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Anyone familiar with the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild knows of their longstanding dedication to the soapmaking industry. I have been associated with the Soap Guild as a member, keynote speaker and/or sponsor since 1998 when founder Barbara Bobo of Woodspirits hosted the first "conference" in her Ohio back yard. So when we were asked to create a promotional video to highlight their 2008 conference, we knew it had to be special.
It's amazing how we condensed nearly 6 hours of sizzling raw video footage down to just under 4 minutes. The speakers, the action, the movement, the FUN! To make sure you don't miss out next year, head on over to the Soap Guild website right now, and get the goods on the 2009 conference in Palm Springs.
What do you think?
I love what JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva, said at the end of the video: "It's amazing to me that people could be so creative with just soap!" Don't you agree? Were you there? Did you have a blast? Tell us about it!
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How One Company Achieved Organic Certification
A few weeks ago, Dennis and Kayla Fioravanti, co-owners of Essential Wholesale, one of the Indie Beauty Network's longtime members and media partners, shared the exciting news that their company's application to be a Certified Organic Handler/Processor has been granted. Dennis says that the company is now the only such certified natural cosmetics company in the Pacific Northwest.
Because organics are so popular, growing from a $3 billion market in 2002 to a $7.3 billion market in 2007, I am exceptionally happy for Dennis, his wife Kayla and their hard working staff. You can enjoy a video with a little about how Essential Wholesale started at this link.
I asked Dennis to take a few moments to share how the company obtained its Certified Organic Handler/Processor certificate, and what it means for Essential Wholesale and its customers.
dM: What does it mean to be a Certified Organic Handler/Processor?
Dennis: Certified organic handlers are companies that handle organic ingredients and repack them for sale. Certified organic processors are companies that use organic ingredients to create other finished products. If you are a processor, then you are automatically a handler. But handlers are not necessarily processors because not all handlers produce other finished products. We are both.
dM: What entity provided the certification?
Dennis: Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit organization supporting and promoting biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture through education, research, advocacy, and certification. We have an EU and JAL designation which means that we also comply with both the European Union and Japanese organic handling standards. We are also seeking our EcoCert Certification later this year so that we can have many of our Organic Base cosmetic products certified.
dM: How long did the certification process take?
Dennis: About two years, involving constant delays for one reason or another. For example, along the way, we had to stop and provide certain training for specific employees. Other times, delays occurred because were were moving our facility or undergoing building improvements. There was always something, but they day finally arrived.
dM: What was the approximate total cost to attain Certified Organic Handler/Processor status?
Dennis: Fees and inspection costs total about $2000 the first year, but subsequent yearly fees will be calculated based on total organic sales plus a minimum fee.
Having said that it cost $2,000 or so, I need to clarify that that figure does not account for the many hundreds of labor hours and facility upgrades we had to go through in order to attain the certification. Counting those things, the cost is close to $20,000.
dM: Do you expect to be able to make that investment back quickly?
Dennis: That depends on how you calculate the cost.
If we are talking about making back $20,000 in profit dollars, then we have to remember that, for every dollar in profit, you need to have at least $15 in sales. That would mean we'd have to generate $300,000 to break even. Quite a task.
dM: Was it worth it?
Dennis: Ask me in a few months when we have had time to see if our customers are taking advantage of the certified organic products we can now create for them.
dM: What else can you do now that you couldn't do before being certified?
Dennis: We have always sold and used organic ingredients, but now we can actually sell them as "certified organic" and make the claim on our labels and website. It boosts our company and product up a level in terms of quality and standards when compared to non-certified entities.
Of course, there are lots of great companies out there that are not certified, but certification creates standards and practices that most companies do not and most likely would not follow due to the increased costs involved.
dM: Do you recommend that other companies seek similar certifications?
Dennis: Well, as the world turns greener, it can only help. Having said that, a word of caution to be sure and double or even triple what you think it will cost to obtain certification, depending on how much work your facility needs.
It is costly and time consuming, but it sets your company apart from the pack.
dM: How does this new certification feel from a personal perspective?
Dennis: Kayla and I are very blessed to have a company with awesome employees and customers and we regularly take time to reflect on our past. We are personally very pleased with a new service we are offering. We call it the Private Label Selector that allows customers to create products with customized labels and a minimum of only 7 items per product selected. We call this "Click & Pick," and it pleases us greatly to be able to help small businesses get a start without having to make a huge up front investment.
Just 7 years ago, we were operating out of a kitchen and a medicine cabinet. Five years ago, we were in our first facility of 600 square feet. We had no employees and made six cosmetics bases and sold about 20 raw ingredients. Today, we are in a 35,000 square foot facility with 30 full-time employees, several part-time and temporary/seasonal employees, over 400 cosmetic bases, over 800 raw ingredients and a new private label division. We have so many plans for the future that we scare ourselves even.
What do you think?
Dennis's story of business growth is astounding and inspiring. If you ever feel like the cards are stacked against you and you could never move out of your little office or manufacturing area, consider that, with grit and gusto, like Dennis and Kayla, you can do it too!
More Indie Stories
Indie-1; Recession-0
Soapin' Sisterpreneur
From Medicine Cabinet to Millions
What Real Men Talk About
Small Business, Global Mission
I Won Best In Show!
Flowers and Fusion
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According to Washington Post Tech Crunch, traffic at Twitter rose from .0004% of all Internet traffic in January 2008 to .0024% of all Internet traffic this month. Yes, that's ALL Internet traffic. In the entire world. And even more amazing, it happened even though Twitter experiences massive downtime on an almost daily basis. With so much of the world connected to Twitter, and with people even turning to Twitter for breaking world news, it's no wonder I continue to emphasize the benefits of Twitter to Indie Business owners.
This morning, I got an email from Indie Beauty Network member Matt Hamilton at Online Labels.com. Matt learned about Twitter from me during a phone call on July 3, 2008. Immediately after our conversation, Matt opened a Twitter account and started Tweeting. I signed up as his first follower, and Matt is now happily Tweeting up a storm.
Matt emailed me this morning to thank me for introducing him to Twitter, so I asked him why he likes it so much. Here's what he said.
dM: What did you think about Twitter when I first told you about it last week?
Matt: I was really unsure of it and thought it might be a waste of time, but quickly realized it to be highly addictive and really effective in my business.
dM: What good has come of your Twitter experience after just a week?
Matt: I was pleasantly surprised at how many people found my Tweets helpful and informative. My Tweets have been picked up by some fantastic blogs that are delivering free site traffic to me.
dM: Would you recommend Twitter to others and why?
Matt: Twitter has opened a whole new world of business contacts and potential customers to me. It's also a great place to learn about networking. You can pass along information to a large audience with the click of a mouse. What's not to like?
dM: What other social networking do you participate in, and how has it helped your business?
Matt: I use Myspace, Facebook and now, Twitter.
The interesting thing about Myspace and Facebook is that their networks are massive and can be cumbersome, making it sometimes difficult to connect with people directly. Twitter is great for that.
In the near future, I plan to expand my knowledge of blogging because it seems to be a highly effective way to communicate with others and gain exposure to my business.
dM: I'd like to share with people how you discovered IBN, and what's your experience been like?
Matt: I found IBN by surfing the 'Net for places to advertise. My company, OnlineLabels.com, continues to gain exposure and has become a valuable resource to many through involvement with IBN.
To all those interested, I’d highly recommend becoming a member of and an advertiser at IBN.
What do you think?
I love the picture of Matt in front of the board at his office that says, "Click. Print. Stick." That pretty much sums up how you can order labels from him easily and quickly.
Matt's current real life Twitter story speaks for itself. Twitter is easy, fun and it will expose your business to more people. Matt's only been a Tweeter for a week and he's already seen the benefits. I've been Tweeting since April, and my experience has been similar to Matt's: small investmet of time, big payoff, total fun.
Here are some very active IBN member Tweeters. Check out their Tweet pages and click "Follow" to check them out.
OK, so there's me
Kayla Fioravanti
JoAnn Hines
Shelley Jones
Anne-Marie Faiola
Matt Hamilton
What's your Twitter experience like?
Related Posts
Tweet With Me
Who To Follow On Twitter
For more tips on using social media to grow your business, subscribe to Indie Business Blog today.
An Introduction
Why Twitter?
I've heard many ask the question: why Twitter? Twitter is more time efficient than sending an email and it allows users to maintain a personal identity while participating in a community.Even though it can be a bit confusing at the start, effectively using Twitter can help increase awareness of your blog or business and strengthen relationships both on and offline. Additionally, once you learn how to use it, it can be a great tool for branding and customer service (which I'll get into later). I understand the trials of a new Twitterer. I'll admit that I had my Twitter account for months before I posted my first tweet, but getting started is actually much easier than it seems.First Steps...
First, signup with a username. I chose my own name because I have so many blogs and online properties that I wanted to eliminate any confusion, but using your brand or blog name is always a great idea (branding101). Usernames may be 15 characters long (I learned that one the hard way).Sidenote: Make sure to signup on all social media sites with your blog and/or brand name before someone else does. Malicious users have been known to stakeout well known names in order to damage the personal or professional reputation of their rightful owners (more on that later).read the rest...
