"E-tailer Spotlight" - The Soap Corner

Teresa of The Soap Corner has some wonderful smelling soaps! The postmaster wanted to keep the box of items she sent in for the sample boxes. I have sniffed and sniffed - hope you are lucky enough to get one of her full-sized bars in your box. Teresa also sent in bath teas, lotion bars, tarts, lip dews and massage oils along with her full-sized bars of cold process soap.


Visit Teresa’s website or My Space to read about how she makes soap.

Visit Teresa at The Soap Corner, E-Crater, or My Space return to this blog – post about a product you like or would like to try. You will be entered into a drawing for a bar of Teresa’s fabulous handmade cold process soap. Drawing will be held on Monday, March 2, 2009.

Homemade Soap and Bath Essentials. Enjoy the Natural Form of Handmade Soaps. All products are formulated with good skin care in mind. 'Simply Homemade' by The Soap Corner.

Hi, I am the owner of The Soap Corner, my name is Teresa.

My small homebased business is located in Northern KY. I have been creating handmade soaps and bath products for a little over 2 years now, mostly selling at craft fairs in my area.

How or why did you start your business? After receiving a bar of homemade soap for a gift, and experiencing what a treat they were, I was hooked! I immediately had to find out more about this craft! I began reading and doing online research, joining soapmaker groups where women who have been in this industry for years were available to learn from.

What kind of products do you carry or make? Cold Processed & M&P Soaps, Homemade Bath Melts,Body Lotion Bars,Bath Salts and Lip Balm. I recently learned to make Tarts and Wax Melts to add to my products. Soap and Candles seem to go hand in hand!

Do you carry handmade products? Yes mostly
everything is handmade except the Melt & Pour soapmaking method.
What is your favorite product to make or create? Cold Processed Soap is my first passion (every batch is unique). But I also love my Butter Bath Melts.

Do you have a store front? No, Just on line.
Do you have more than 2 websites? Yes. I have a store front on Ecrater, that I just got open! http://www.thesoapcorner.ecrater.com/ I also have been working on my main soap store site at http://www.thesoapcorner.com/ but it not as yet completed to the way I want. And My space page at www.myspace.com/thesoapcorner. Come and Visit!
Do you work at another job? Yes. I am a bartender aboard a Riverboat for their lunch and dinner cruises during the summer months.

Do you have a quote or saying? Happiness is..Simply Homemade.

What advice would you offer to someone starting their own business? The research and work can be endless. Be passionate about what you do to succeed. Don't give up! Thank you Snowberry Creek! Teresa
www.myspace.com/thesoapcorner

Lotions - Body, Face Hand and Foot

I started out to research the differences in lotions. I found many articles, considered all of the opinions and the general consensus is that you should use a face lotion/cream for your face. The reason for this is that other lotions/creams may contain ingredients that will clog your pores and cause a pimple outbreak. This does make sense to me as the face tends to not be as dry as the hands or feet so it would not require a heavy product that leaves a lasting residue. Face lotions/creams are specially formulated for use on the face. They are thinner than other lotions and creams, although the textures may be similar, the amount of ingredients are different. Face lotion has ingredients that aids in not clogging pores and has properties that tighten the skin as well as moisturize.

Body, hand and foot lotions/creams are thicker and usually leave a lasting residue to continue being absorbed into the dry skin that may be on your hands or other areas. These lotions are formulated to cling to the skin, protecting and nourishing these often overworked, neglected or dry areas. Many of these lotions contain shea butter and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter works well on dry skin, but will clog pores on the face.

Hand lotions are generally thicker and richer than body lotions so you may not want to use it on our back if you have a problem with breakouts in that area. You may want to use a lighter body lotion in that area. Foot and hand lotions are similar but many people prefer to use a lotion labeled for feet. Some foot lotions do have ingredients that you may not want to use on the hands as a matter of preference. Many have a mint ingredient to help eliminate foot order. Foot lotion tends to be thicker than hand lotion, as the feet have thicker skin and tend to be dryer. Many people have calluses, or cracked, dry feet and need the thicker lotion with an exfoliating property.

After my research, I basically found that selecting a lotion or cream is a matter of personal opinion. Some people choose one lotion/cream and use it for all areas as a matter of convenience. Other people believe in having a cream/lotion for each particular area and think that each one is the best in the area it was formulated to be used on.

There are many great lotions and creams available through our e-tailers. If you have a lotion or cream question, I’m sure they are more qualified to answer it than I am. The e-tailers are listed on the side bar, this will take you directly to their websites where you may email your questions to them.

I do not make lotions or creams so this article is just my opinion, so please consider it as such.

Winners of the January Drawings Announced!

Drum roll, please.....The winner of the mystery prize donated by Delightfully Wed is Shana of Florida. Congratulations, Shana! Your prize will ship out Feb. 17.

Allison of Nebraska is the lucky winner of a Snowberry Creek Sample Box. Congratulations, Allison! Your free box will ship on February 25. I know you will love all of the samples/full-sized products the e-tailers have sent in for this box.

Thanks ladies, for choosing Snowberry Creek and our wonderful e-tailers!

How to Be an E-tailer in Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes

So, you want to be an e-tailer in our sample boxes and don’t know where to start. I’ll see if I can answer some of the most asked questions.

Does it cost anything? No, there is not cost to you ever other than the cost of your samples.
Is there a minimum amount? Yes, we have a minimum of 10 samples/or full-sized items for any month you wish to participate. However, we have no maximum so if you wish to send in a large amount and spread it out over a couple of months – that’s fine with us. Just specify how you want it.

When are the samples due? Samples are due by the 15th of any month you wish to participate.

What kind of samples should I send? Send whatever you wish for the consumer to see. Send the product you like the best, what you think is your best item or a new item you wish to promote. Remember to package your item attractively to present it in the most positive light. Sometimes, first impressions are all that you get. You want to catch the consumer’s eye – ensuring they don’t forget about you. Your items should be correctly labeled and prominently display your website and company name. We want the consumer to be able to easily find you.

Can I send full-sized items? Certainly! Everyone loves receiving full-sized items. But, this is not required. You may send in any size sample that you want. Just remember that the consumer will judge your products by your sample. Make sure it is an ample enough size for them to be able to determine if they like the product.

Can I send in business cards, brochures, post cards? Yes, if you send in samples you may send in literature on your products and company. We do not accept just business cards, etc. without samples as no one wants to purchase business cards.

Should I offer a discount coupon with my product? That is entirely up to each individual. Some do, some don’t. We do not require that you do.

Do I need a banner? No. If you have one, we will proudly display it on the website and forum. If you do not, we can make you one for $10 and you can use it in any manner you want. It will be yours. However, if you don’t have one and don’t want one, that’s fine with us.

Do I need to send in some information about my items? Yes. Please send a brief description of your products/and or company. This will be displayed on the website.

Where will I be listed on the internet: You will be listed on the Snowberry Creek E-tailers in the Box page on the website, you will be listed on the past e-tailers page (when you are a past e-tailer) on the website, the Snowberry Creek forum, Snowberry Creek blog, and our myspace page. These are the places that you will have direct links posted to your website. We will advertise Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes in other places and you will benefit from this, also.
If you choose to be in the “e-tailer spotlight” or the “product showcase” on our blog, this will promote your website and products by additional links for the search engines to find. There is no charge for this service. It will be promoted on many forums. You can offer an item for a drawing to get people to visit your website and then leave a comment on the blog about one of your products. This is not required, but does help generate traffic to your site.

Who donates the mystery prize for the month? Any e-tailer that wishes to be the mystery prize donor for the month should let us know. You will be listed as the mystery prize donor – listed on the website as such and promoted on the blog and forum. You should send your “full-sized” item for the mystery prize drawing in at the same time you send your samples. We will pay for the shipping to the winner of the prize. We will announce the winner along with the donor on our forum, blog and myspace, this will add more links for the search engines.

Can I have a page on your website? Yes. We do offer sponsor pages. You may have a sponsor page for $10 per month in additional to sending in a minimum of 50 samples for the month. Business cards do not count as samples.

What can I put on my sponsor page? This is your own personal webpage. You may display anything you want on your page such as: ads, sales, pictures, promotions, etc. You may have up to 5 pictures on your page. This is a way to promote your products and website in any way you wish. The page will remain active for the month you are a sponsor. There can be more than one sponsor per month, as each sponsor will have their own page for promotion showcasing their products and website. No one has to “share” the spotlight on their page with anyone else.

We enclose a flyer asking the consumer to please visit the e-tailer’s website to see all of the products they offer. We ask them to leave feedback about the products they have received so the e-tailers know if they are pleased with the items. They may leave feedback on the forum, myspace, our blog or directly email the e-tailer.

It has never been easier to be an e-tailer. Get your products and website in the spotlight and into the hands of the consumer. We believe that the independent business owner has superior products, excellent customer service and is the backbone of America. We look forward to working with you to promote, advertise and raise the ranking of your website.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at snowberrycreek@hotmail.com, leave a post on our blog or visit our website http://www.snowberrycreek.com/. We love hearing from you!

Low Cost Ways to Start an Online Business

Everyone has heard the dreaded words - economic downturn…recession. The prices of goods are escalating at a rapid pace. Much more rapid than our checks can absorb. People all over are losing their houses and/or jobs. These are trying times for everyone. No one is safe, no job is stable. With all of the gloom and doom on the news each day, it’s enough to make you feel hopeless. But, have faith….take action.

What can we do to supplement our incomes? Maybe you as a mother have stayed home to raise the children and now you find you really need some extra income. If you’ve been laid off and have plenty of time on your hands, and no job opportunities available. Take action! With the internet available we have many options. Have you dreamed of having a boutique, a craft store or do you love to do a certain craft? There are people in the world who have money to spend. They are looking for products each and every day. Okay, so you don’t know where to start. First, think of an idea that would sell – maybe you sew; make baskets, handcrafted soap, candles, or jewelry. Perhaps, you are a writer of children’s books or short stories. Research the area you are interested in. Pick something you are good at, that you enjoy doing – find a niche and dig in. Select a catchy name and get ready to promote yourself.

Join some social forums. There are many forums available such as: ning forums, myspace, facebook, yahoo groups, wahm groups and many others. Search for social forums on the internet and you will find many. There are forums for a wide array of subjects. All the forums I’ve dealt with have had very friendly, helpful people with a wealth of valuable information. You will make many friends and acquaintances that will be willing to exchange links and you will probably find some customers along the way. Be active on the forums – post blogs, make friends, join groups and get into discussions. There are many sample box companies around. If you have an item that you want to get out to consumers, you may want to consider this option. Most of them are free except for the cost of your samples or products. Check around, they may offer different options to their e-tailers and you will want to pick the one best suited to you and your business.

You’ve decided what to sell, you’ve joined some forums and now you’ve realized that you don’t really have the funds to start a website. There are some DIY website builders around, but if you don’t know what you’re doing maybe you should consider opening a store. There are many places on the internet that offer free stores – you only pay when you sell an item (www.madeitmyself.com) , some stores have a low cost listing fee and you pay another small fee when you sell an item (www.etsy.com), you pay a low cost annual fee, no listing fees, a small fee when you sell at item at www.fuzzb.com, or you can opt to list on an auction site. Many auction sites offer stores for a monthly fee, plus a listing fee and a fee when you see your item. If you aren’t selling, you can run up listing fees fairly quickly with auction sites. All of these are good ways to start out. There are other stores around that I’ve not mentioned as I’ve not dealt with them.

Before long you will be selling your products and you’ll have the funds to build a website. Or who knows, with all the information available on the internet you may learn to build your own site. The sky is the limit – go ahead give it a try!