A Kitchen Hobby Turned Into a $320K/Year Business (HOW?!)
When Ashley couldn't find soap without harsh chemicals, her small business idea started right in her kitchen. At 21, this new mom invested $300 in thrifted pots and basic supplies, teaching herself soap making while her baby slept, and no, she didn't ace her Chemistry class.
She began by sharing soap bars with friends and hitting local farmers markets with her daughter strapped to her chest. But hauling soap and a toddler every weekend wasn't sustainable. She wanted to be a stay at home mom. That's when she turned to social media, posting three times daily about her life and her soap making business. One TikTok video later, her Etsy shop sold out overnight. This is where her small business turned into her making over $320,000 a year.
Three years later, Ashley runs a 700-member subscription service from her workshop, crafting 1,000 bars weekly. She reached her goal of staying home with her daughter 24/7 while teaching others how to start a business through her online courses. She's never spent money on ads, just real, unfiltered content about her day-to-day life. She's truly an entrepreneur.
In this episode, Ashley shares exactly how a beginner with basic supplies built something meaningful from home, and how you can too.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Start
00:36 - Business born from a mother’s instinct
01:08 - Started with ZERO knowledge
01:49 - 2 must-have ingredients
02:25 - Behind every win is a supportive husband
02:54 - The very first customers
03:33 - Sparkling water for soap?!
04:46 - Power of social media
05:18 - Making soap for only $17
05:41 - What makes a “true” soap?
06:10 - The most basic equipment
06:56 - Surprise… you need a crockpot!
07:40 - Hot vs Cold process
08:58 - “I failed Chemistry! I hated the class!”
10:29 - How you actually SELL soap
10:58 - An artist or a chemist?
11:33 - Rookie mistakes
12:17 - It’s soap making time!
12:51 - Gloves on. Goggles up.
13:41 - Right measurements for safety
15:23 - Monthly revenue
16:25 - Be resourceful! Source secondhand.
17:18 - Struggle of the perfect slice
18:33 - Scaling is a process
18:58 - Let’s talk numbers!
19:54 - Startup costs
20:29 - Overhead costs
21:00 - Fan blitz
22:23 - Pricing plot twist
23:57 - From 40 to a thousand bars a WEEK
24:23 - What full-scale really looks like
25:03 - Growing slowly but consistently
26:18 - Soap making = Unlimited creativity
27:18 - Keeping consistency is simple
28:13 - Cutting big batches easily
29:20 - Bar cutter in action
29:58 - Crafting the prettiest bars
30:41 - Game-changer tool… from Amazon?!
31:34 - A month-long process
32:18 - Warehouse at home
33:05 - “I never leave my house!”
33:47 - Before the growth… and after
34:32 - Let’s wrap soap in 45 seconds!
36:09 - $0 on marketing
36:42 - Spend 20 minutes for a million eyeballs
37:58 - Marketing while working
38:30 - Your hook is your superpower
39:20 - Made it work. Period.
40:04 - A family business
40:26 - Stop overthinking! Figure it out later.
41:03 - Outro
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