This hobby, moreso than many others, seems to have people opening up their own Etsy shops and stalls at local markets within months of making their first lip balm. And frankly, that’s a bit concerning. If you told a friend you’d just learned to make a great marinara sauce, they wouldn’t encourage you to open an Italian restaurant straight away, but it seems like as soon as you hand somebody some homemade body butter, they’re asking you why you don’t have your own brand and business yet. These words of encouragement are usually coming from a place of love and excitement over your new hobby (and their new source of super awesome lip balm!), but it’s really important to understand that selling your kitchen creations to the great wide world isn’t as simple as printing some labels off your computer and popping up a table at a craft fair.
This is by no means a complete list of things you should be considering when starting up your own business, but it’s a good starting point. Also: this is also not a warm and fuzzy “go for it, you can’t fail, what can go wrong!” sort of article, so consider yourself warned.
Don’t
Ok, so that one’s a bit of a downer to kick things off with, but honestly, my first instinct is just “don’t”. I would say that if you haven’t talked yourself out of selling stuff at least once, you haven’t done enough research into regulations, liabilities, and all the “what ifs”.
If you’re thinking about selling stuff to the general public and you’re not at least a little scared, you probably aren’t thinking about all the things that could go wrong—and you really have to be! This is you on the line. Your reputation. Your business. Possibly your house, too, if you don’t have insurance and/or haven’t incorporated.
What if somebody has an allergic reaction to an unlisted ingredient and sues you? What if you discover six months in that your signature lotion turns into a disgusting mouldy mess at the 7-month mark? Also, this is a hobby that you enjoy, and not all hobbies can survive the leap from fun to business. Will you still love this if you have to do it? And if you have to spend your weekends going to craft fairs, schmoozing with potential customers, dealing with potentially unhappy customers, going to the post office, and tracking down lost packages? Do you really want to complicate your hobby that much?
If you’re going to, make sure you really know what you’re doing
You should be years into DIYing, if not decades. You should understand manufacturing and storage best practices. Know your recipes inside and out, and how they do over the long term (months and years, not days and weeks!). You should be able to troubleshoot for yourself, know which ingredients do what in a recipe, and how to make good substitutions. Understand and appreciate why working by weight is best. Know what needs a preservative, understand solubility, and know why certain things don’t work—not just that they don’t. You should know enough to know what you don’t know—recognize your own blind spots and set out to fix them.
Use your own recipes
I’m not saying this because I’m stingy and selfish and I don’t want you selling things made from my recipes. I’m saying this because you should know how to develop your own recipes if you’re going to be selling things. You should not need recipes developed by somebody else to run your own business—that would be like opening a restaurant where all the dishes are made from Jamie Oliver cookbooks. You need to be comfortable with formulation and creation. Not because everything you sell has to be your idea, but because you need to have the knowledge that’s required to develop recipes.
Something else to keep in mind with small-batch, personal use recipes you find online is that they are rarely (if ever) tested or designed for resale. This is true of many of my recipes. Most of my lotions, while fine for personal use in small batches, will not have long shelf lives thanks to all the delicious bug food (herbs, aloe vera, botanicals, honey, etc.) they contain. Yes, even with preservatives. I would never sell most (if any) of my lotion recipes.
If you are a skilled and confident formulator and you still want to sell something made from a formula that is not yours, please ask the creator for permission, credit them, and share your profits with them in some way, be it via Patreon or by paying them a licensing fee. You are profiting off that person’s hard work, and you clearly think their work is valuable enough to be profitable to you. They deserve a share of those profits.
Understand shelf life and preservatives (especially if you’re going to sell anything with water)
Every insurance policy I’ve looked at does not include coverage for fungus exposure, and if you’re dealing with water (or your customers might introduce water to your products), fungus is a possibility. If you want to sell anything that contains water, you better be super sure you understand how to keep fungus, mould, and other microbial spoilage from happening, because you just might not be covered at all if those little beasties rear their ugly heads.
Research the governing bodies and rules in every country you intend to distribute in
It varies by country, and ignorance is not an excuse. Health Canada requires detailed forms containing your formulas to be filled out and submitted for everything you sell (and if you don’t, that often voids your insurance). The EU requires extensive third party testing. The USA is very picky about pigments. Know the laws. This includes labeling laws (what languages do you need? Font sizes? What does “may contain” mean? Do you have to list your address on everything you sell? Do you need to prove insurance?) and import laws. I would recommend never relying on anyone but that governing body and proven professionals for that information. The government will be enforcing those regulations, and they won’t care if you’re breaking those regulations because that blog or Facebook post you read was flat-out wrong. You’ll still be on the hook.
Insurance
You should have it. Definitely. Make sure it applies to all the countries you’re selling/shipping to. I found insurance literally tripled in price to get coverage in the USA as well as Canada.
Incorporate
It’s probably a good idea to incorporate, too, so if you get sued, it’s your company that’s being sued, not you. That way your company can go bankrupt, but you won’t lose your house. This is not an insignificant cost; beyond the actual registration fees, you’re now looking at needing a corporate bank account, filing corporate taxes annually (and perhaps collecting and remitting sales taxes), and a whole lotta extra paperwork.
Don’t count on your friends and family to be customers
You know all those people who are encouraging you to sell your stuff? You cannot count on them to actually buy it. Those people who are used to getting your stuff for free will often balk at the cost when you’ve gone to the effort and expense to pay to have packaging designed and printed, insure your company, incorporate, design and launch a secure e-commerce platform, commission professional photography, and actually factor in the value of your own time. If you don’t have some plans on how to find new customers who will actually buy your product instead of just telling you it looks nice and asking if you have any freebies, you should not start selling stuff.
Be able to stand on your own two feet
You should always be learning, but if you find you have more questions than answers about most recipes you see, that is a good sign that you are nowhere near ready to be selling anything you make.
You should not still be asking the following questions:
- Does this need a preservative?
- What is the shelf life of this product?
- How can I scale this recipe up or down?
- Does this need an emulsifier?
- Can I use X as a preservative in this recipe? (ESPECIALLY if “x” is vitamin E, rosemary seed extract, or any other antioxidant!)
Recognize the limitations of your knowledge and experience
You might be totally qualified to sell 100% oil based concoctions, but not confident enough to sell anything that contains water. That’s totally fine! Keep learning, experimenting, and making—you’ll get there some day.
Sell only very thoroughly tested recipes
I can’t stress this enough. This isn’t like a restaurant where you can have a different “chef’s creation” on the menu every day. That chef’s creation only has to last half an hour, or however long it takes you to eat it. Somebody might buy that lotion, stick it on a shelf in their bathroom, and then open it 8 months later. What’s it going to look like in 8 months? You need to know the answer to that question before your customer calls you to ask if that lotion is supposed to be fuzzy.
You should also consider paying for real, professional, laboratory-done stability/challenge testing.
Make sure you also test your packaging. Does it leak? Rust? Do the lids crack and fall off after a few months? Does it stand up to extended use, like being banged around in a purse or left in a hot car?
Learn what you can, can’t, and have to say on your labels
Ingredients, INCI, sell by dates, weights, languages, font sizes, addresses, cosmetic vs. medical claims—know your stuff, and know how it changes depending on which countries you’re selling in.
Do lots of math
Become besties with your spreadsheets and formulas. Yeahhhhhh math, baby (prove your 7th grade math teacher right!).
Do everything by weight & in percentages
The accuracy of weight really comes into play when you need consistent results every single time, and when you’re scaling recipes up and down. It also makes calculating cost per product mucho more accurate. Absolutely nothing should be done in volume measurements—drops, tablespoons, teaspoons, nips, dashes, fluid ounces, cups—whatever.
Also, make sure all your formulas are written in percentages (of weight!) for easy scaling.
Calculate the cost of shipping into your ingredient costs
When you’re calculating out cost per gram of your ingredients, don’t forget to add on some extra for however much you’ll end up paying to ship those ingredients to yourself. I find I usually end up paying an extra 20% of the order value to get ingredients to my door, so I add another 20% to the cost-per-gram of my ingredients, which is then reflected in the final cost per item.
Account for the fact that no recipe has 100% yield
Whether it be the butt ends of a loaf of soap, the lip balm lost to spillage, or the body butter you can’t quite scrape out of your bowl, no recipe will have 100% yield.
Remember that everything costs money
Selling and listing products costs money, be it Etsy, Shopify, or Square. Getting paid costs money—every payment processor that isn’t cash takes a percentage of your sales as their cut. Packaging, labels, driving to the post office, bubble wrap; everything costs money. Remember this when you calculate your prices, and when your friends ask why your soaps don’t cost just $1.50 because that’s what the ingredients cost.
Consider packaging sizes when it comes to shipping out your products
If your national postal service has a special rate for packages that are under 3cm thick… perhaps consider looking for as many tins and tubs that are under than limit so you can secure the cheapest shipping possible for your customers.
Hire a designer & photographer
Perhaps I’m a bit biased here because I am a graphic designer, but I really do think having a professionally designed brand makes a world of difference in how valuable and trustworthy your products look. A photographer is a bit less important as it’s easier to take nice photos of a beautifully designed and made product, but if you are going to do your photography yourself, make sure you have a handle on lighting and staging, and take care to ensure consistency between photographs so your brand appears reliable and consistent.
Proper ingredient storage, stock turn over, expiry dates
Research storage regulations from whoever regulates this sort of thing in your country. Don’t buy in bulk if you can’t use/sell it all. Consider formulating with ingredients with longer shelf lives where you can. Don’t make a ton of something that you won’t be able to sell while it’s still fresh. Keep an eye on expiry dates so you aren’t making product with expired (or nearly expired) ingredients. Obviously a lot of this will require some trial and error, and you’ll need to weigh the risks of buying too much vs. paying a higher cost per gram for the smaller size of something, but keep notes and try your best!
Taxes
Don’t forget to pay ’em, obviously 😉 And figure out if you need to be charging sales tax and remitting that to the government on a regular basis. Get a good accountant; if you’re a business (in Canada, at least) you cannot file your own business taxes—you must pay a professional. It’s worth it to make sure that professional is somebody you can call up for advice and input when its needed.
Worry like a champ
Think like a lawyer—consider all the possible areas where things could go wrong and anticipate them. Do you use common allergens (nuts, soy, eggs, wheat, gluten, etc.) in the area where you produce your products? What are the cross-contamination possibilities? What if, what if, what it… Anticipating problems helps prevent them!
Alright, well—there’s my assorted points and thoughts on starting your own skin care brand. I hope you can see that these points come from a place of worry and concern, not dream killing and trying to stifle the competition. I don’t want you to get sued, or to accidentally hurt somebody. I also don’t want our little cottage industry to get a bad reputation due to poorly formulated products and inexperienced makers. This post doesn’t even touch on the normal financial risks and outlay associated with starting and running a business, so there is really so much more than this—there are just the things that keep me up at night. Kim over at Naturally Nourishing has a great post on this as well.
Do you have your own skin care business? Have you thought about it? What have you learned? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Fantastic post, particular for its straight-forward honesty and pragmatism. And you’re absolutely right – those first heady days of positive feedback from family and friends can be intoxicating. But it pays to keep a level head and, as you say, learn, learn, learn.
Thanks, Jacqueline! Those first heady days of positive feedback are quite surprising, looking back—many of the things I made were mediocre at best, haha. I can’t imagine anybody wanting to pay for those disasters!
Thank you so much for this post. I am in the beginning stages of starting my business and I am so grateful for this information. I am done so much research and get more confident everyday. I plan to only sell in US because I’m not confident about Canada’s regulations. Please continue to provide information for new beginners like me.
I’m glad you found it helpful! ❤️
Marie, What a great, sobering post! I’ve always had all of these considerations in the back of my mind, especially since my husband is a huge “devil’s advocate” for what could go wrong.This DIY stuff is still a big hobby/learning experience for me and a source of free goodies for friends/family. Looks like that’s all it’ll be for a while longer 🙂
It sounds like your husband is a good dude to have around If you want to sell, all the power to you, just make sure you’re really ready so it’s actually fun for you and not a big mess of stress and worry 🙂
Excellent excellent excellent!
You told me everything I needed to know. I’m retired and I just want to have fun making my own beauty creams and showing my grandkids how chemistry and formulations work. It’s so much fun to see something beautiful and white and creamy appear from the water and oil phase. You’re such a good writer and straight to the point.
Thanks so much, Holly! You might also be interested in the sort of follow-up video I made on this topic—why I stopped selling. Happy making!
Excellent article with excellent points Marie!
I am asked all the time why I don’t sell the stuff I make. The first thing I say is “because I don’t want to”. Simple enough answer but then I get these weird looks. So I go to one of the points you made in the article. This is a fun hobby for me, a place I can go to forget about life’s stressors, to create and have fun. I craft when I want to, not when I have to. Making it a job would take all that away from me and I don’t want to do that. Crafting is my “me” time and I like it that way! I don’t want or need to add it to my list of stressors and turning it into a job would definitely do that.
Great job as usual in bringing to light the realities involved in this craft. Thanks Marie!
That’s the best reason there is! No need to dig yourself into a hole of bureaucracy and worry for something you don’t even want to do! You’re awesome 🙂
THANK YOU!!! Now I have an article I can direct people to when they ask me when I’m going to start selling my stuff. I try to explain some of this on the spot but (bless their hearts) they don’t understand it all and I don’t lay it out as nicely as this.
I worry too about people selling creations that aren’t up to snuff and then it backfiring on being able to buy any of these products without a license-that scenario of the “one person” who ruins it for everyone else.
Anyway, thanks again!
You’re welcome 🙂 That encouragement always comes from a place of love, but I do wish people would be less stubborn about it when you say you’re not interested, haha 😛
This is a great article. I made my body butters for me back in 2017, and for years people asked me why I wasn’t selling it. Last year I finally decided to, but after so much research and wondering what if. A lot of the points you listed I considered and eventually encountered and had to problem solve. Now, everyone is pushing me to put it in local stores, but I’m taking my time to make sure my paperwork and everything is right so I don’t have any issues. Like you said, worry like a champ!
This is a great post, thank you for taking the time to share it. Even if you have covered all those bases, one important hurdle that has stalled me in the selling process is cost. We have to count the cost of high end ingredients, and factor in the time it will take to produce the excellent, professionally packaged, tested for years products we stand behind. If at the end of the day we are making 2.00 an hour then the dream of a business really taking off with tons of orders could quickly turn into a nightmare.
Goodness yes! The outlay for the nice packaging that matches your brand, the design, the printing, the ingredients, insurance—it’s not at all insubstantial, and that doesn’t even take into account the cost of your time! And I completely agree about dream turning to nightmare—too much of a “good” thing can quickly reveal that maybe it wasn’t so good in the first place.
Thank you for this post. I have had family talk to me about selling stuff but there has been some hesitation on my part and this post validated some of my internal feelings about that.
You’re very welcome! I’m not really trying to discourage, moreso be brutally honest… and if that’s discouraging, keep it as a hobby 🙂
Your post is just in time. This is what i have been thinking about for the past few weeks.
And you are totally right: those who ask “why don’t you sell your diy productx?” never ever buy anything you make. And yes, when hobby becomes a business, when you do something not because you want to, but have to, it smells like slavery.but there are so many people who are just more brave and some of them have luck to be successful, so why not you, right?
Happy to help with your thinking and research 🙂
I feel like this article is a bit hostile in tone. You seem to be intimidated by newcomers in the industry. I agree that a person should be educated on what to expect when starting a business, but it should never be a negative huge red flag. Creating a business to change your life is a great thing. It’s nothing to be worried about and you shouldn’t be having constant anxiety about shipping, costs, and if people will have a reaction to unlisted ingredients. That’s why you list all the ingredients you use. To present these topics to newbies as a negative thing is very wrong. It’s simply part of the business and its not something people should be warned about, but simply taught. The author of this article must be battling severe anxiety or other mental drawbacks that she is flooding out into the industry of the job she does. Just because you are having a hard time doesn’t mean others will. Just because you are always worried about your business doesn’t mean others will be. Some people can take on big projects successfully without any worry at all. I’m sorry you’re struggling so much in your life. Also your hit at how simple photography is was a bit uncalled for. Photography is not easy, and it costs even more to do professionally than your skin care business. I’m sure I could say it’s easy to just whip up a graphic really quick but what looks good to me probably looks bad to a pro. It’s not bright to tell people to take amateur photos for their professional business. Just like you know the difference between a good or bad graphic, same with photography. An iPhone photo shows every time. This article is simply a scare to newcomers instead of genuinely educational material. Sorry to anyone who read this and was discouraged in starting their business.
I agree Alyssa, I watched her video of I QUIT! and led me to this link. Both seemed negative, and hostile. Yes, there are things to consider when starting, laws, shelf life etc. But it just seems very discouraging. Also, her main reason was she did not want to go to a post office.. seems lazy to me.
You are so right, Marie! I did once have a few things for sale at a craft market I was doing, but only things that contained no water etc. I found that most people did not want to pay the price that covered the cost of making them!. So I only make for myself and others that wish to share it with me. I just give as gifts☺ I know I would hate doing it if it was for business. Thanks for the great article
Yes! Big companies have spoiled the world with less expensive alternatives, and who can blame consumers for choosing those? I know I certainly don’t buy these sorts of things at craft fairs (though I have rather different reasons haha) so I’m not sure who does sometimes!
I’ve been following you for more than a year now, and understood from the beginning that you were a true professional.
No, this was not warm and fuzzy; it’s straight talk that comes from the heart and mind. Thank you for taking the time to write a post that concerns us all: those who want to create; and those of us who buy.
I’ll keep reading and swooning over your ‘creations’.
Merci beaucoup
Thanks so much, Dina. I’m not trying to outright discourage people, but I do think that if this is discouraging, that likely means not enough of these points have been considered and accounted for. If being told having a baby will mean diaper changes is discouraging, that’s a sign you’re not ready to have a baby, not that whoever told you that is trying to discourage you!
Thanks for reading and DIYing with me 🙂
Well, they make really beautiful gifts. You don’t mind spending a bit more when you are gift shopping. 😉
Marie, thank you. You are spot on. I would rather enjoy making and giving away than selling. Too much work and uncertainties.
Thanks, Barbara!
I did sell my soap many, many years ago. The insurance and lawyer fees were very expensive. Health Canada was fairly easy to deal with, actually very informative and helpful. I had a good customer base as my husband worked in a factory with a huge female population who appreciated quality and were willing to pay for it. Then the plant closed. After that I had my product in a couple of shops which soured me on doing this as a business, that and the fact that I had a full time job. I only give things away now and I once again truly enjoy DIY crafting. My yoga instructor used a product I gave her and asked me to make it for her massage clients and I declined. Another friend has asked me to supply her with soap and other products for Nov and Dec for an Artisan’s craft show in her high end store and I have declined. There is little money in doing things on consignment and of course they expect you to use organic, all natural ingredients. My biggest joy was to give a ton of soap to a downtown shelter as Christmas gifts which I will probably do again this year, perhaps along with a lip balm and/or a small container of body butter.
I’ve had good experiences with Health Canada, too—lovely people who want to help you do things right in my experience. I wish I could have a webinar on the associated costs to send to people who want the best and balk at the resulting costs :/ I’m glad you’re loving your DIYing again, though, and I love the idea of gifting soap to a shelter—perhaps I should do the same with my ever-growing stash!
Why don’t you do a webinar? I’m not sure what a webinar is so I’m not too sure what I’m saying. Something on the web like a seminar?
I think this blog post will have to do for now! In most cases I find people don’t particularly care, they just feel like they “should” be able to get what they want, and I think a webinar would be wasted on them haha.
I wish I had read a post like this before starting to sell things. It wasn’t worth it and I never made a profit.
I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 Hopefully this post helps many future makers!
Very educational. So much for one person to keep a handle on. I had purchased a DYI kit and one thing I made ended up with some kind of growth in it despite my clean technique in processing and following the directions. It was a deodorant that started out with salt and all this time I thought it was the shadowing of the rock salt in the bottle, nope it was not, and guess what… I had a reaction. So there are so many variables to the beauty and cosmetic world and you have to have or should have, expert knowledge about everything you put into your products. The legal world does not care about ignorance, the problem becomes your responsibility to prove your self and that can become one costly trip you will never forget. Just don’t go there. When you think about it, there are so many chemicals, each reacts differently to it’s exposed environment, then factor in possible side effects people could have due to health/skin issues. Just those things alone is a lot for one person to keep a handle on.
Yes, it really is a lot for one person—I’m amazed by the number of people who do it well as it’s all so overwhelming, especially at first. “The legal world does not care about ignorance”—SO TRUE!
You missed one thing… the fact that the world may not need my creations! my lip balms are extremely similar to what is already on etsy, and I see no reason to put lip balm recipe number 1000 out there on an already flooded market. same for my soaps.
also… it sounds like an enormous amount of work, which does not interest me!
I’m sure I missed many things, but you are absolutely right about the amount of competition and the saturated market! You might get an impulse buy or two at a market, but converting somebody to use exclusively your lip balm is a tall order, and finding new customers all the time is exhausting and expensive.
Great post Marie, I wish I had a fiver for every time I have said “I don’t want to sell at parties etc, there are far too many hoops to jump through”.
Plus people expect you to sell everything so cheaply because it’s “homemade”, they don’t even consider that you had to purchase all of your ingredients etc. They ask you to make a special occasion card, which could take you a couple of hours to do, then wonder why it isn’t as cheap as the discount shop, which is about 20p. I used to knit for a wool shop and sometimes my “earnings” worked out to a penny an hour!:-( Definitely better to keep my diying as a hobby i can enjoy when I want some down time.:-D
Me too! Then I could start telling people their questions keep me flush enough that I don’t need to bother, haha 😛 And oh heavens yes about the cheap “homemade” thing—even my mother was astonished at the prices I set, and she has watched me make these things and knows how much effort goes into it! Hobbies are definitely the best when there is no customer service involved 😛
That point was totally the greatest. When I sit back and DYI my clothing and create my body butter (for my wife and myself), when we have our Date nights or days, people are ALWAYSSSS STOPPING ME AND ASKING ME about my designs, and asking me to make the same item for them. It’s TOTTALY AMAZING, when the conversation starts, and towards the end when the pricing is initiated, the look and facial expression changes. they NEVERRRR at one time, take a moment to realize the work WE CREATORS take in our time and effort. Even when my wife talks about the body butter, NEVER HAS IT NOTTT BEEN A TIME, when SOMEONE has been bold enough to SAYYY,,, just give me some samples and if I like it,, I’ll buy some from you..
Fantastic post! This is everything (and then some!) that I tell friends and family on why I do not sell my products yet. I’ve only been making soap for about 6 months and just now feel like I have a handle (almost) on what I want my inventory to be from the experiments I’ve run on almost everything that interests me. I’m sure that will change over time too. I’m now into the next phase of testing my recipes that I think I want to sell so that I can see how they react over time. Love your writing style and your site as well!
Perhaps send your friends here the next time they ask! I was still making soap in beat up Value Village loaf tins when people started asking me why I wasn’t selling. Um… because my product looks woefully amateurish and I have pretty much no idea what I’m doing? Ha! Good on you for taking it slow, testing, experimenting, and doing your due diligence! You’ll be so glad you did when you’re 100% confident in your product line 🙂
I teach CP soap making 101. Lesson 1: Don’t think you’re going to make a lot of money doing this; 2) Don’t think you’re going to start selling any time soon; 3) Don’t sell without having liability insurance for your business. That first lesson occurs immediately after they sign a waiver of liability to take my class.
Two weeks after taking my class, I saw one of my students advertising on social media, “Hi. I’m a soap maker and I’m taking orders for Christmas.” The soap we made in class hadn’t even cured yet, and they’re trying to selling. It really upset me to see her posting for a number of reason, but more than anything people selling poorly made soap hurts all of us.
It was at that point I chose to not reply to her phone calls and text messages asking me to contact her because she had several questions she wanted me to answer. Apparently she wanted to pick and choose which advice of mine she wanted to follow.
Thanks for posting this, Marie.
Oh dear. I get a lot of questions like this. It’ll be a brand new recipe (aka I might’ve had the product sitting around for a month, rarely longer, so shelf stability is not at all vetted) and somebody will ask something to the tune of “what would I have to do if I wanted to sell this?”, often including a query about a preservative or some modification that would make the entire concoction alarmingly unstable. I never feel like I have a particularly graceful answer to those queries. Your method sounds much more graceful!
This was a great post and reconfirms why I do not wish to sell the products I make. With the rise of natural products and DIY type brands out here, there was a lot of pressure to turn my hobby into a brand, but I’d rather keep a hobby a hobby.
Thanks, Knight! I think I’ve had “why not sell this” queries about almost every hobby I’ve taken up. Sewing was probably the most ridiculous—”because I’d sell you this dress for $8000″ tended to put people off, though
You nailed it! Great article. I’ve lost count of the number of people that think running a handmade business is “super fun!”. 99% of the makers I meet lose all of their investment within 6 months to a year because they jumped in feet first without bothering to consider the angles, and they have zero business acumen. This soap and skincare thing is just one of the businesses I’ve started in my life and frankly it is the most challenging. I love it, but I had decades of experience in growing something from nothing, building brands and a solid background in sales and running a business. Making the products is only part of what you need to succeed. I’m SO going to share this on my page. Thank you!!!
Thanks, TerriLin! You are completely right—the making things is only a fraction of it, and that’s often the only part a person has experience with before diving in. I’m so glad my accountant is amazing, and I’m very thankful for my background in marketing, design, and e-commerce. I can’t imagine where I’d be without it.
Hi Lynne
You are a lovely person. My sister is a public school educator and at Xmas or Valentine’s or end of school year students give the teachers so many body care gifts. The teachers in turn donate bags of these gifts to women’s shelters. I think anyone in trauma always responds to lovely scented products that make you feel good
My dentist donated boxes of dental supplies to these shelters.
I really love killjoy posts like this, especially from folks as positive as you are.
I’ve never considered selling any bath or body products, but I do sometimes swap them at community barters. Trading two tins of fingertip salve for a jar of homemade pickles or a basket of fruit is really fun, and very much in the DIY spirit.
I’m not trying to be an outright killjoy, I swear! I do think that if this is discouraging to somebody planning to start selling, that likely means not enough of these points have been considered and accounted for. If being told having a baby will mean diaper changes is discouraging, that’s a sign you’re not ready to have a baby, not that whoever told you that is trying to discourage you!
I love the trading thing! I tend to do quite a lot of that at Burning Man type events; there’s lots of gifting, and I always have a ton of lip balms accumulated that make stellar gifts 🙂
I meant killjoy in a good way, if that makes any sense!
It’s easy for me at least to get swept up in the excitement of a new craft and jump immediately to “I could scale this up and sell it!” Posts like this damper that to a more reasonable level, and if you read it “backwards” are a great how-to guide to if you *do* want to sell your products.
It definitely makes sense, and I totally agree! I wish I’d had a checklist like this ’cause I mostly just discovered all this on my own and found it terrifying because I found a lot of it when I felt like I was in too deep to back out :/
Thank you for this post I have been making beeswax candles body butters lip balms and lotion bars for my own personal use and occasionally to give to friends and family and I always get asked when I’m going to start selling stuff but honestly I’m a full time teacher with a toddler and a life and this is a LOT of work. I would love to go to the farmers market but trying to figure out how to keep my body butters and my lotions from melting gives me a headache and that’s not relaxing or fun. I’m going to keep at it every summer like the mad scientist I am but creating a business out of this seems like a bit of a fantasy. I just want my daughter to grow up and make stuff with me and they can be our home family recipes and that’s about it.
That’s a big NO here in Europe, even if you just want to sell soap legally you have to have your products tested at an independent lab, which can cost you thousands of euros, and once you have all that then apply for a sale license from the health ministry -at least here in Spain. Unless you swim in money, it’s really not worth the effort (and why would you want to sell your products if you’re already rich? ;-P)
Best regards from Barcelona
Yes, I looked at the regulations for Europe and WHOA, they are restrictive! I can’t imagine there’s much of a cottage industry at all across the pond.
Marie, The scary thing is that there _is_ a significant cottage industry, with people selling at markets and craft fairs across the UK (no Sale Licence required). Anytime I see them, I ask where they get their products tested and they tell me they can’t be bothered with that, “after all, I’m not producing on a large scale”. Most of them don’t have insurance, either. So, I don’t buy from craft fairs unless it’s one of the big companies, like Neal’s Yard Remedies or Tropic.
I’ve now moved to Australia where the approach seems to be that as long as your ingredients have been approved by the government for use in cosmetics, you don’t need to have testing done. I’m still not planning to sell it, but even before I’ve started up again (my family and I are couch surfing until we’ve got our own house), I’m already having people ask if I’ll sell it. No. But I’m looking forward to formulating some stuff that is suitable for a dry, hot climate. Some of your formulations look lovely, but I wonder how well they’d work given you’re formulating for a REALLY cold place! Judi
The Australian approach sounds similar to the Canadian & American approach, and like you, the more I learn, the less trusting I am of such products in markets with so little accountability. I look forward to hearing the results of your hot & dry experiments! You’re very right, I mostly formulate for cold to warm here in Canada… though it’s very tempting to take an extended trip to somewhere hot for the sake of science 😀 Happy making!
Fantastic post. Your analytical, no-nonsense approach to the world of DIY is one of the main reasons I love and trust this blog. 🙂
Thanks, Elysa! 🙂
Regarding incorporation — for new corporations various banks and accountants advise advice: expect to demand pledge your personal assets to be held for at least 18 months if your company is new. Some great resources: profs from university and colleges who are chemists, accountants, lawyers and insuramce specialists. They have their own private businesses and networks. Contact the esthetics industry and go to trade shows. Small business networking groups, the Business Development Center of Canada that mentors and has workshops. And like Marie advises- research and ask and ask and ask.
Good point, Karen! I didn’t personally experience this, but it’s good to know that this may happen. And YES to doing all kinds of research and seeking out professionals to help you and learn from. Networking, research, and having people to ask questions is all brilliant and a must-have! Thanks 🙂
Marie, thank you for this post. My daughter is considering selling homemade things and I have cautioned her. I am going to be sure she reads this post and all it’s comments. My hope is that she will think seriously about not doing so. I so appreciate your care for all of us budding DIYers.
Happy to help, Lin 🙂 If your daughter wants to do it right, more power to her, but it sure is a big thing to do right 🙂
Hi Marie, great post! In the spirit of researching inside and out before making/selling your products, I am trying to learn more about individual ingredients and botanicals for recipe formulation. I am hoping you can put me in the direction of some books/resources that you have found helpful for this purpose? I have found a few books and websites but they all look a bit outdated and sketchy to me. I would love your insight. Thanks
Hey Rhonda! Point of Interest is amazeballs, as is Tisserand’s Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals. Your suppliers should also be good sources of information, and if they aren’t, you need new suppliers! I have yet to find many truly good books; many of them are, as you have said, outdated and sketchy, with lots of “woo” sort of junk and little accounting for safe formulating practices :/ You can also check out Formula Botanica if you want to take a course 🙂
Hi Marie,
Thanks for another great post! I have a question that I searched for but couldn’t find the specific answer that I need. So, I bought yellow iron oxide to make lots of stuff from your book aannnd its arrived and it’s not yellow! It is a bronze colour? Is this normal?!
Regards,
Jae
Does it look like the picture on page 87? Do you have a link to where you bought it?
I take issue with you saying there are no qualified people other than the government bodies. Regulatory Affairs consultants are absolutely qualified to help with all aspects of the labelling process. If you refer to a government body, they may only be able to discuss the acts they administer and most of the time, they will refer you to a lawyer and not assist with specific enquiries.
I think this must vary by country; my experience with Health Canada has been great so far. They’ve personally called me to answer any inquiries I’ve had about labeling and what-not. It might take a week to get a response, but I know I’m getting my information from the best source possible. I have revised the wording—my point was moreso that you shouldn’t rely on what Facebook groups and blogs say as there’s no accountability there. I’ve read many times that things that must be done (preservatives, insurance, etc.) aren’t necessary when the seller is only selling at small local markets—ACK!
Another thing to keep in mind if this is something that you want to delve into is “do you have a designated area to work from”? A place free from food preparation, kids, dogs/cats & other pets? A place that you can sanitize easily? Working and making product in your kitchen doesn’t cut it. Look into the GMP rules for production as well.
Another good point! There is so much to consider, my post barely scratches the surface.
All of this! This post needs to be included in any ‘follow your passion’ type conversation. People need to hear the downsides to doing what they love for a living, not just go into things with blind optimism. There will be days where it is all you hoped, going great and is creatively liberating. Other days you will ask why you got yourself into this mess and feel like you made a terrible mistake. Don’t start a business the minute someone says you should. RESEARCH it. You might truly want to go into business, or you might want to keep what you love as a hobby. There is no shame in that.
Also let it be said that this applies to any profession. There will always be difficult things to learn and go through when you get paid to do something.
Thanks, Kristina! You are absolutely right, and I think even more so when we’re talking about entrepreneurship vs. employment. Entrepreneurship obviously has a significantly higher investment and risk requirement, and given the nature of selling DIY skin care, it’s usually the only way to get into business as larger companies will require more qualifications than most (if any) home-crafters have. It’s a big thing, and should definitely not be undertaken lightly 🙂
Dear Marie, I found you by chance and boy, am I happy I did. I am relatively new to DIY and perhaps as you describe it one of the eager new-beginners. I had thought about many of the points you mention in your article, but far from all. I do not consider you or what you wrote ‘a party killer’ :), if anything a ‘guardian business angel’ :). I apologize for my blasphemic remark, in case you are religious. What I want to say is I cannot thank you enough for having brought all those pointers to my attention. I really dream of being able to turn my passion into a career one day, but was so overwhelmed and did not quite really know where to start from. Thanks to you, I have a road map of some sort. Sending best wishes your way. Edlira
Yay, and welcome! I am definitely aiming to be more on the guardian angel side of things (though perhaps angel-dom is a but ambitious, haha). Doing things right protects both our wee industry and all the makers in it, so there’s really no practical downside beyond the fact that it takes time and costs money… though of course, so does being sued! I wish you all the best in your quest to get your business up and running, but while you’re new to everything, enjoy the learning! It’s so, so fun and it never stops 😀
Before the ’17 technical crash (still recovering) I posted to you on Instagram and I still stand behind it. I sat down to write up the number of test batches with the little tweaks I made to a body butter I make which took forever to get to a recipe I never want to change. The number was 32. That’s 32 100g batches (nope cannot work with smaller batches as smaller batch tools are made for tiny hands and tiny tool hurt way to much to use) over a long period of time to get to a recipe I was 100% happy with and didn’t want to change. THEN! The number of batches it took me to make the same recipe till I was doing it in my sleep to make sure that it was able to be replicated with the same results using ingredients from a few different suppliers every single time. These costs, customers don’t think about them either. It’s not like I walked into my soap room and looked at the oil shelf going ok, I’m gonna take this and this and make a body butter then sell it without seeing how it work. And I’m going to do it blindfolded.
A person above mentioned the EU regs and if that is not epically off putting for someone wanting to start a cosmetic/skincare shop, then the cost involved should. Then there is the labeling aspect too and making claims. I still walk around all day trying to think if the words I am using day to day make claims of any kind (am I claiming only girls can look beautiful when they wear a dress? And if I say something to them, well then I am leaving out the boys, am I claiming that boys cannot look beautiful?) and it goes on and on and now I have a headache.
Kenna over at modernsoapmaking.com simply stated that if you are going to be making your hobby a business for you want to make things all day everyday, you’re better off not starting a business. You don’t have time to make everyday. Your books need tending too, your advertising, labeling, PIF’s need to be completed, your inventory, stock inventory, searching for better wholesale prices, marketing, your shop website, customer service, making leaflets, learning photography, learning about lighting, cleaning your work room…. and these are just the ones that I have to deal with before Monday. Then there are the assessors to talk too (who never seem to be around going on seventeen days now), fragrance Oil mds reports to study, taking credited courses to learn new things, techniques, proper GMP practices (repeated that p)…. and these are just some of the things to think about. And this is just my list of tasks before Monday. My business partner has her own todo list too.
I love this post. I sell my products, and I agree with you 100% when you say if you are not worried, scared of all the unforeseen possibilities check your pants because if you cannot feel the warm squishies it’s because you’re overly confident wearing the wrong pants.
YES! You and I are 100% on the same page here, lady. I would add that if one is defensive in the face of new knowledge, they are not at all ready to sell—I’ve met people very stubborn about preservatives selling their stuff, and that’s flat out scary.
Oh yeah. I am with you there. I joined a few Facebook groups and have met a bunch of foreigners here in China who are “preservative free” in their water based lotions (who use beeswax and not any ewax because it is not natural). And I am scared. I end up deleting myself from the group because I just cannot be a part of that. I have forbidden my family from ever buying homemade things at fairs (unless they tell me the ingredients) because I care about their safety.
It is downright scary the things people sell. And it is downright scarier when people complain that the FDA/Health Canada aren’t cracking down on homemade DIY makers for safety concerns. Then I feel all the warm squishies when those same people complain that there are possibly new regulations going into effect in the USA for home crafters. My complaint about the EU is that it is VERY complicated and I wish it were more streamlined how to get things done.
I am 99% all for the government stepping in and demanding testing if one is planning on selling. I am 99% for government regulation when someone wants to begin selling their wares, we’ve done it to ourselves. And after some of the crazy things I’ve seen people selling… and even worse…. buying. I’ve watched people buy products that actually contain mold being told that all they have to do is scrape it off- like you do cheese.
And yes, I agree! if you are not able to expand ones knowledge base for they think they know best, they should not be selling. We always need to grow in the way we think, closing ourselves off to something as important as safety… well, hello lawsuit!
I think a lot of our regulatory bodies (everywhere in the world) aren’t set up for, and weren’t designed for, the proliferation of the home crafter. We’re a new breed, and the ability to create skin care at home has only recently become widespread and easily available. There are suddenly thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of new, tiny “businesses” popping up on every corner of the internet, and the regulatory bodies that were designed to keep P&G in line can’t handle a zillion wee Etsy shops. It’s not surprising they operate on a complaints-only basis, and even then they take months to follow up on complaints.
And that cheese/mould thing is effing terrifying
All valid points, and a well written post as always! As others already mentioned, EU regulations are very strict concerning cosmetics. In Greece, with the economic crisis and high unemployment rates, lots of people are trying to kickstart small businesses with handmade stuff. From wooden bow-ties to jewelry to cosmetics. I’m glad to see that new brands make sure to offer tested products to the public, although there are still many who don’t. Unfortunately, the price tag on the tested products tends to be too high and I really don’t know how these people manage to run a business with sales being low. I guess most of them aim at exporting, cause I don’t know of a single person that buys cosmetics outside of drugstores or supermarkets – and even those when they are on sale. Maybe once in a while as special treats, or as gifts they’ll splurge on the body shop or a small handmade brand. But a business can’t be based on holiday gifts. The bottom line is “think of all the costs and everything that could go wrong” before you invest in a business that might go bankrupt. The important thing is not only to figure out what lines of products will you offer and what ingredients you’ll use but most importantly if there is people out there that will buy it.
Thank you for chiming in with a European perspective, Sophie! I did briefly look at the EU regulations—enough to quickly decide it’s not worth the trouble! I can’t imagine how small makers ever get off the ground there, the requirements are so intimidating as to be nearly insurmountable. Thank you for your excellent points, and thanks for reading!
I have been asked to sell what I make in a small shop. I am going to do it. I have zero ambition to sell big. But, a little added extra income (albeit after taxes) will be nice. Seeing as how I can listen to my music and talk to my children is an added benefit.
There are definitely benefits if you’re doing everything right!
Ha! I think you read my mind. I haven’t started selling my DIY creations yet but I’m in the prelim stages now and have literally just begun to try to learn what I don’t know (but need to)… if that makes sense.
My plan is to keep my “day job” and just start slow so I can learn the hard lessons as early as possible while corrections may hurt but are not nearly so tough as when you’ve got lots and lots of momentum. 😉
I definitely need to do some testing to learn just how hardy my stuff is in the face of all the icky scary monsters that would silently colonize my fun creations. ;-P
And… as I want to learn the branding/design side of things, I plan to take those on, and I realize that this will mean my “brand” is a little rougher around the edges to start! That’s ok though, because I’m starting slow and I’ll take it as an opportunity to learn and iterate.
All that said, I have more work to do, I’m encouraged rather than disheartened by your post!
All good plans! Starting slow is one of the best things to do—it lets you solve problems and course-correct more easily, and if it turns out you don’t like it, the sunk cost fallacy is much less likely to brow beat you into continuing.
As a designer, I’d recommend keeping things simpler on the design side if you’re new to things. Most of the worst amateur design I see has way too much going on (12 fonts, three different textured backgrounds, rainbow gradients, etc.)—keeping things pared down can really improve the professional look of things 🙂
And I’m glad you aren’t disheartened! This wasn’t supposed to be a slap-down, but if it felt like one, that’s likely an indication that more aspects of this hefty undertaking need to be considered 🙂
I am from South Africa and currently busy with my first product to sell and launching in September 2017 -standing on my own two feet-. Yes, only one after months of research for -again- ONE product!! I immensely enjoyed this information and realise there’s few things I did not consider with regards to pricing my product. I have consulted a herbalist, our chemist/chemistry law , labelling “law”, packaging, shelf life and the etceteras. I love your tutorials, advice video’s, the -giving it straight- attitude and the spirit in which you do everything. With all your advice I take two steps forward and one step back as I will get there eventually, no need rushing a good thing… But safety first for all …right?! If I end up with only one product, so be it -as long as I still enjoy doing it-! Thanks again for all your video’s, I smile and laugh while watching you enjoying yourself and if I had a glass of wine in the one hand I’d probably say ” I’m spending time with a friend!” Keep going strong, keep creating and keep smiling.
Thanks so much, Rika! It sounds like you’re definitely going about things the right way, taking your time and doing a ton of research 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and for your kind words—grab a glass of wine next time, too 😉
Such a great article!!
With all the allergies and reactions out there, it’s a big responsability to make products for strangers!
However, your article motivated me even more to make my own products (for me and my family, never to sell), because when you consider how long products sit on the shelves of drugstores, the ingredients they must put in it to sell it at a reasonable price (and still make a huge markup), and to store them for a long time… I prefer to make a small batch every month or so, with top quality ingredients :)!
I definitely think the top quality ingredients thing is one of the biggest reasons I’ve gotten into DIY—I love high quality stuff, but I’m cheap as chips, lol 😛
Great post.. it astounds me on many FB pages ‘beginners’ having made a couple of items are now wanting to sell, asking questions such as how much should I charge, how should I package how should I do this and do that.. what’s your best seller, they come across as not having a clue. Whilst I love DIY products and absolutely support buying from the small business, some of these groups have opened my eyes up and I actually do ask questions more so than before joining these groups. I came across this link on a FB page where yet again a new DIY person wanting to sell with no experience, a reader had posted this. They then of course get offended when people suggest it is too early ..
I’m right there with you! Scary questions indeed from people looking to unleash their makings on the world. I’ve definitely had people get snippy with me as well for pointing out they should be past such questions if they want to sell… it’s tough to balance encouragement with imparting the seriousness of needing to do this right! Thanks for reading and sharing 🙂
Hey Marie. You’re right. I don’t want to sell. I’ve been in the retail business for years as the manager of a large flower shop, and don’t want to go back to the world where legal crap, back ordered product, WHIMS training etc takes all the passion out of a love. That, and I’ve learned that I love my quiet little life, and don’t want the glamore of a big business. But. I would love some official training. I lOVE making your recipes, but I’m only following instructions, I don’t actually have any idea what these ingredients do. Can you give me some advice on where to look for some more official training? Where did you find your information to do what you do? I don’t want to ride your coat tails forever.
I definitely can understand all of that! I’m not particularly thrilled with everything I’ve undertaken to launch my small shop; it’s been a lot of effort for something I’m not particularly excited about.
Definitely check out Formula Botanica! I’ve actually just started one of their courses and so far I am really enjoying it 🙂
Very informative!! My company is just starting out slowly. My flagship product is my aftershave balm. It’s basically a lotion and now you have me thinking about all my “what ifs”. So far I am selling to a local barber shop and his customers love my beard balms, lotions and waxes. I really only sell about 3-4 products. So yes, what if someone gets an allergic reaction? Do all I need to do is pay for their hospital bill? What does it mean to get sued as an individual? Since I cannot answer these questions, I really need to do more research if I plan on expanding. I already have a printing business where I make car wraps, banners, posters, etc. But in the cosmetic industry, it’s a whole different ball game than being a graphic designer!!!! Thanks again for your input!! You have totally made a difference in my life!
I’d DEFINITELY recommend insurance and probably incorporation as well—that’s the route I went… though I am extra paranoid 😛 Given the way medical bills go in your part of the world the insurance seems a must!
Hey,
If you’re a business is Canada, you can file your own business taxes. My mom’s a financial advisor and has been doin this stuff for over 30 years. She said there’s no reason why you couldn’t.
Good to know; I’m still nowhere close to qualified to actually complete them properly, though. I’m more than happy to leave that sort of thing to a total professional, documenting my expenses and income is stressful enough!
Hello.
Thank you for this post. I’m following you on Youtube as well. I love your channel and your Blogs. The reason why I want to start my own cosmeticsline is that,where I come from there are no cosmetics company there,everything is being importated from different countries and pricesare high. People cannot afford to look beautiful and have healthy skin. That’s why I want to start Natural and Affordable cosmeticsline for my people. In order to do that I need to work really hard. I have been working with cosmetics since I was 11years old,I was Mary Kay independent consultant, because it’s very expensive cosmetics people couldn’t afford it.
I really need your advice. I want to learn the chemistry of making comsmetics deeply to have really good quality comsmetics. What steps should I take? Are there any schools where I can learn formulating etc? If there are,which ones would you suggest me to roll in? Right now I’m saving money to buy equipments and some ingredients to start practicing. Also I’m reading your blogs and watch your videos. But first I really want to have an internship at comsmetics companies to see and experience lab atmosphere. However, I don’t know where I can find an info about internships in the lab .
Please give me any advice,I really appreciate your work. You are amazing and soooo kind .
I’d recommend Formula Botanica—they’re 100% online. That’s about all the advice I can offer from the other side of the planet!
You write such great sense Marie. Many of my friends keep doing the “I should pay you for this” or “You should sell this, it’s awesome” when I’m handing out the excess from stuff I made. I’ve taken to grinning and saying Wine/Chocolate/Dog Walking is always a welcome swop 🙂
I don’t want my new fun hobby to become something I have to deal with regulations for – I get enough of that at work – this is MY fun, for me!
Thanks so much, Linzi! That tends to be how I feel as well 🙂 Soapy housewarming gifts for everyone!
Great article! Is there a such thing as being TOO thorough when starting a business? Every single thing you wrote in this article, is what I’ve spent the last 3 years doing. Literally 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, I am researching, and researching some more. Nobody seems to understand why I don’t have my products listed for sale yet or why I am still researching when I already know so much. They don’t understand how much actually goes into starting this kind of business. It’s so much more than just knowing how to formulate! And my husband is the worst! He wants me to just throw my products up in the air, and hope that people catch some. He gets downright mean about it! He says things like I need to throw away ALL of my ingredients, and give the whole thing up, if I don’t start selling products TODAY. He just doesn’t get it. I want to sell them just as badly as he wants me to, but I am determined to do this the right way. I need to have all my ducks in a row, with backup ducks,and more ducks for my backup ducks. I refuse to wing it, like he wants me to. It HAS to be perfect!
(Sorry, not trying to turn you into a marriage counselor lol)
Hmm. I’m not sure there’s such a thing as being too thorough, but I do believe there’s such a thing as having too broad of a scope to adequately handle/prepare for. Try narrowing your scope to simple anhydrous projects—that will narrow the field and give you a much better chance of getting to a point where you feel confident. You also need to DO, not just research (it sounds like you are mostly researching from your post); manufacturing and formulas are a big part of a skincare business 🙂
Marie, thank you for this great and helpful information. You are hilarious and your heart is gold it is easy to tell from your personal responses. I am too, one of the many going in to the world of salve making/selling.
My product is a little unique as it involves legal cannabis. It is quite a difficult world to navigate and to think I can only sell to dispensaries is another can of worms. That said, I have read many articles and yours has by far been both helpful and encouraging. I will keep good notes and perhaps I’ll send you the process I went through if you are interested for a future article.
Much love to the healers in the world and much love to you for taking the time to educate us new folks. Ps, I know you get many questions about shelf life of cosmetics. I found this great site for people looking for the shelf life of carrier oils plus a bit more great info. (I have no connection to this site) Cheers! http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/carrieroils.html
Hello Regina!
Are you going to be using the CBD oil or the leaves for an infusion? I am keen to know more about products made with cannabis as it is a whole new world of ingredients and products opening up. And I am keen to know how they work in skincare! With Canada legalising some stuff and Ireland introducing CBD oil in almost all the chemists, I am itching to get my hands on some and play.
Best of luck to you and your business! I’m rooting for you!
This post includes truthful information necessary to consider but from such a negative standpoint. And the comments are so negative as well. Starting any new business venture (wisely) will involve lots of research and preparation. Part of that research will come from others who are experienced. Be it a blog, book, or youtube channel etc… But my advice would be to learn to encourage others. Some people have real dreams of selling cosmetics because it’s something they love, ( my sister for example who has been doing it for years). This post is a dream killer. And it’s obvious that the equally negative comments are mostly from people who will never take that step because of fear of what bad thing “could” happen. Like the commenter who said she hopes her daughter doesn’t do it. Wow! Wow… I know of a father who saw his 12 yr olds interest in a handmade business and he started it with her. They’ve learned together. Smh… I say what “could” happen is you take that step and your business grows and you become a millionaire. It’s happened many times. But I guess limited minds can’t think that big. Because the commenters talk about the work involved as if they’ll never grow to a point where they can have staff. Small thinking. And just because someone disagrees with you does not mean they’re not ready to sell products or that they even want too. But u seem to respond to people that way often. Many people have started their cosmetics businesses using recipes from others to learn first. Then they expand from there… It’s called a starting point. But you seem to be afraid your information might actually cause someone else to be successful. I will not be referring my sis to this site afterall. You’re more interested in striking fear into people than anything else.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I did warn you that this would not be an encouraging post, though 🙂 It’s right there in the introduction! If a single blog post is enough to kill somebody’s dream of owning a business, they weren’t ready. If a rather stark blog post about the generalities of getting into business is enough to kill one’s dream, what would some specific negative customer feedback do? You call it small thinking, I call it realistic.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way! I completely agree with you. I just recently started my own natural skincare business and this post made me feel a little discouraged. Just because she doesn’t like selling things doesn’t mean other people can’t do it. I really enjoy making things for people, helping them with their skin problems, etc. I am interested in becoming an esthetician and I totally enjoy that type of thing, so if it’s something I really enjoy I feel like I should do it. (By the way, the people I know who encouraged me to sell have all been buying my products. And they always advertise for me and are very encouraging.)
Thank you for this post! I have been making soaps, etc for years now and always in the back of my mind there was this fear of selling. That along with the incredible amount of paperwork and “office” things you have to do. I have my tried and true recipe for soap which contains no botanicals or anything else to muck up the works, just soap, that I sell by consignment at a local hair salon. This was at their insistence. I also make many other things for myself and family but will NEVER sell it as I am too paranoid. I do have a Corp and business license and business bank account but will never go full scale as it will kill the joy of making. I always thought it was just me so thanks for this post.
I’m so glad this post resonated with you! It is, of course, wonderful that our friends and family are so encouraging, but that sort of business ownership isn’t for everyone and I do wish people were a bit better at accepting that there are reasons not everyone wants to go full entrepreneur with everything they enjoy doing.
The comments on the recent video I shared detailing why I stopped selling have been interesting. There are lots of people who really understand where I’m coming from and why I stopped, but hoooooooo boy, there are also lots of people who don’t get it at all. They don’t understand that I shut it down because I didn’t enjoy it and not because it wasn’t a big enough money earner, or whatever. The number of people telling me that I’m a lazy do-nothing failure who will never do anything good with her life because I didn’t want to see it through is rather disheartening. It’s ok to not do something simply because you don’t want to, people! 😛
❤️ right! I’m by far lazy but I just enjoy what I do and don’t want to kill the joy!
Hi, I liked your post, very realistic. I’ve started to make my own skincare products as a hobby but I always tend to think of ways of growing my hobbies into businesses, I dream a lot, so I was thinking how would it be to sell them…I think I’m not going forward, I’m too inexperienced, I’m in EU, it’s too hard… So I kind of was at peace with it untill I bought an artisan solid conditioner and after a month it changed colour and I contacted the seller. She said the preservative was vitamin E and that it never happened at her house. Well, I told her that she wasn’t properly preserving her products and it was not safe for her customers but she replied we have different views… I was really upset by this incident, I as a newbie was more knowleageble about preservatives and product testing requirements than someone who sells online for some time… I really wasn’t expecting this, how can this be? I am really concerned with her selling unpreserved products! It seems I must be really carefull with the artisan products I buy, better make them at home. Congratulations on your blog, I really like it. And I really liked the fact that you were so sincere about the reasons why you stopped selling.
Hello Raquel!
I am so with you! Starting a business in the EU is a very difficult challenge! But it is a rewarding one. I got everything done up to registering and buying the insurance before I decided to no longer go forward with it. I was recently at a market and played around with some of the “lotions” a vendor had and couldn’t stand the way they talked about “natural”, “preservative free” and all that jazz. It sounds like your seller did not go through their cosmetic safety assessment. They are required by law to provide documentation that they have obtained their CSA for each product. If they refuse to supply it, or you are in doubt on their products, please, contact your trade office and let them know. It is people who shirk the rules that give the artisanal makers a bad name!
Thanks for sharing your story, I am sad you had to go through it!
Hi! Thanks for all the thorough and helpful info!!! I’ve scoured a lot of sites and a lot of government info to try to get to the bottom of this question. I know it’s different in various states and countries . I’m told I can not have a pet period and produce from home. Even if I can close off and sterilize my large kitchen during periods of production . I then asked the state ag and food inspector well I have another home that is empty with no pets on our farm . It’s on the far side of the property , no pets . Occasionally I put guests up there . He said that’s not your home . It’s supposed to be your home for a cottage business and if not your home then a FDA certified kitchen that I travel to and rent . This seems preposterous and I know most of the vendors at my markets are not petless. Do you know where I may look to research this further or get to the bottom of it? . Thanks in advance!!
So, do you actually sell products? You definitely brought out all the bad things about starting a business, but what about all the things that could go right? Your making it sound like no one should be able to sell stuff unless they constantly question their knowledge and abilities. If you sell products, then you obviously make money on it and are enjoying it. I just think this has a lot of put downs. You could be a little more encouraging and at least bring out sooner positive stuff as well
Great post! I agree with all your points. I will definitely stick with Hobby Mode. Thanks for the reminder that retail is NOT for me.
I’m right there with you! If you’re interested, I released a video earlier this year on why I shut down the little business I had started 🙂
Thank you for this article. Running an online beauty store and selling things wasn’t for me at all!
The only reason why I started selling my products in the first place was the positive feedback and demands of friends and family who by the way, never purchased a single thing! I didn’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of shipping the product (especially during the winter, almost killing myself to drive to the post office during a blizzard!), worrying about whether my products would keep (even through they are tested and have the right preservative) or if someone where to order from my online store and I can’t ship the product at Superman speed because I’m on vacation overseas (ruining all the fun). Fighting with the labels to ensure they are perfect and match up to EXACTLY 1 cm away from the bottle dip. I can go on and on. It was a very unhealthy thing in my life and really killed my passion. Sooooo glad it’s over!
YES YES YES!!! The day I shut my business down was one of the best days of this year 😀 PHEW. What a relief!
Thank you so much for this. I am looking to start my own skincare line for those with ezema, and the research can be very intense and overwhelming at times. I am learning so much and its definitely a rewarding process, but I couldn’t imagine setting up a shop online just because its something I think I would like. You really have to be mindful of every ingredient you use, and what the long term effect will be. The people that hype you up and rush you to put out product have no idea what really goes into producing skincare. Half the time they won’t even become a paying customer lol.
I didn’t see this as discouraging at all, but more so a reality check. I still plan to move forward but with more knowledge. Thank you so much.
I’m glad you found this helpful and not frustrating! That’s the right mindset to go into this sort of endeavour with and will stand you in good stead 🙂 I made a video that is sort of related to this topic that you might also like—you can watch it here. Happy making!
Business isn’t for sissies or the faint of heart. Or, actually it is. Business is for anyone who feels called to sell something for a profit.
The question I find most interesting, and that no one has asked about is why is every single person asking us to sell our work? Not just friends and family, but people who genuinely want our products in the marketplace for sale are asking us this question. Why? Isn’t there enough Gold Bond? Nivea? Cheap industrial crap?
People crave beauty and they see it in our lotions, creams, soaps, and scrubs. They see an answer to the industrialism that has consumed modern life; they see a chance for someone to earn a living making beauty, and that appeals to them. Sure, they may not understand what they see or what they’re saying. But it touches us deeply, enough to overcome the fear of business disaster.
This article was a good start; it didn’t go quite far enough to say “OK, so you still want to do this? Here’s step 1…”
Thank you for this line of thinking! Yes!
Hi, if starting my own business (which I am inclined to do so) what do you suggest? I definitely don’t want to hurt anyone, get sued or fail. I want something clean and effective.
Currently taking an herbal course for skin care. It’s an herbal academy.
What are your thoughts on giving/gifting DIY products? For example, as part of a nonprofit ministry. My thought is to package them as if I were going to sell them so that they are nice, safe, and up to FDA labeling standards for homemade products, but would I need to go through the bureaucracy of insurance and such if I am just going to donate them?
Thanks Marie for your candid sharing! I did share the same concern and thanks for encouraging formulation as a hobby instead of digging into rabbit holes which we are not readied for.