Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Holly Rutt, Founder of The Little Flower Soap Co., located in Chelsea, MI, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a handmade soap and natural body care company with a focus on beautiful self-care gift baskets. Our customers either appreciate beautifully packaged essential oil versions of everyday necessities for their personal use or need elegant handmade gifts for their loved ones that send the right message "Take Care of Yourself" and put a smile on their faces. :)
Tell us about yourself
A college roommate gave me a bar of soap that her mother had made using an heirloom family soap recipe, it was Lavender Lemongrass, and I was instantly hooked. I never wanted to use any other soap, so I asked my friend to teach me to make soap this good. I traveled 8 hours to Northern Ontario and learned to make soap on a wood-burning stove in a log cabin. The batch made 125 bars which was more than we needed for personal use, so we decided to give the rest as favors to our wedding guests.
After our wedding, guests were calling me to find out how they could get more of this great soap because, like me, they were hooked. Before long, we were selling at local artisan markets and on Etsy, and things continued to grow. I'm motivated by pretty packaging especially picking out the artful papers we use to wrap the soap. I enjoy photographing the soaps and sharing what we make with our friends and neighbors.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm really proud that we never borrowed to grow our business. We funded all our growth with profits from previous sales. We renovated a big red barn into our retail shop and order fulfillment workspace, then built a second big barn that became our production area and warehouse storage. This kept our overhead low enough that we could weather tough times such as a pandemic.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It was really tough to learn effective management. I struggled to give over control and trust others to do the job well, I had anxiety about everything being done perfectly, and my anxiety made everything harder. Through years of trial and error, I learned to accept help and discovered that I'm not the best person for EVERY job and that it's done. In other words, it turns out I'm not the only person capable of good work. Imagine that.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My best advice if you have a business idea is to get out a pen and paper and write a vision of your life in 2-3 years when that business is up and running. Describe in the present tense a day in your life of you as the owner of that business. Once you've written this, share it with as many people as you will listen.
I believe once you get clear about what you want, God and the universe will start conspiring to make it happen for you. Putting away your phone or laptop and getting out paper and pen is a powerful act. Starting a business requires taking radical action, and sometimes our phones and computers get in the way of progress in the real world.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.littleflowersoap.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleflowersoapco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittleflowersoapco/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/littleflowermi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rutt-66b31611b/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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