As we round out National Women's Small Business Month, we are excited to feature small business owner and #HerHub member, Jennifer Beachy. This is her #419herstory.
"I grew up in rural Northwest Ohio and had a thriving pottery business for years while living in Indiana. After selling my pottery studio, we moved back home to Ohio and I began a new business with another source of loving fascination - soapmaking. I had made soap to go along with my ceramic soap dishes one holiday season and was quite taken with the process and chemistry of making soap from scratch. This is how my business, Toledo Soap Co. was built.
I want to tread lightly through this life, and I believe that we as humans are to be stewards, not conquerors, of the natural world. My north star with this business is to source ingredients in the most caring way I can, to both the environment and the people in the supply chain, and then to make a phenomenal and delightful array of soaps for you. As simple and sustainable as possible is my goal with the Toledo Soap Co. I hope you love it.
If I could give our young women any advice it would be this, learn everything you can about whatever topic or business you want to pursue. You are not behind the curve, even if others are already doing the thing you want to do. Diligently seek out reputable resources and consistently learn about your medium/industry while getting started.
You can sidestep so many potential setbacks by being knowledgeable and therefore get much further much more quickly. Consistent, deliberate movement paired with consistent, deliberate learning will serve you well.
And one last piece of advice before I go, I make a lot of decisions based on how I feel. One thing I learned from Marie Forleo is to pay close attention to a fear or hesitancy response, as it is likely telling you more than simply that a decision is scary; real, or bad.
When thinking about a choice/change, do I feel afraid, but expansive? Nervous, but also excited? Or do I feel constricted, deflated, maybe even a little dead inside? The difference between the two is vitally important. The expansive feeling means that decision is what I really want to do, what feels right, even while being intimidating. I should pursue that choice. The second response means that decision is the wrong choice for me. Even for things that seem very "right" on paper, if they give me the constricted, everything feels a bit grey feeling, that is the wrong choice for me. I should not pursue it."
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your story and advice with us. You can visit Toledo Soap Co. on their social media sites or website here: Facebook, Instagram, Website, Her Hub Profile.