath bombs, soaps, candles, shower steamers, poop spray and a little more. But I am starting to get a little discouraged with how to market my products. But I feel a lot more encouraged with your video. Thank you so much.
Yes, this is the HARDEST PART about owning a soap business. Good luck and don't give up!
I really love your transparency, thank you for being so giving with this information to help people who are up and coming! 🧡🧡🧡
You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!
Hi Jerika darling. Congrats on over 7K subscribers. Your channel will continue to grow and grow because you are such an unselfish and giving person. You are so willing to help others grow and your tips and stories that you share with us are so informative and encouraging. I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I am also from the corporate world. Been in HR for 30 yrs and now at the age of 51 I am starting out with my soap making business. I have left my soaps - all 100 bars at a craft shop and I am so delighted because since last week, my soaps are finally starting to sell. I was so despondent at first but listening to you and your experience in the first 2 years, I realised that I should just be patient, advertise continuously and trust God. He is great.
Thanks again, dearest Jerika for all that you share. Stay blessed.
Love and greetings from Pretoria, South Africa.
Great information Erika. Thank you! Love your energy.
I started with your labels video and couldn't stop watching, even though I don't make sell any bath and body products. It's very interesting to see what it's like to be a small business owner. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Jessica! Thanks for watching ❤️
You inspire me so much, Jerika!! I almost gave up on my bath bomb business I started in 2019 because it wasn't going well... But, I decided to give myself another shot, be patient, put more efforts... and now I'm getting orders!! 🙌✨ I love your videos and have been learning a lot from you!! You're my mentor 😇🙏💕
Lots of love from Calgary 💖
Yay! Love hearing success stories! Cheers to an awesome year!
You are so encouraging I plan to launch my new business this summer I decided to choose wix for my website. Right now I’m learning the vendor part for my products and also the wholesale part. It’s really about doing your research and not being afraid to ask people who are doing good in their fields for advice. I love your videos because they help me so much. Thank you 😊
You’re so welcome and I’m wishing you tons of luck on your launch !!!
Thank you so much for doing this kind of video. I just remarked to my husband that I have learned so much about soap making from videos on RUclips but I needed to find videos about the business end of a soap business. The best part of your channel is that you are talking to us from the perspective of an Ontario business person!
I haven't made my first sale yet. I haven't actually got a bar of soap for sale at this point. My fist 5 batches are curing. So thank you for being my tutor ... you are appreciated more than you know.
Thanks for watching, Heather! I can’t wait for you to get going on your business journey. And you’re right: there’s so few of us willing to talk about this aspect of soap making!
Hey Heather, how has your business done so far? I've considered making something myself but I'm not sure if the market is over-saturated. And did you sell online, like eBay Etsy or Mercari?
@@JamieNotLamie Hi there, I have found that the market is actually saturated, mostly with people who are just getting started on soap making in itself and still trying to make a sale. I took almost 9 months to learn the art of soap making before even considering making batches to sell.
I was at a market this weekend, where one lady was selling bath bombs for $2 less than me, and another lady was selling soap at $4 less than me. Not that I shy away from a little competition (in fact I sent people to the other lady selling bath bombs because she had what they were looking for). I was trying to explain labeling to the bath bomb lady (because she asked) and the other lady making soap stormed up and all rude like said that we didn't have to label our soaps when selling at a farmers market (we were at an artisan craft show). She also tried to say that selling CBD bath bombs was legal. I tried to explain that according to Health Canada she was incorrect (without getting rude) and I was then reported for "spreading negativity" amongst the customers about her and her lack of labeling ... sigh - the things you will sometimes have to deal with.
I have NOT given up ... I registered my business the beginning of April 2021, and I have never looked back. Everything is a learning experience.
I sell on Facebook markets, and physical vendor markets. I am adding my name to the two closest farmer's market waiting lists for next year. My sales to date have been low, but I'm sure Jerika would even agree that in the first year of business, what I have made so far has been nothing short of amazing. (I'm averaging about $300 a month, with little to no advertising or marketing)
If you do decide to do this, the only thing I recommend is find a strong "why". Then when things get rocky, slow, or frustrating, look at that why and remember why you are doing this to begin with. I'm not making and selling soap to make a fortune (although that would be a really nice side affect) ... I'm making and selling soap to honour my late daughter, and her love of pretty soaps.
It's because you both are open, honest, and fluid! Enjoy the influx!
Good morning ☀️
Omg I can believe that in 2 days you got almost 1k more followers like🙀 congrats 🎉🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
So I tried to add SLSA to bathbombs and they were amazing I came to your channel for bath bombs and help with them so I love that I not only learned how to improve bathbombs but also soap and shampoo bars . This channel is amazing if you want to learn something new lots of tips .😊
Yayyy! Love hearing about bath bomb success ❤️
Each time you upload a video and talk about your story keep me motivated and keep me going. I open for 4 months on Etsy and I made so little sale. But like you said in the video just gotta keep going and try everything because it’ll happens. So I am being optimistic and just keep working and learning. Love ❤️ your motivational talk. Helps me a lot. Thank you Jerika.
You can do it!
The effort you put into making this video useful for other people is amazing. It’s clear your priority is helping people, which is rare in my experience. Thank you very much for all of the information!!
I appreciate that!
So nice to hear that Etsy isn’t just slow for me. I opened my shop a few months ago and was becoming discouraged...but hearing your story is so encouraging! Thank you again! 💕✨✨✨
I super appreciate this motivation! I've also got a soap shop on Etsy (sup soap buddy?) and I had a surprisingly great fall, lol! And then nothing... So I feel what you're saying in my soul!
Also, my shop looks kinda rough in terms of sales vs age because I originally signed up to Etsy to sell my MILs handmade jewelry and she changed her mind. So it sat there for 3 years until last January when I decided to use it!
All of my sales have been in 2020, and I'm so thankful but was feeling discouraged because it's so dead. This makes me feel hopeful again! :)
I appreciate the honest and open video. The time stamps take a little extra time - but are truly welcome.
It is hard to believe it took awhile to take off on Etsy. Glad it worked out eventually! Could you make a video about which business model you decided to go with? Corporation or sole proprietary, and what you did not know about running a small business at beginning?
Huge congratulations on your success, you worked hard for it and deserve it to continue. I love watching your videos and look forward to watching what you have for us next. I'm a complete newbie so I'm learning a lot from you, thank you.
I wish you all the best with your business. Like the other viewer said, thanks for your transparency. It’s so helpful in overcoming fear. Appreciate you!! ❤️❤️
Thank you! You too!
Excellent Business Long range ideas and thoughtful ways to share with the community
jarika thak you very much for explaining everything very well.
Love the time stamps on your video! It will make it so much easier to come back and find your gems of advice when I can't remember them. lol So much good info. Love how fast your viewers are growing. Growing that youtube income stream woo hoo!!!
Yes, I realized it’s so helpful to get to exactly what people want to know! Thanks for watching ❤️
I love your honest and humble advice on creating and selling. Thank you for continuing to make videos!
You’re welcome! ❤️
Useful information.
You should look into expanding on eBay as well. Lots more traffic too, especially this time of year coming.
THATS RIGHT. DONT JUST BE ON 1 SITE. YOU CAN BE ON YOUR OWN OR HAVE DIFFERENT SITES TO BE ON.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this very useful information you’re amazing!!!
hi thank you for your video, sooo much good info. I was wondering do you need product insurance for bath and body before selling on Etsy or own website?
Loving your channel content and your so pretty . Loving the energy xxx
Awww gosh, thanks!
I’ve heard some horrible reviews of Etsy. Not only raising rates but micro managing of you site and closure of account. It was pointed out that the customers are really their and not your. Glad to see you are not living the same experience.
How did you have enough soap ready when it takes 6 weeks to cure?
Do you normally keep that much cold process soap around even when you weren't selling?
Thanks so much for sharing this important info
Bless you❤️💕
Hello Jerika. Thank you for your content. With the increase in orders had you been running Etsy Ads or change the ads?
Nope, no ads. This is all organic Etsy algorithm gods working in my favour lol.
I've contemplated about an etsy shop. I'm just afraid of having to pay etsy with minimal to no sales. Maybe I missed a video on this, but I think that it will help. There are so many scary videos out there with negatives about etsy, so I started a Square Space
That's fair! I find its one of the cheapest ways to go in terms of fees. For a small amount of money, you are gaining access to Etsy's marketplace of shoppers looking to buy handmade things. It's a great place to start but once you are able to generate your own traffic, you may want to look elsewhere.
Go girl!!
4 thumbs down two days after posting. Congratulations 👏 your are starting to get big enough that the haters are going to show up soon. Looking forward to seeing how the community is going to handle the toxic commitments when they start showing up.
Yeah... I’m prepared for it! Always looking for the corresponding comment for some constructive feedback but nope, people are just here for the dislike 😂.
Best of luck
So do you use fragrance oil or essential oils or both? I am torn on whether one is better seller than the other.
Jerika, how do you deal with taxes at markets vs online? In my area, customers seem to expect a flat price at markets which means I have to absorb the taxes.
Quick question, I tried using a recipe with Hemp Seed Oil recently. The first oil I purchased was unrefined. After I added T.D. To the white part of my mix it lighted it very little. Is there something I’m forgetting to do? I used a good amount of T.D. So I’m not sure. I ended up purchasing and trying refined Hemp Seed Oil and was able to achieve a brighter white. Do you feel that refined and unrefined both offers a quality bar? How do you achieve such a white bar using unrefined? Thanks, Hope I wasn’t too confusing with all my questions! 🛀🏻🧼🛁🌱❤️
Great video! I’m an Etsy seller in the U. S. Did you use Etsy ads to bring more traffic or all organic?
Alllll organic. No ads whatsoever!
Awesome! That gives me confidence to continue to do mines organically too. Keep up the great work!
Wooooow
27 sales on May 4th my birthday
Mine too! We have the best day :-) May the 4th be with you
@@1lisalopez I wish they had gifs. I would send you a star wars gif lol 😆
Will you come out with a video on how to make body scrubs
I have a few posted already!
Did you start your website along with etsy? Or one before the other? Would you recommend having a website and etsy shop as a beginner?
I had the Shopify first. But Etsy is great for just starting out!
felicidades!
I am just starting out and wondering where you purchased the boxes for your sets for mother;s day and what size are they?
I bought them from Staples. They’re 9x4x3
Can I ask you a question? Did you had lots of soap prepared before? Weren’t you worried you will run out of soap?
Yep, we had a lot of inventory made in preparation for all the events and farmers markets we had planned to attend that year lol
Hello! Question, is it also still a good idea to just create a website? I started a shopify and bought my domain name with them...I just didn’t get started on making my website just yet. It’s just me and I have two small kids😩
Yes, I always recommend having a website!
12:02 is the total amount
Thank you for the information, you are a blessing and it will come back to you...
You are so welcome!
You are so nice!
You are!
You have to closed your buisness ?
Your very BUSSINESS mind . But that is what you have to be and do.
You are such an inspiration, thank you so much for sharing your journey. I hope my shop follows a similar trend in the future (@myminimalco). I'm really enjoying your content, I wish you all the best
Thanks for watching!
If only you knew why you suddenly started getting views that would be so helpful.
I think the Etsy algorithm finally found me. Takes a bit of luck, I suppose.