This is one of those posts I'm writing because I work alone and don't have anyone really to bounce ideas off of (I mean, there's cats, tortoises, and a Shop Elf, but... you know what I mean).
It's the time of year when I order soap base, and this time last year I could have sworn I'd also be ordering some oatmeal base, to make in addition to my regular goat's milk. I wanted to do this because I know there are people out there allergic to goats and I'd like to have something for them. Or for my vegan friends. Variety!
But clearly that didn't happen... maybe this year?
Because - side track for a second - I also need to order some replacement molds. The Cattail & Dragonfly mold, the Floral Leaf mold, some of them are getting pretty beat up and I need to replace them. Well... I just looked at the website that I got them from, the only one I've been able to find that brand, and... a lot of the molds I use aren't carried there any more. They only carry four, now, of the ten molds I use on a regular basis.
I was already going to have to order new molds if I use a new soap base, because if part of the reason for an alternate base is allergies, I need all different equipment (melting pots, molds, stirring equipment, etc). I was planning on getting completely different molds - like, not just new ones, but a design I don't use on anything else, so it would be obvious which was oatmeal.
Now I'm wondering if I should narrow it down to only two designs (from the four currently being sold by my distributor) and use one for goat's milk and one for oatmeal.
If I still bring in the oatmeal. Which, with money from holiday sales, I have a bit extra to invest in something new for my business. I've had people ask about it, so this might be a smart thing to invest in.
But then, I have a LOT of fragrances. Do I have enough room to double my storage space, so that I have the same number of both goat's milk and oatmeal bars?
Or do I maybe just choose ten or so fragrances, the top sellers, and start with those in an additional oatmeal base, and if it gets popular, bring in a few more every couple of months?
If so, what two designs do I use? Or should I look at other soap product distributors and maybe come up with two brand new completely different designs?
Or maybe I should just not worry about the oatmeal base right now, and just keep with the goat's milk?
But even if I do just keep with the goat's milk, that's not going to solve the problem of a bunch of my molds not being made any more. So the mold question is one I'll have to answer, regardless.
WORK AT HOME, KIDS! LIVE THE DREAM! EVERY DECISION IS EASY AND YOU NEVER AGONIZE OVER ANYTHING!