*Blows dust off blog*
A-ha! It's still here! The official OHTC blog is - is - ALIIIVE! :-)
It's now getting to the end of May, and we're back. I'm back! Jennifer Robinson, proprietress of OHTC and terrible blogger extraordinaire. Well, inconsistent if not terrible. But I've boomeranged my random thoughts back, baby! There's a lot to cover, but I'm going to parcel it out over a few posts since it may be a bit overwhelming in a single post. We cool with that?
Off to learn all I can learn at the HSCG 2014 conference!
First, I'm going to talk about an amazing organization for soapmakers and cosmetics manufacturers called the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild (of which I am a proud member!). Not only do they offer a pile of great incentives for being a member, but the camaraderie and networking with other soapmakers is downright invaluable. Some of my awesomest friends are also fellow guild members! If you're a soapmaker reading this and on the fence about joining the guild, then I cannot recommend it highly enough (even if you do not attend their annual conference). Join us! www.soapguild.org
As for the annual conference, this year we all descended upon the amazing town of Tucson, AZ for a jam-packed few days of all things soap and cosmetics! If you're reading this and wondering why cosmetics, then I invite you to read a prior blog post on here (Ingredients) which explains why so often items like soap, sugar scrubs and salt soaks can be considered a "cosmetic" rather than simply just soap!
I learned quite a bit at this year's conference, and something that I truly did not expect to learn along the way: that OHTC is actually going in a great direction and making some wicked smaht moves after all! It turns out that the worst thing I'm doing is getting in my own way and being my own worst enemy! Small business, as I learn again and again, is 90% hard work and persistence, once you have your amazing product and the confidence to know that you and your stuffs is enough! I'm sure you can guess by my bolding where I needed a swift kick in the pants!
What does this mean for OHTC? I got the tough love about being more confident in my product and my knowledge base. It turns out that obsessively reading, researching, blending, experimenting, learning over a period of several years (7 years alone with essential oils and 5 years with soapmaking - holy cow!) does amount to quite a bit. I make a fabulous soap guys, and I'm not afraid to say it!
Radio silence is over, fabulous soap, amazing skin goodness and out-of-this-world scents are back in!
Thank you: HSCG fairies, speakers, friends, family, little girls, one crazy supportive husband, big bubbles and even bigger hugs. I needed it so much!
