iHart:
...Story continues.

After I have learnt soap making and my machines are ready, I prepared myself for my first production. I got all the necessary raw materials, cross checked my recipe. Tested my machines over and over again to be sure they are working well. I boiled my first soap. I crutched my first soap, I plodded my first soap, I cut my first soap I was so so happy, everything came out well and my machines were able to withstand the load effectively and efficiently. Though I had little bottle necks here and there but I fixed them all. Its now time for marketing... This one is a different ball game all together. I had three strategies in mind,... in the next story I am going to discuss about my marketing strategy, challenges and the way forward...


picture: crutching my first soap.

Op do love you to elaborate more on your boiling process.

Great500:
Op do love you to elaborate more on your boiling process.

I really appreciate your questions. I can see youu read in-between lines and make in-dept observations. I use hot process. In hot process soap making, heat is applied. In my own case I use the heat generated from caustic dissolution to boil the soap. When caustic is dissolved in water, heat is generated and evolved. In chemistry we call it exothermic reaction (big grammar ). It is this heat that I harness to boil my soap. In doing this, I simply use the caustic immediately after dissolution. Extreme precautions are taken when doing this.

in the next one or two comments I will wrap up my story. So I urge people to ask questions and express their feelings about this. Is there any question you have asked that I didn't answer? Please bring it forward. I will endeavor to give it a befitting answer. Thank you.

iHart:
I really appreciate your questions. I can see youu read in-between lines and make in-dept observations. I use hot process. In hot process soap making, heat is applied. In my own case I use the heat generated from caustic dissolution to boil the soap. When caustic is dissolved in water, heat is generated and evolved. In chemistry we call it exothermic reaction (big grammar ). It is this heat that I harness to boil my soap. In doing this, I simply use the caustic immediately after dissolution. Extreme precautions are taken when doing this.

Ok,I guess its in this process you add your oil blend?... will like you to touch on the addition of alcohol if it will not be a burden.

iHart:
in the next one or two comments I will wrap up my story. So I urge people to ask questions and express their feelings about this. Is there any question you have asked that I didn't answer? Please bring it forward. I will endeavor to give it a befitting answer. Thank you.

Kindly talk about how you market your soap to target customers after the initial production at your factory. It is very important as well.

edoman2016:

Kindly talk about how you market your soap to target customers after the initial production at your factory. It is very important as well.

I have made mention of that in my previous comments but that is what I am going to use to wrap up my story...

Great500:
Ok,I guess its in this process you add your oil blend?... will like you to touch on the addition of alcohol if it will not be a burden.

Transparency is something you can achieve using alcohol. To do that you need to be a little bit skillful. You can add alcohol during boiling or crutching. Alcohol is volatile, so timing is very important when you want to add it during boiling because the temperature is usually above the boiling point of the alcohol and thus, it will evaporate without achieving its aim. Likewise when you want to add it during crutching, time and when to add it is also important so as to achieve good result. To achieve the best result, there are certain additives you will need to add prior to using the alcohol. Though they may not cause transparency, they work in a synergistic manner with alcohol to improve transparency. More details about this is not what I will be writing here as they are mostly termed "industrial secret"

iHart:
Transparency is something you can achieve using alcohol. To do that you need to be a little bit skillful. You can add alcohol during boiling or crutching. Alcohol is volatile, so timing is very important when you want to add it during boiling because the temperature is usually above the boiling point of the alcohol and thus, it will evaporate without achieving its aim. Likewise when you want to add it during crutching, time and when to add it is also important so as to achieve good result. To achieve the best result, there are certain additives you will need to add prior to using the alcohol. Though they may not cause transparency, they work in a synergistic manner with alcohol to improve transparency. More details about this is not what I will be writing here as they are mostly termed "industrial secret"

Lol ...I get you.

iHart:
Transparency is something you can achieve using alcohol. To do that you need to be a little bit skillful. You can add alcohol during boiling or crutching. Alcohol is volatile, so timing is very important when you want to add it during boiling because the temperature is usually above the boiling point of the alcohol and thus, it will evaporate without achieving its aim. Likewise when you want to add it during crutching, time and when to add it is also important so as to achieve good result. To achieve the best result, there are certain additives you will need to add prior to using the alcohol. Though they may not cause transparency, they work in a synergistic manner with alcohol to improve transparency. More details about this is not what I will be writing here as they are mostly termed "industrial secret"

Melt and pour?

iHart:
in the next one or two comments I will wrap up my story. So I urge people to ask questions and express their feelings about this. Is there any question you have asked that I didn't answer? Please bring it forward. I will endeavor to give it a befitting answer. Thank you.

following...

SoapQueen:



Melt and pour?

melt and pour is a different thing altogether. In melt and pour, a pre-manufactured soap base is used. The soap base is melted and some additives are incorporated into it before re-moulding. It is mostly used by small scale soap makers but it doesn't seem economical. There is another similar thing that is done in big companies. They use what is called soap noddles. Soap Noddles are also pre-manufactured soap base. In the case of soap Noddles, they are charged into the amalgamator and some additives like perfume and colour are then added to it before plodding, cutting, stamping and packaging. Following the ban on the importation of oil (i don't know if it has been lifted), many companies went into importation of soap noddles to save cost on production. In the two cases, there is no saponification stage, just finishing and packaging.

bilal4riid:
following...

welcome, any question for us?

iHart:
welcome, any question for us?

I hart good morning. How much do you get ur cartons?What is the minimum(space)can one use for this project?And if you are to run on diesel continuously,can profit still be made?and what is the minimum capacity of diesel engine generator that can be used?

iHart:
welcome, any question for us?

How do you cope with selling your soaps on credit to sub distributors? I hope they don't owe you and pay as at when due?

Great500:
I hart good morning. How much do you get ur cartons?What is the minimum(space)can one use for this project?And if you are to run on diesel continuously,can profit still be made?and what is the minimum capacity of diesel engine generator that can be used?

Like I have mentioned earlier, I get one carton for #70.

you can use a small space of about 8m by 8m for your machines, but you may need additional space for storage of raw materials and finished products.

I currently run on generator and there is still good profit. However, I have put every necessary thing in place to start using "NEPA". I currently use a 30kva generator. This is capable of powering the amalgamator/crutcher of 20HP using a star delta starter, the plodder and mixer.

edoman2016:

How do you cope with selling your soaps on credit to sub distributors? I hope they don't owe you and pay as at when due?

the people I currently supply to, pay cash.

Hi Ihart, i wish to join this bis, i hope u will be willing to mentor me any time i am ready. I know good thing never come for free. Keep encouraging youth so that we can proof Sai baba wrong. From Enugu i dont mind coming to Abia to learn what will change my life.

iHart:
the people I currently supply to, pay cash.

Wow! You have good customers. It's not easy to have customers that pay cash on supply. Most traders like to buy on credit and pay later in Lagos.

iHart:


Like I have mentioned earlier, I get one carton for #70.

you can use a small space of about 8m by 8m for your machines, but you may need additional space for storage of raw materials and finished products.

I currently run on generator and there is still good profit. However, I have put every necessary thing in place to start using "NEPA". I currently use a 30kva generator. This is capable of powering the amalgamator/crutcher of 20HP using a star delta starter, the plodder and mixer.

I hart kudos...u really know ur onions.Meaning a three bedroom f
lat is more than enough?

adaeze91:
Hi Ihart, i wish to join this bis, i hope u will be willing to mentor me any time i am ready. .

definitely...,

Great500:
I hart kudos...u really know ur onions.Meaning a three bedroom f
lat is more than enough?

yes, but you should also consider the height of these machines especially the amalgamator. Although I have seem a very low one but those that are higher gives good clearance underneath where you can discharge the soap.

edoman2016:

Wow! You have good customers. It's not easy to have customers that pay cash on supply. Most traders like to buy on credit and pay later in Lagos.

yes, they are good but I think the market dynamics also affects how they buy, either on credit or cash. If I am in a place like Lagos, I will still be giving on credit too.

iHart:
yes, they are good but I think the market dynamics also affects how they buy, either on credit or cash. If I am in a place like Lagos, I will still be giving on credit too.

tell me your ROI bro

And can one start with #200.00p

edoman2016:

Wow! You have good customers. It's not easy to have customers that pay cash on supply. Most traders like to buy on credit and pay later in Lagos.

This is the trick I use when I sell any product. I tell them that my uncle from Ondo State, has a soap company and I am a marketer and that the soap is my only source of livelihood.

This way, they feel kinda "sorry" and pay up early.

It sometimes help

SoapQueen:



This is the trick I use when I sell any product. I tell them that my uncle from Ondo State, has a soap company and I am a marketer and that the soap is my only source of livelihood.

This way, they feel kinda "sorry" and pay up early.

It sometimes help

How many days or weeks do you grant your customers to pay their debt after supplying them your products? I really want to learn from you. So you are free to lecture me on it cause bad debts kill business.

Lifeofpolice1:
tell me your ROI bro

And can one start with #200.00p

It won't be enough to tell you that my ROI is this or that. You really need to understand what is involved. So let me refer you to page 4 of this thread where i gave a brief intro to what will make you figure out the ROI. https://www.nairaland.com/4442304/how-started-soap-making-business/4
There are several other sacrifices I made to make sure that the business takes off fully. Some of them will make it difficult to figure out the exact and actually ROI, unless you want me to give you assumptions based on speculation. If you have followed the thread from the beginning you will notice that this business is just taking off. But rest assured, this business is worth doing if and only if you are determined and tenacious!

with your budget you can start on a small scale employing the cold process method.

iHart:


It won't be enough to tell you that my ROI is this or that. You really need to understand what is involved. So let me refer you to page 4 of this thread where i gave a brief intro to what will make you figure out the ROI. https://www.nairaland.com/4442304/how-started-soap-making-business/4
There are several other sacrifices I made to make sure that the business takes off fully. Some of them will make it difficult to figure out the exact and actually ROI, unless you want me to give you assumptions based on speculation. If you have followed the thread from the beginning you will notice that this business is just taking off. But rest assured, this business is worth doing if and only if you are determined and tenacious!

with your budget you can start on a small scale employing the cold process method.

I followed your thread from the beginning till now but all this your process is so hard and too complex for beginners bro

Meanwhile God bless your hustle bro

edoman2016:

How many days or weeks do you grant your customers to pay their debt after supplying them your products? I really want to learn from you. So you are free to lecture me on it cause bad debts kill business.

Hello,

What works for me may not really work for you. I'm an amateur in this. You could ask our teacher @iHart for clarification.


Regards.

iHart:
melt and pour is a different thing altogether. In melt and pour, a pre-manufactured soap base is used. The soap base is melted and some additives are incorporated into it before re-moulding. It is mostly used by small scale soap makers but it doesn't seem economical. There is another similar thing that is done in big companies. They use what is called soap noddles. Soap Noddles are also pre-manufactured soap base. In the case of soap Noddles, they are charged into the amalgamator and some additives like perfume and colour are then added to it before plodding, cutting, stamping and packaging. Following the ban on the importation of oil (i don't know if it has been lifted), many companies went into importation of soap noddles to save cost on production. In the two cases, there is no saponification stage, just finishing and packaging.

Wow! Boss, I hail!

Thank you. When I'm ready to start bar soap production in large scale, I'd reach out to you.

Thanks, always.

Lifeofpolice1:
I followed your thread from the beginning till now but all this your process is so hard and too complex for beginners bro

Meanwhile God bless your hustle bro

Yes, it seems hard but if you have the spirit you can do it. I actually took out time to bring the full reality to bear so that whoever wants to venture into this will know what he or she is going to face.

iHart:
Yes, it seems hard but if you have the spirit you can do it. I actually took out time to bring the full reality to bear so that whoever wants to venture into this will know what he or she is going to face.

OK bro

GOD see you through bro

Lifeofpolice1:
OK bro
GOD see your through bro

Thank you