Hi, I’m Maria from GEMMM Soaps.
In my last post, which was my first ever btw, I talked about..well...me, my background and my intended purpose for these posts.
This post will focus on my motivation/Impetus/Inspiration for starting a soap making business
We took the Coronavirus “Stay Home, Save Lives” campaign message to heart here in Oregon. We (my husband and I) did our part by staying home and watching hours upon hours upon hours of Netflix. So much so, that we felt judged by our T.V. “Still watching?” with the emphasis on the “ing” became “S T I L L watching???” emphasis on the “still.” Though a lot of the movies and shows were simply for entertainment and mindless fun, some got us thinking, wondering, and ultimately stirred us into action.
The #Down to Earth with Zac Efron Docu-series on Netflix reinforced our belief that we need to do something to help our planet. People all over the world are doing their part and so can we. We do not have to be an ecologist, marine biologist, or climate expert. We could start small and think big. There are little things that we can do now that can lead to bigger things and possibly inspire whole movements.
#The Biggest Little Farm documentary was a great motivation that helped expand and solidify our ambiguous “start small” plan! Although I do not think our operation will be as big or have their exact focus, it started us thinking about putting into practice our dreams. We wanted a farm. We wanted to grow our own food. We wanted to raise animals. We wanted to be healthier. We wanted to work for ourselves. We wanted to live off the land and all the while, help mother earth. And why not? Why couldn’t we start the ball rolling on our plan for a sustainable, self sufficient, productive little microcosm/balanced ecosystem of our own, even if it would be on a smaller scale?
The farm plan was a great start but would raising animals and farming small quantities of many different foods be enough to give us the life we wanted? We went to college after all so we didn’t have to be poor ever again. We never intended to be wealthy, we both chose teaching as a career after all, but we didn’t want to struggle to pay bills, put food on the table or have a roof over our heads. Also, the sustainable farm itself is really my husband's beautiful dream, which I totally support and am all in for, but I personally went to college so I could AVOID working out in the sun, in the dirt, and/or cleaning up after others.
I lived those struggles vicariously through my dad who was a construction worker and my mom who cleaned houses for a “living”. (Side note: those are essential and noble jobs that kept my family alive and I am eternally grateful to my parents, whatever their faults, for their sacrifices and the opportunities they made possible for my 5 siblings and myself. I hold people in those jobs in high regard and have nothing but respect for them.)
I simply wanted goats because I think they are cute and funny but I didn’t think my husband would be too happy about my wanting to keep them simply as pets.
So…how to make $ from the goats I wanted and would undoubtedly get attached to? Then my husband asked why not make goat milk soap? Why not, I thought? I started watching YouTube videos, reading books and articles, doing research, and joining Facebook Saponification groups like #SaponificationNation, #SoapMakingForBeginersWorldwide, and #ISaponifyNoLye (I like their pun). I was introduced to #Brambleberry, #RoyaltySoaps, #TreeMarie, #JerikaZimmerman and their YouTube videos, tutorials, content, and personalities drew me in. They made me feel welcomed, like I was joining a community, even though I have not reached out to them directly at all. (I did subscribe to their channels and encourage anyone interested in/about soap making or simply enjoy watching very “satisfying” design/art videos to subscribe to their channels as well.) Their videos helped give me the know-how and the confidence I needed to start this endeavor. https://www.soapqueen.com/
My advice for you, whatever your goal, find inspiration, find a community/support group, and get off of Netflix and take action!
In the next post I will talk about my first steps and thought process on building my soap business.