#47 The Adventure to Great Soap & How to Find It: "Don't you think you're missing out on the big money?"

"Simple doesn't sell!"

That's what I was told by a fellow soap maker in a soap group recently.

The other day, I came across a discussion in a soap-making group. Someone confidently declared that makers producing simple-looking soaps would never make real money. According to them, Etsy is clogged with plain soap, and if you want to be successful, your bars need to be loud, bright, colorful, and packed with artistic flair & topped with a bang.

Then came the question:

"Don't you feel cheated out of the opportunity to sell your soap for $16-$19 a bar?"

My answer was simple: no.

Because my brand was built on doing good by our customers & making a great product, being around for years to come.

I never set out to create soap that looked like a slice of birthday cake, a crystal geode, or a work of modern art. Those soaps absolutely have a place in the handmade market, and I admire the skill that goes into creating them. But they aren't my vision.

I make soaps, not visual entertainment.

Not soap designed primarily for social media fluff. Just honest soap made with quality ingredients and a clear & rooted purpose.

The assumption that simple equals cheap is one of the biggest misconceptions in the handmade world. Simple is not the absence of skill. Simple is timeless & honest.

Simple is knowing exactly what you're making your product for and having the confidence not to chase every trend that comes along.

When I think about the brands of various things I admire most, they aren't trying to be everything to everyone. They know who they are. They stay in their lane. They build trust through consistency, quality & time.

That's what I want for Apotheca Brown.

My customers aren't looking for the brightest bar in the room. They're looking for something that feels familiar. Something that reminds them of a simpler time. Something that doesn't need a dramatic design or a trendy language to justify its value.

They're buying into a feeling. A slower pace. A simpler routine. A return to what clean means.....something in life that's REAL. (An honest product for a real life full of go-go-go.)

The truth is, there isn't one formula for success in soapmaking. Some makers create stunning artistic bars and build thriving businesses. Others build successful brands around minimalist designs, traditional recipes, and timeless presentation. Both approaches can work.

What doesn't work is trying to build a business or a life around someone else's definition of success!

If your heart is in intricate toppers, wild ingredients, and over-the-top artistic designs, make them. If your heart is in simple bars wrapped in brown paper with ingredients you can pronounce, make those.

Most shoppers aren't looking for one more copy of whatever is trending this week. The market is looking for authenticity.

As for whether I feel cheated out of charging $16-$19 a bar?

If you have been with us from the beginning, I may have told you in person the story of my earnest promise to be happy with less; it was an earnest promise to God back in 2021 when I asked for guidance on my "next steps" during an uncharted time in my life. I am not sure if you acknowledge higher powers, and that's totally ok; we accept everyone here. (I honestly don't think I have told that part of the story in this blog yet, maybe one day!)

At the end of the day, my goal was never to sell the most expensive soap. My goal was to build a brand that feels like the truth. A brand rooted in reliability, simplicity, and the belief that everyday things don't have to be complicated to be good.

And that's worth far more than my soap pretending to be something it's not.

What times in your life have you been tempted or asked to go the other direction than the path you set for yourself? Did you stay true to you? We LOVE inspiring stories. Tell us yours- ApothecaSoaps@Yahoo.com