007 Pivoting for Prosperity, with Leslie Arthur, Soap and Cosmetic Maker Artwork

Make It and Sell It

This podcast is about how to start a small-scale production business—a low-risk career option with low upfront costs but huge potential benefits—that can be done from home. Whether you are home because of the Coronavirus or family care responsibilities, limited mobility or transportation, or are just more of a homebody, you can still earn a living on your own time and at your own pace. And best of all, you can MAKE something to share with others. Whether you are a baker, a maker, a crafter, an artist, or even a mad scientist, you can turn your hobby into a living. This series will explore all aspects of this kind of business, sometimes called a “cottage industry,” from brainstorming new product ideas to perhaps one day making enough income to quit your day jobs. Episodes will include interviews with home-based entrepreneurs at different stages of their business development and from a broad diversity of fields. Who are they? Why do they do what they do? What have been the major challenges as well as the secrets of their success? What would they recommend to others?For more information about the movement behind the podcast, visit our Facebook Group, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/350301745982098

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Make It and Sell It

007 Pivoting for Prosperity, with Leslie Arthur, Soap and Cosmetic Maker

September 22, 2020 • Cory Heyman, Cottage Cupboard Cooperative • Episode 7

In this second of four back-to-back episodes about personal care products, Leslie Arthur discusses how she started her first business in Hawaii 16 years ago and organized the most recent business, now seven years old. She shares practical advice about research and development; selling retail, wholesale, and by consignment; and strategies to make product lines more cost effective and accessible.

Leslie started making and selling soap, bath, and body products when she and her boyfriend, now husband, lived in Hawaii in 2004. This was a practical decision, based on opportunity, access to unique flowers and fragrances, limited regulation, and access to a tourist market. But it was also a rush to sell her own products, sometimes hundreds of products a day. And it made more sense than selling food, another interest of hers. Fast-forward a decade and Leslie re-created her business as an alternative to a desk job and a way to manage her family life. Now in Richmond, Virginia, Leslie lives close to the largest farmers’ market in the state. This has given her huge opportunities to learn from her customers, streamline her product line, and grow her in-person business. Similar to many of us, though, the onset of Coronavirus changed Leslie’s business. She had to pivot to online sales—a difficult transition. In doing so, Leslie’s resilience and creativity has led to savvy sales strategies. Learn how Leslie has adapted her business approach, including an updated website (version #3), production, and sales.

You can find out more about Leslie’s business at https://www.facebook.com/BonAirNaturals and https://www.instagram.com/bonairnaturals/ as well as purchase her products at www.bonairnaturals.com.

You can also find the book that Leslie referenced, Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine, by Mike Michalowicz at https://profitfirstbook.com/.

For more information about the movement behind the podcast, visit our Facebook Group, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/350301745982098; follow us on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/cotcup/, and check out examples of our guests’ creations on Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/cotcup/boards/