The African market is full of great opportunities. With the world’s changing dynamics, entrepreneurs are prone to create new and innovative products that will satisfy this surging demand. Amongst other products in demand, there is a great market whose clamor and very best interest lie in cosmetic products. You’d think there is a sudden awakening to the importance of beauty.
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Consequentially, the demand for soaps, lotions and other skincare products is very high. With this analysis in place, what more can be said if not recommend you to take advantage of the status quo and start your own soap making business?
This business is for you especially if you love to get into new cosmetic ventures and are a fan of creating your own natural products. Expand your horizon beyond friends and family, and reach the African market.
We’ll show you how with some very practical steps that will get your soap startup in place in no time. But before we get into the steps, let’s take a look at some advantages of this fascinating venture:
- Some African soap making brands are making it why not you? The African market may be invaded with tones of beauty soaps from abroad but nothing feels as good as home like the “Dudu Osun” brand has well proven. This African black soap has made waves in and out of Africa. Its natural properties are stunning and its success in this market is a sheer If they made it, you too can!
- Like water or food, soap has become a basic need to everyone. Thus the demand for such a product is constant. For this reason, soap making is a very profitable venture to consider.
HOW DO I START?
1-Choose A Niche:
There are different types of soap to meet different needs. You must be able to identify the sector you want to work in.
a) Wedding favors
b) Monogramed or personalized soaps
c) Organic soaps
d) Baby soaps
e) Tweens soaps
f) Male soaps
g) Novelty soaps
h) Household soaps and detergents
g) Commercial soaps and detergents
h) Polishes and other sanitation goods
i) Surface active agent
Be sure to choose a niche that is most convenient for you and that you would love to work in. This article will, however, focus on skincare soaps that include many of the niches above.
Related: HOW TO START A HAIR SALON!
2-Choose A Name:
No matter how small your startup is, you must choose a name for your company. The name you choose for your company will be your brand for life. I would advise you choose a name that is fun and easy to remember so it stays in the minds of your clients. Your brand starts with your name; always remember.
3-Brand your product:
This is very important as it gives you an identity. You want to create a logo for your company so that it becomes your mark on each bar of soap or bottle of liquid soap you produce. Choosing a name, logo and your colours are generally fun things to do. . To help you out, these are names of some brands we see a lot in Africa:
- Irish Spring
- Dudu Osun
- Dove
- Palmolive
You can take out time to look at each and the different aspects of their brand. Another part of branding is packaging. You must be sure on how you want your soap to be packaged before it goes out for sale. Take a look at some examples we have here.
For to you to be able to run your soap making business from home, you need to get some equipment. Here is a list to help you out:
- Scale
- Thermometer
- Immersion blender or blender stick
- Containers for measuring and mixing lye
- Containers for mixing the soap batter
- Heavy duty plastic or silicone spoons and spatulas
- Gloves and goggles
- Soap molds
Extras:
Depending on exactly what you want and would love to add to your soap, you may need some optional equipment like;
- Mesh teaspoon
- Strainer with funnel
- Coffee grinder
- Soap cutter
- Soap stamps
5-Location:
This probably wouldn’t be an issue since we are talking about starting this business at home. However, you must consider the possibility of keeping a room in your house reserved for soap making. This is to give you a comfortable and safe work environment where you’re sure there’ll be no interruptions that could get you confused as you put together your soap ingredients. However, if you can afford to lease a place for your work, then do so for a better and more professional working environment especially if you need to increase your supplies of soap thus involving buying heavier machinery.
Related: 8 STEPS TO STARTING CATTLE FARMING BUSINESS
6-Finance:
For your business to materialize, you need money. You must be able to put together all it would cost to produce and sell your products, and have your target capital in mind. There are various ways to raise capital for your soap making start up. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Take a loan from the bank
- Use your savings
- Lend from family
- Keep or get a job to save up what you need
7-Advertise your product:
You must consider getting the word out that you make the most wonderful soap. Take advantage of all social media platforms and make your product visible. Use word of mouth, posters, flyers and all you can to get the news out. A good advert will place your brand name in every heart and on every lip.
Good luck to all who’d want to pick up the challenge and to start their soap making business and enter the African market. Once you get started don’t forget to send us your comments on how this has helped you, and if you love this article, do register your email address to get all the latest on the best entrepreneurial projects we are up to. See you!
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