Soap Making is seen as more of a hobby and if you are passionate about the idea of soap making and selling then now its time for turning your hobby into the business idea. It is definitely an interesting activity that is loved by many people, and by introducing a number of varieties, you can make this a successful business of your own.
The business of soap making could be started from home and does not require you to put a ton of capital investment. In fact, it is seen as a great part-time business idea for housewives who are actively searching for a low budget business opportunity.
Soaps are of numerous types on the basis of the ingredients that are used in the making process. Also, they can be differentiated on the basis of their appearance like color, size, shape, etc, and fragrances.
Nowadays the interest of people is a bit inclined towards the use of organic and herbal soaps that are a chemical-free option. They also make a good gift option for people who are a fan of organic things and sweet fragrances.
In order to make the soap making business successful in India, you need to focus on the following aspects related to it. The following article is the complete guide on how you can start your soap making business in India.
Contents
Market Potential of Soap Making Business In India
The market potential of any business idea is determined by several aspects. Like the demand for the product in the market, the use of the product in people’s lives, the cost-effectiveness of the product and the quality that you are providing to the customers. If everything falls into line then your product will become a hit in the market instantly.
When it comes to soap making business plan the market seems to be always in the demand for some really good ones. Soap making is carried out in so many ways with a variety of ingredients. Each one of them has its own benefits of using. People use soap for smoothness, medicinal properties, fragrance, budget, etc. So these are the things that you will have to focus on while starting a business plan.
The cost of making soap is very low therefore soap making a business plan is a low investment business plan. It also provides a high profit margin which means you can earn a lot from this business plan.
Like the soap making business plan there are various others that make a good part time business idea for the housewives to support them financially, you can read it here: 15 Best Business Ideas For Housewives Looking For Home Based Opportunities
Requirements for the Soap Making Business Plan
For starting a soap making business you are going to need some pretty basic things. The making of soap involves only a few ingredients and you can make them of numerous varieties just by adding or replacing one or two things.
Commercial Unit
The small scale business of Soap making can be acquired from home and you will not need to set up a commercial unit for it. But if you are thinking about taking the business on a larger scale then you may need a commercial unit. The unit will be regular as the business plan does not take big space.
The materials that are required for the soap making business plan is the ingredients of soap, some utensil involved in the process of soap making, some molds for giving them a shape, packaging material, etc.
Raw Materials
The ingredients that are used in the making of the soap can vary from soap to soap as per its types. But there are few basic ingredients that are used in all soaps. You can make different types from tweaking the formula. The basic raw material involved in the soap making process are:
1. Oils and fats: Various oils are involved in the soap making process such as coconut oil, palm oil, soyabean oil, etc.
2. Soda lye or potash lye: Soda Iye or Potash Iye is the aqueous solution of potash soda or caustic soda.
3. Brine: Brine is basically the water and NaCl solutions
4. Additives: sodium carbonate, sodium silicate, dyes, perfumes, etc. are used for different kinds of soap making them vary from one another.
Apart from this, you are going to need some basic containers and utensils that are used for mixing of the ingredients and their heating process. Various molds are also used to give the desired shape to the soaps. You can also add carvings to mention your brand name.
At last, when the soaps are prepared you can pack them using different techniques such as small bags, or ribbons, or boxes, etc, it totally depends on you.
Learn How to Make Soaps
A very crucial part of soap making business plan is learning how to make them. You can only become successful at soap making business plan if you are an expert at making them. You will also need to have good knowledge about them and the use of different ingredients in the process.
Because soap making is a really easy method and it could be acquired by anybody and to become an expert in the area you need to have maximum knowledge about it.
You can take a class in your area for learning the soap making process or also use the online platforms for the same. In this way, you will also get to be familiar with the opportunities available in the market.
Basically there are two ways to make the soaps, the one is called the cold process and another one is named the hot process. They are discussed as follows:
1. Cold Process
In the cold process, you mix the Iye along with oils and fats in the container, after mixing you will have to give it the desired shape and give it the time of few weeks to cure.
2. Hot Process
The hot process makes the soaps immediately and it involves cooking of the soap. In this method, you need to heat the ingredients that are used in the process and pour it into the molds. This technique really helps with getting the desired shape, fragrance and colors of the soaps.
Turn Your Home-based Business Into a Successful Brand
Since soap making business plan is a really easy one and could be acquired by home, you need to turn your business into a brand to make it more recognized in the market. This step also involves the analysis of your competition. You need to separate yourself from the mainstream market and focus on what the customers look for in their soap and what do they really want.
The niche of your products could be anything as long as it has the ability to sell itself to the customers. You can go with the organic soaps that use no chemicals, or you can go with a fragrance range designed entirely for giving sweet fragrances, or even unique ones having different designs.
Apart from this, you could create your own company logo and print it on your packaging material or carve on your soap.
Execution of the Business Plan
The first step of starting your own business is making all the required materials available. For that, you could take help from online platforms or even find a supplier in your local market. Your business will also require you to have some professional assistance before you start so that you have every inside detail about the market and the business type.
Professional Assistance
You will also need to learn the small business accounting for your business or if you are not comfortable with it you will always have the option to hire a professional.
For the step of soap making, you could learn to do it on your own or you can also hire some workers to do it for you. On a large scale basis, you will need a lot of professionals working for you to make your business reach the next level.
Pricing of the product
This step also involves determining the price of the product. Keeping the price low in the beginning will help you to start but make sure you are earning some profit from it otherwise it will defeat the whole purpose of starting a business to earn money. Eventually, you can increase the price if your products are in demand.
Make it unique
You can also develop a unique packaging style to attract customers and also make it environmental friendly so that people will be more interested in buying it. You can make use of various wrapping papers, ribbons, boxes to make your product stand out.
Marketing and Promotions
The final step of the soap making process involves the selling of your product. After each step is done you need to take your product to the different sellers and retailers who will act as an intermediate. You can get in contact with various retailers who sell the soaps in bulk or you can visit to the local shops and ask them to keep your products in their shops.
Apart from this there always are various exhibitions, fares, art shows where you can add your stall for selling your products. Use the word of mouth technique to market your products personally with your close ones.
Also, online platforms provide a pretty good opportunity for the promotion and selling of your products so do not forget to take advantage of them to make your business successful.
Conclusion
The business plan of soap making sounds like a really easy business idea to start with, but even the easiest ones require a lot of business smarts and strategic planning to reach the heights. The soap making business idea needs a low budget and provides a higher profit margin so earning a lot of money from this business idea is a lot easier than you may think.
Above mentioned are all the important aspects related to the soap making business plan. In order to acquire this business idea, you will need to go through each one of them thoroughly.
If you have any queries or doubts you can ask them by commenting in the comment section below.