SweetSavours: Moving From Vision to Reality

Hiya!  I thought I'd share a little more of my heart and vision for my business, SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary.

I began my business with a vision and a heart that believed it was possible. I had an idea of what SweetSavours could be and for a few years I worked diligently at making the vision a reality.  However, as do all businesses, SweetSavours has had its economical ups and downs and last fall the roller coaster ride began to wear on me. I  began to consider shutting the business down but during a trip to Colorado, I got the advice I needed to hear.  I was told to remember why and how SweetSavours began, raise my expectations of what SweetSavours can be, establish new goals and determine what I need to do to make my vision a reality. 

I am so glad I took the advice! I remembered that what began as the need to heal my damaged skin has grown into SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary and a line of unique body products people have continually bought from me. I was energized in remembering all the good that's happened in the last few years. With a fresh mindset I reestablished my vision of SweetSavours and new goals have been set. BIG GOALS!  My goal is that SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary will make its public debut on November 29, 2014 at the Phoenix Public Market with a newly formulated line of body care products that include body, lip, hand, and foot care products. Reflecting back and moving forward, funding is the big thing that has been lacking. 

The issue of funding is a sensitive one for me. I am still receiving disability, and my funds are extremely limited. As I say I am labeled disabled but I am NOT unable. The truth is that operating a business on $75 a month is more than a strain, it's almost impossible. Also, applying for a loan isn't an opportunity for someone who is disabled and getting a loan would not allow SweetSavours to remain debt free. After a lot of research, the answer to this issue is "crowdfunding."  The use of crowdfunding was highlighted in 2012 when the JOBS Act was signed into law.  This law encourages funding of U.S. small businesses by easing various securities regulations. Basically, crowdfunding is the opportunity for small businesses like SweetSavours to utilize social media platforms and personal relationships to raise money in exchange for rewards or perks.  This is the source of funding I have chosen to utilize for SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary.

I will launch SweetSavours crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, on Indiegogo.  Indiegogo provides the opportunity to raise funds for any kind of project like mine with no restrictions. I liked that Indiegogo offers support in starting the campaign.   Another benefit is that each month, Indiegogo has over 9 million visitors to its site!  This is an audience that may very well help SweetSavours meet its goal. That's also a great potential for contributors and new customers for SweetSavours.

My goal is to raise $7,350 by November 30, 2014.  The funds contributed will be used to purchase the ingredients and containers for the new regular line of SweetSavours products, increase social media and local publicity and pay the license and rental fees for the SweetSavours shop at the Phoenix Public Market.  The goal is $7,350 however; there is no limit on what SweetSavours can accept!  Funds contributed above the goal will be used to move SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary into 2015 with more new products, events in the local area and more marketing.

Making SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary's vision a reality will assist me professionally, personally and those that I help with my products.  I’m asking you to carefully consider what I've shared with you.  You will be able to watch the SweetSavours campaign video on the Indiegogo website at http://igg.me/at/sweetsavours on October 22, 2014.  If you decide to help, you will get more that "thank you," you'll also receive a "savour" from me.  If you are not able to contribute, I won't ask why, I know it's your choice.  I know you will keep SweetSavours and Me in your thoughts. I appreciate whatever you can do. 

If you have any questions or have suggestions to share, please don't hesitate.  As always, please share what I've shared with you.

Thanks for bloggin' by! Have a sweet day,

Sherri

How do I make the “savours” sweet?

How do I make the “savours” sweet?

Last Saturday night I was in Wal-Mart and had a conversation with a friendly gentleman.  He was looking for hair care products for his daughter and asked for my opinion.  I told him I couldn’t give much advice about the hair care products but I could give advice about the body care products.  He asked what I knew about body care products. Ha! I told him I make body care products and as his eyebrows raised, he asked me questions about how I make them. The big question he wanted answered was what makes my SweetSavours products so different?

Now, I didn’t go to Wal-Mart intending to talk business but the opportunity presented itself. I told him a little about my skin care history and that I consider body care products as “outside-in” care, much the same as when we take vitamins and supplements its and call that “inside-out" care.  We think about our health and take vitamins and drink smoothies.  We also consider the food we eat; how it looks and smells and especially how it tastes.  These details help us make the choices of what we buy and use every day.  The  SweetSavours thinking is that we should take the same care and consideration when we buy the products that we put on our body’s largest organ, our skin.  Don’t you think about how your lotion feels or what it smells like?  Do you think about what it will do when you rub in onto your skin? Will it sooth irritated skin?  Will it soften or moisturize dry skin?

This man I was speaking with asked what was different about my products.  I explained that many companies that offer lotions and creams like the ones on the shelves in front of us. Only offer a product that is from one formula of lotion and then they add different fragrances and colors.  I told him that SweetSavours products begin with the intent to meet a specific need. I used SweetSavours' coconut oil, cocoa butter lotion as an example.  I told him that I needed to treat my extremely dry, scaly, damaged skin and I researched natural oils and butters whose properties and benefits offered cleansing, healing, soothing and moisturizing.  When I have chosen the ingredients I'm going to use, I take my time and check with the FDA and other resources for ingredients the may cause health issues.  I know that all ingredients are not the best to rub onto our skin.

The next question he asked was how I put the ingredients together to make a lotion.  I asked him to imagine baking a cake in the kitchen. With baking there are the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.  I told him I have to put together a product formula the same way a cake recipe is made.  With lotion making there is the water phase and the oil phase and these two phases make the whole batch of lotion.  Like we do with baking, I put the formula together, heat it up and blend all the ingredients together.  When the formula is well combined, I allow the mixture to cool before I put it into the containers.  Once the container is cool enough, I each put the labels on them and call them "done."

He looked a little shocked and asked about the time it takes.  I told him that I love making my “savours” because I know the people who use them will be pleased. I explained that yes, it takes time and detail to make a great product and that dedication is at work when I make each SweetSavours' product.  I shared with him that I work by the SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary standard “love infused, small batch, handcrafted, natural body care products.”

I put my heart into every aspect of making a product. That is the infusion of love.  Just like with cooking, your food doesn’t taste as good if your heart isn’t “in” what you’re cooking.  Small batch handcrafted is just that.  I make each SweetSavours product in small batches.  Because I don’t use large production machines, making any product in a small batch of eight to nine containers gives me the opportunity to focus on the details of production.  The “natural” of the SweetSavours products is are the ingredients that I use to make the “savours.” I care about the people who use my products and I will not use an ingredient that may cause them harm.

When I research ingredients, I look for those that are list "as existing in nature" but I also use ingredients that don’t contain chemicals known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects. In keeping with the Food and Drug Administration's quidelines and following its good manufacturing processes each ingredient I use when I make a product is listed as GRAS (generally recognized as safe).  

These are the details that make SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary’s products different from what you might find on the shelves in a store.  I hope my care and love I have are evident in the products I make.  I do have samples of lotion available and I’m willing to put one in the mail to you. You just need to send me you address.  Send it to me via convo at my Etsy site.

I you have any questions or would like to share a comment, please don’t hesitate.   I'm looking forward to hearing from you.  It would also be great if you would share what you’ve read about SweetSavours Natural Body Care Apothecary with your friends. Thank you!

I’ll be bloggin’ again soon. Have a “sweet” day!

Sherri