Most of you know I'm from Oklahoma and that Oklahoma is part of the Great Plains region of America. Well, it's also a Southwest state, being on the eastern and norther side of the Southwest region. We are an interesting state in deed and indeed. We rival the bigger, more experienced states in sports, agriculture, technology, and you can't beat Oklahoma for call centers! Yes, yes, it's true, we do give good phone voice here in Oklahoma. Some say our accent (we don't have one) is not as heavy as those folks from Tennessee or South Carolina; and of course, we speak more clearly than our cousins down in Texas.
Well, today I woke up as I do most mornings, and thought out loud because I can. The dog seems to think I'm speaking directly to her when I do that, and she begins her morning routine of pestering me until I physically rise, dress, use the bathroom, weigh myself, and then take her for her stroll. While laying in bed petting the dog, choosing not to get out of the warmth of my incredibly smotheringly comfortable comforter, I thought I could do more in terms of sustaining my income and offsetting any debt that I may have. Maybe you don't think out loud about finances but lately I've been doing just that. I decided that to have fun is just as important as covering the cost basis of sustaining a casual lifestyle. I thought about what I could do from home to become both flush and feel good about life. It's a Southern Thang.
BAM! (I do say Bam a lot) Soap! I can make soap. I can make soap, and I can make candles. I can sell said soap and candles as a set or separately. I can easily charge a good amount and expect people to pay it. I can mail off said wares and expect customers to pay for the postage. I'm not like most people, I'm not going to rip people off with postage. I will consider the packing and the handling, but I'm not going to gouge anyone. That piece of morality may end up being the one thing that keeps the boats floating in my ocean. We'll have to wait and see. Soaps and candles. Easy peasy.
We have the world's largest hobby store here in Oklahoma, it's called Hobby Lobby. You can find it easily enough at www.hobbylobby.com and when you go there, be sure to check out the clearance. Many people worldwide have NO IDEA how often Hobby Lobby places their every day things on 50% off, and you'd be surprised at how often they place out of season holiday items at over 70% off retail price. It's absolutely worth your investigation. So, for the soaps that generally sell online for around $8 a bar, I can make the bar for less than .30 cents. Packing, wrapping, and shipping costs will end up being another $3.00 in the US; If I charge $3.99 a bar and actual shipping (around $1.80 and I'll charge $3 to include the labor and driving the product to the post office) the person will pay about $6.99. My actual cost will be about .30 + $1.80 or $2.10. I make a profit, they save a $1 or so buying from me, and since I use Amazon to deliver, they can (if they have Prime) get their soaps faster.
Candles are another matter because you have to buy the tins or the glass. Tins travel better in the mail of course, and you don't have to pack them in bubble wrap. I think I will invest a bit on the candles and make them in two sizes. Candles I sell online will be around $4.99 per tin, and again $3.00 shipping. So a $7.99 cost to the client and about a $1.00 investment for myself, since you buy the wax and/or soy cheaper than you can soap products. There are also little things you put into the soaps and candles, such as grasses, herbs, flowers, beads. Hobby Lobby has all of these things, and yes, I can buy wholesale, and I will, but to start out to get the ball rolling, I'll hit up my local Hobby Lobby this weekend and begin the newest chapter of my life - - I can't call myself the Pioneer Woman, we already have one of those here in Oklahoma too. She's really cool too, by the way.
Soon, and very soon, I'll come up with a recipe blog book, come up with ways to cook great food, desserts, roll out cookies, quiche, and even talk about making pottery, candles, jewelry, soap, and even butters. Yes, you heard me, butters. I will make the butter first, add seasonings, and then give them away to friends and family before trying to market them. Because they are food products I would need both a license, and more regulations. It may be that I just make the stuff to give away - - you never know. I like garlic butter, honey butter, lemon butter, and spicy red pepper butter. It could be a niche market for me, you just never know. Cooking, pottery, trading stocks, writing books. Something tells me I may need a bigger kitchen with an island. Oh, and I could get a roaster and roast coffee!
Now, that's an amazing idea too. Like with butter, I would need licensures and such, but I have enough friends who do this I can ask them what is required. I can do this. I can roast coffee out on my balcony and the entire neighborhood would be over ever day early for breakfast. They could wash their hands using my soaps, eat whatever I cook and use a flavored butter perhaps while sipping rich amazingly roasted homebrewed coffee. I'm actually liking this fantasy. I can do this....right after I walk the dog. She's staring at me.
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