₦airaland Forum

iHart:
You can have a good quality and even a better quality but the texture and appearance can't be compared, though you can still have something cool and smooth.

Op apart from the regular color can the soap have another colour?

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?

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:
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:
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:
...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.

iHart:
we may have to discuss this in a live seminar. It is some common chemicals but Its not what I will put on the internet.

Hmmm Ihart, I understand sha.

iHart:
Thank you so much for the questions.

No, i don't have a delivery vehicle for now. Like I have mentioned earlier, I just started on about 10% of my proposed capacity. That is to say my out is still small. As I scale up, I have to get a delivery vehicle.

About the seminar, I am still giving thoughts to it. I really want to have an interactive section with people, run some soap productions with different recipes, xray faults and remedies, display very simple and cheap tools to use for those who want to start in a small scale, among other things. I am still giving it thoughts because I want people to spend less on it,

Alright...love ur passion and desire to make a difference.

iHart:
I use chemicals. and it doesn't take long.



Picture: from left to right-palm oil, bleached palm oil and palm kernel oil.

What do you use to bleach the PO?

Ihart ...do you have a delivery vehicle?... and how about the group seminar hw are you going to go about it considering the fact that people from different parts of the country will be interested?

iHart:
that's not my lab table, its the surface of my 50kg Camry table scale.

I don't use equal quantity of PO and PKO. PO is used in a greater percentage than PKO. The essence of blending PO and PKO is to improve hardness and foam. PO tends to give a hard soap but with less foaming ability while PKO gives the opposite.

However, you can always tweak your recipe to achieve whatever quality you want without blending the two oils.

Ok ...

iHart:
I use chemicals. and it doesn't take long.



Picture: from left to right-palm oil, bleached palm oil and palm kernel oil.

ok,love your lab table and beakers .Do you use equal quantity of po & pko?

iHart:
I have gotten too many request on whatsapp about teaching people how to make soap. I feel we should have a live meeting to learn as much as we can, form a network/forum of soap makers where everyone will come to share their experiences and we learn. What do you guys think?

Not a bad idea...

for how long do you bleach your po... do you use machines/chemicals for the bleaching.. or put on fire?(cz I knw using fire,takes quite a while).

iHart:
it is really frustrating to receive ban back to back. I just feel like not continuing but I won't give up.


...the next was about how I learnt soap making and what I really learnt. Soap making is bigger than what we may think. Its an art as well as a science. Later in the night I may update my story. Tomorrow we will talk and chat a lot. I just hope I don't get banned again.

Alright...Ihart still with you.

Following...

iHart:
The consumer base for that kind of soap you are talking about is small compared to the ordinary soap, at least in my primary market zone. And most importantly, that soap is more or less a "drug" than a soap. However I have plans to move into multipurpose, toilet and beauty soap(not like the one you mentioned up there) with time. In the course of telling how I learnt soap making, I think I will capture those kinds of soaps if questions about them arise. So lets keep a date.

You have a very important point here.

Wait o' e be like I don turn moderator.

EMMAACHILE:
In soap business, your best bet is to go for luxury soap production just like sebamed. Sebamed may be an overkill as an example but I learnt from a seminar that luxury medicated soaps gives the most margins as some can sell as high as a N1000-N3000 per tablet.

The soap targets babies, toddlers, adults and cures plenty skin diseases. A replica like that can be added to your production to help in profit margins.

You have a very good point here,guess in the course of this story Ihart might touch on that... but let's allow him have the floor for now for his story.And Ihart you may also comment quickly on the salary issue raised above.

iHart:
Very good. Yes, making it bigger does affect the profit per one and subsequently the overall profit. Plodding a bigger size is faster and saves cost on diesel and labour. But there is what we call consumer poverty. I learnt that from the MD of a soap factory I worked in Awka, Anambra state, The Coopers. Queried why he was selling more of the small soaps, the MD made me to understand that due to the hardship in the country, consumer tend to buy what they can afford and use up at any given time even if it is more expensive on a long run. Take for instance, a peasant farmer who loves to take tea will prefer to buy 1 sachet of milk for #30 every day than to buy a big sachet for #800 naira. But actually, if you check the quantity of the #30 sachet that will give you that of #800, you will discover the consumer is paying more for less. The same thing applies for soap depending on your location. in my location, consumer are mostly low income earners, they prefer to buy the small soap once they want to wash than buying the big one. But do you know the good news? my sub distributors are now demanding for the big ones. Seems we are now getting out of recession?

So today, I took out time to design the eyelet for big size, and its cool.

You see why I didn't want to go into the "money" aspect of the business, it will make me to leave the story half done. Please I will want ti continue with my story telling. later we can come back to this.

pictures coming soon.

Ok,I agree with you,fire on with the story

ok,starting to see your point,its like we are posting @ same time

Ihart I think the profit margin for now is not really much...though I know you are looking @ the over all profit... don't you think making the soap a bit bigger...will help you price it better?...Just a thought though...

iHart:
retailers sell two tablets for #50, i.e #25 for one. Actually, a retailer makes more profit per soap but I make more money overall because I sell to many retailers. it can take some retailers one week to finish a carton while presently I can sell as much as 20 to 30 cartons in a week.

Nice...jst saw this post.

Grupo:
So, if I'm a retailer and decides to sell each tablet for ₦50 which is still fair, it means I would make ₦5,000 on one carton.

If this my analysis is true, it means you are working for retailers then.

hmmm...well, if you buy a carton @ 1,800 and sell @ 50 naira...meaning you will make 3,200 as profit....a carton contains 100tablets according to Ihart.Ihart what do you think about this analysis

[quote author=iHart post=66707999)Glad to have you back.

Op where are you? I don support you,oya come and continue your story...

[quote author=EMMAACHILE post=66636086]Mr man, why avoiding this question? This is the most important variable you have to give here or else everything will look like grammar and old man tales! Please let the op take his time...you don't expect him to drop all details in in fell swoop...let him enjoy the journey..if you ve bn into entrepreneurship you will knw that the journey also is of great interest... I know your only interested in the profit for nw...but pls let the op take his time.

Saying that I am impressed is an understatement... following..

please can you drop the contact of those producing these cartons.

how much for a drum?

do love to have one of these...but my money nor reach..happy sales though.