| A home business idea ideally should fit your interests | | | | capture initial sales from new customers. |
| and talents and have a reasonable chance of | | | | 4. Scales. |
| generating a profit. Your expectations determine | | | | Will it scale up easily? Making soap in the kitchen sink is |
| whether an idea makes sense for you. How does | | | | only good for a certain amount of volume. Get past |
| marketing soap stack up? | | | | that point and investment in facilities and equipment are |
| 1. Easy to get going. | | | | a must. That means after a certain point, the |
| It certainly excels in the easy to get going factor. Very | | | | investment required will leap higher. |
| little investment required. Production skills are easily | | | | 5. Marketing possibilities. |
| acquired. Can be done right at home. All in all, ease of | | | | Selling soap from home only happens after serious |
| start-up may be the biggest attraction. | | | | effort. You'll only sell soap by venturing forth to sell |
| 2. Proven demand. | | | | what you have. That can include direct marketing to |
| Many people seek out handcrafted soap. It's widely | | | | retail outlets. It can include sales at shows such as |
| available, but still largely from cottage industry. That | | | | craft shows and festivals. Many different routes can |
| means it's not in retail stores everywhere. Using | | | | help you find customers. |
| handcrafted soap products is almost a hobby for | | | | The real key to increased volume is follow-up with |
| some users. They seek it out and like to try different | | | | customers. That includes mailings of brochures and |
| scents and types. Wide-spread use of homemade | | | | catalogs. It also includes web sites. |
| soap is a fairly recent occurrence, but the word is out. | | | | A frequently discussed home business ideas is soap |
| 3. Lots of competition. | | | | making. It's certainly easy to get going, but only gets |
| Since it's easy to get in, many have. Competition is | | | | you so far as a kitchen based operation. There is a |
| steep at every level. Many if not most soapmakers | | | | proven market and several clear ways to reach the |
| are hobbyists and selling soap helps to pay the cost of | | | | market. The big question is whether you wish to deal |
| the hobby. Serious business people, even on a small | | | | with all the competition and whether the profit potential |
| scale, must compete with masses of hobby | | | | meets your expectations. |
| soapmakers. | | | | Al Bullington and his family made and sold soap for |
| Competition can be dealt with in several ways. Better | | | | years and developed a system for making money |
| product quality is one. Much soap made is crude and | | | | with soap. Read more about their soap business |
| poorly designed. Another way to beat competition is to | | | | experiences at their web site: |
| get in more or better locations. A major way to deal | | | | Al writes about many of his rural living experiences. |
| with competition is to build products that are different. | | | | You can also check out one of his latest sites about |
| Unique features generate return business and help | | | | truck bed mats. |