I haven't posted a new blog article in a while, so I'm really excited to have the time and mental clarity to put words down. Since our last post, we've been adjusting to a new baby, coping with supply chain struggles, and just learning how to function in this new mode. It has certainly been an adjustment, but these past couple of months have been pretty great. We've grown as a business and a family.
We've added a bunch of new retailers and have others in state, out of state, and even one in another country that has been interested in carrying our products. It still is somewhat surreal for me to be doing the things we are doing and thinking about the future in a new way. Two years ago, I would have never even dreamed we'd be doing the things we are doing today. Honestly, 7 months ago it was still a dream or a fleeting idea. I'm just in awe and feel immense gratitude. We are working towards building something for our family and helping so many people and it is all thanks to all of the wonderful people and businesses who have rallied behind us and have decided to take a chance on a small business like ours. We couldn't have gotten where we are without that support and I am eternally grateful for it.
Today, I went out delivering to three new retailers the first portions of their orders. Every place I went had such great, friendly people with their own unique stories and, for me, meeting new people is always such a rewarding experience. Hearing their stories, their struggles, learning what they are excited and passionate about, these things are the parts of business and work I've always enjoyed. Just hanging out and having a conversation with people excited to see me. It's drastically different than some of my previous jobs, I can tell you.
So, other than my random, possibly boring musings, I wanted to talk about the things I'm excited for. We have many new products releasing, we have new products we are developing and experimenting with now, and I'm just so excited to be able to offer more of our quality handcrafted goods to people looking to move away from the carelessness of the big box brands. I'd love to be in some of those stores obviously, but not at the cost of our quality and our passion for our products. Our new handcrafted cold process soaps are launching soon and this is one of the things I'm most excited about. I have suffered from Eczema since I was an infant. It has come and gone all throughout my life. For the past 5 years, I've had one stubborn patch on my leg that has refused to go away. I've used steroid ointments and other things to try and fix it with little to no success. Now, I'm not saying my soap cures eczema; it doesn't. But I am saying that since I've started working on making soaps finding the right ingredients for my soaps, it has drastically improved. Before, it was red, swollen, itchy, dry, and sometimes when I unconsciously scratched at it, it bled. Today, it has a healthy color, the skin is in better shape, there are no open sores and it seems to be healing. And it's doing this in the dead of winter where historically it has been the worst for me. I'm not saying my soap healed it, but I am saying that it is amazing to see the change in your health when you start to use good quality items with natural, pure ingredients. With results like that, how can I not be excited about our soap? I hope it helps so many others who have skin sensitivities like me and have never found a soap that makes their skin feel comfortable.
Anyways, if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading and thanks for even visiting our website. Every time I see someone has been to the website and/or has purchased, I get so excited knowing you decided to spend time with something we have lovingly created. Next to having a new baby, who is the most important thing in my world now and makes me happier than anything else ever has or will, this is the second greatest feeling for me and my family. I'm so proud of what we've accomplished and I hope we just keep walking past challenges and growing and surprising ourselves with where we will be.
- Cody