This may come as a shock, or perhaps not at all, but I am not writing this from the finish line. Although Wayward & Wild is going into its third year on paper, I still don’t feel like an established business owner yet. In fact, there’s more days where I feel like I’m just winging it than days I feel confident and capable. I think social media is a series of curtains, and most people seem to have everything dialed in, because they’ll never give you a glimpse of what really happens. The reality is that most of running my business as someone without experience either as an ‘influencer’ or a business owner, is learning as I go, making mistakes, and I figure it out because there’s no other option. So here are some things I’ve had to figure out while growing my soapy empire. 

The first ‘figure it out’ I still struggle with is pricing without second-guessing. This year, my suppliers raised costs, and it pushed my hand to do the same thing. I debated it for months. I would rather keep my things at an affordable and accessible price because everyone deserves a good bar of soap that cleans well without stripping their skin or breaking the bank. However, if I cannot pay my own bills that allow me to make these soaps, that’s a problem. So, my prices went up by a dollar. I still catch myself thinking, ‘is this too much?’ and ‘what if people think it’s too expensive?’. That $9 that each bar brings in is divided up to pay for materials, my time, compostable and plastic-free packaging, and the few dollars at the end are to keep the studio lights on. I have learned that underpricing doesn’t help me or the business, and if I want to continue to provide good, quality bars, I have to run this business like…well, a business. Removing the emotion from it is not easy, but I also have to think about longevity and the family this little soap business supports. 

Another lesson learned? How MUCH soap do I need to make? I have a continuous list of scent ideas and plants I want to work with, but the hardest part while I am in this growing phase is how many bars to make. I don’t know what will sell fast until I make them, and after they are ready to go, I don’t know how many are going to be left taking up space on my shelves. The guessing game that comes with batch sizes, restocks, and seasonal launches is a HUGE learning curve. When I first started with seasonal collections, I was making 30 bars of each scent, 3 scents for each season, and that was… way too much. These seasonal bars ranged from a sell-out hit, like Black Spruce & Star Anise which sold out well before its season was over, and other times, I make a bar like Rhubarb & Grapefruit, that I’d be lucky to give away. These days, I’ve pared it down to 20 bars of each scent, and 2 seasonal scents matched with a consistently in-stock essential bar. This keeps novelty while also keeping my shelves tidy. 

Don’t get me started on marketing without feeling fake. As a human, I am more observant than outspoken, helpful than pushy, and I will never pretend to be bigger than I am. When I first started making content, my biggest fear was sounding like a cheesy used car salesman, and there were a few posts where it still came through even when I was pushing hard in the opposite direction. That’s when I remembered what my creative writing teacher in middle school would tell me, Show, Don’t Tell. Once I started showing my soaps as lessons learned or sharing the story behind a bar’s inspiration, content became easier to produce, I never felt like I was running out of ideas on what to talk about, and I felt confident in sharing about my products. 

Finally, my work rhythms as a self-employed business owner is a feat in and of itself. There’s no boss to report to, no clocking in and out, no leaving it at the door when I show up at a different location for a paycheck. With no external structure, I find there’re days where I am all in and hyperfixate on something until 1, 2 in the morning, and other days, taking 3 pictures seems like a struggle. My schedule I created to stay on top of things is sometimes completely avoided, and I could get really down on myself, but that’s not going to solve anything. I take advantage of the days I feel good to get ahead, I batch content, I write multiple blog posts at once. On days when eating 3 meals feels too hard, I do some low energy maintenance or sit down with my spreadsheets. I still manage to get things done by these imaginary deadlines, so I must be doing something right. I think as a business owner it is way too easy to get stuck on the thousands of do-to lists, BUT I’ve learned to give myself grace and I’d rather support myself with whatever kind of day I’m having rather than expect the same outcome every day and burn out. 

Running a business isn’t just numbers. It’s self-doubt, pride, fear, excitement. With a myriad of emotions, it can be easy to get lost, but I am still learning not to tie my worth to a slow month or panic over no-sales weeks. It’s important to separate myself from sales performance, because I have so much to share and much more to learn. So, unfortunately, I don’t have a secret formula, or some master class to teach you how to make a six figure business, but I will continue to make mistakes because the business grows as I do.