“I earn up to $300 a day selling homemade soaps at craft fairs!”
When Shannon Cole started making organic soaps at her kitchen counter, she never imagined it would turn into a lucrative business! Here’s how she did it
My family went organic a few years ago to improve our health. We started raising chickens and goats for eggs and goat’s milk. At the same time, I was doing research online and at the library on how to make soap, candles and lip balm using natural ingredients. It was surprisingly easy to do, especially the soap. I started experimenting, making a batch with goat’s milk. Then I decided to try selling my creations at the farmers market.
“I needed a business name, and I came up with Hippy’s
Homegrown (Hippys Homegrown.com), after my laid-back, long-haired husband, thinking the name would draw attention. It worked! So many people stopped by my booth. But what sealed the deal were my products. Moms especially liked that I was using organic ingredients. I quickly learned that my top seller was going to be my goat’s milk soap.
“As a teen in chemistry class, I loved the way substances changed when they were combined. Now, in my kitchen with my notes and ingredients spread out on the counter, that same joy comes back to me.
“It’s not only the money I earn—as much as $300 a day at a craft fair—it’s that I’m making products that are pure.
“This work has allowed me to homeschool my son, which means the world to me. It also gives me a lot of flexibility. Recently, I was able to go on the road with my truck-driver husband, seeing parts of America I’d never seen. That would never have happened at a 9-to-5 job!”