Advice on starting a soap/perfume business

[Marcus Aurelius]

Hello everybody,

My friend and I are thinking about starting our own soap/liquid soap/ eau de cologne/ bath bombs/ business. And we're stuck on some stuff so we need advice please

1- Is it better to start with just one product or all of the products listed above ?
2- Since it's a small buisness, manual machines (Bath bombs compressors, eau de cologne filling machines...) are a more convenient idea or should we go for the automatic ones and aim for the long run ?
3- Bath bombs are non existente where we live and it will be a premium product, should it get more focus ?
4- Any advice about on how to make the products (especially soap and liquid soap) more appealing without much expenses ?
5- Any ideas on the price and sellers of a whole chain of production ? (Soap, liquid soap, perfumed candles...)

Thank you !

[Harold Mansfield]

Hello everybody,

My friend and I are thinking about starting our own soap/liquid soap/ eau de cologne/ bath bombs/ business. And we're stuck on some stuff so we need advice please

1- Is it better to start with just one product or all of the products listed above ?
Start with the stuff you do best. Test with a focus group, even if it's just family and friends and get feedback on what is most popular.


2- Since it's a small buisness, manual machines (Bath bombs compressors, eau de cologne filling machines...) are a more convenient idea or should we go for the automatic ones and aim for the long run ?

If you can automate and keep costs low and still have the same quality, go for the most efficient method.


3- Bath bombs are non existente where we live and it will be a premium product, should it get more focus ?
Again, back to testing and focus group.


4- Any advice about on how to make the products (especially soap and liquid soap) more appealing without much expenses ?
Cross merchandizing. Like products that compliment each other, of the same scent that can be sold individually to make a set. Example: Soap, Candle, Bath Bomb. Retailers like that.


5- Any ideas on the price and sellers of a whole chain of production ? (Soap, liquid soap, perfumed candles...)

Thank you !

You should watch some old episodes of "The Profit" on CNBC. I can't recall the exact episode or companies but he did one with a candle company, a home cleaning products company, and a fragrance company. They all had the same issues with developing product line, branding, production, retail, cost, and cross merchandising.
Not sure if those old episodes are still online for free, but they may be available on Hulu. I think they'll provide a good place to start and a direction by seeing how he helped them with the same issues.