by 
Stephanie always loved handcrafting her own products. But it wasn’t until she discovered soapmaking that she thought seriously about turning it into a business. The first time she held one of her handmade bars, she knew it was something she wanted to explore further. In that moment, she gave herself a year to perfect her craft and develop a business plan that would allow her to take her newfound passion to market.
When she was in research mode, Stephanie found the local market a great place to find inspiration for her creations. There she was immersed in different sights and smells while being surrounded by food and art and clothing that would attract her attention and get her thinking about her next colour and scent combinations. Sometimes the theme for the range would come to her first (e.g. Christmas), or sometimes a smell would compel her to learn its properties and how best to apply them in a product.
The early days of market stalls were also a great learning environment for Stephanie. She applied the less-is-more approach to both her displays and her labels, and gave her products their signature look that would lead to better brand awareness.
Steph spent time focussing on her product labels and designing them to showcase not only the product, but also the natural ingredients that go into them. Her labels are such an important part of her brand story that she’ll often design her packaging to fit the labels.These days Steph is focusing on balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. She’s constantly thinking of new ideas and products, and trying to find time to create them around the demands of a family and a successful business. It means she doesn’t have time to be thinking about the quality and delivery of her brand packaging. She knows her supplier can manage the small and large print runs she needs (often with a quick turnaround time) when other commitments get in the way of her ordering. Being able to upload her pre-saved designs for her bath and beauty line saves a lot of unnecessary stress for this busy maker mum.
