The Dirty Heifers

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

Can you really build a six-figure soap and cosmetics business WITHOUT chasing Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube algorithms? Lynette Bullock of The Skin Candy did exactly that—and her story might completely change how you think about growing your soap business!

In this episode of The Dirty Heifers, we sit down with Lynette to uncover how she went from making bath bombs with her daughter to running a successful cosmetics manufacturing business.

We're getting into the REAL business of making products for other brands, including:

🐄 How Lynette built a six-figure business primarily through word of mouth 🐄 Wholesale vs. white label vs. private label—what's ACTUALLY different? 🐄 What it takes to formulate products for other businesses 🐄 How custom formulation and research & development work 🐄 Why cosmetic manufacturing isn't as simple as ordering thousands of products 🐄 The realities of hiring, production, scaling, and quality control 🐄 Why small makers don't necessarily need complicated ingredients to make great products 🐄 How Lynette grew her business without building her life around social media 🐄 What small soap makers should consider before outsourcing production

Whether you're a hobbyist soap maker, a growing handmade business, or dreaming of manufacturing products for other brands, this conversation is packed with practical insights, honest business talk, and plenty of Heifer humor.

🎧 NEW EPISODES DROP THURSDAYS!

JOIN THE HERD: Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

GUEST: Lynette Bullock – The Skin Candy https://www.theskincandy.com/

HOSTS: Margaret – Warm & Fuzzy Soapery https://www.youtube.com/@warmandfuzzysoapery

Jessie – Country Lather Soap Works https://www.youtube.com/@countrylathersoapworks

Shauna – Bawauna Bath & Body https://www.youtube.com/@Bawauna

Have a question, a win, a woe, or something that's warshin'? Email us: [email protected]

Stay Dirty Heifers! 🐄

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

Is your handmade soap really too expensive—or are you feeling guilty about charging what your work is worth? 🧼🐄

This week, the Dirty Heifers are talking honest small-business advice, first-time craft fair lessons, soap pricing, and the good (and not-so-good) side of the handmade maker community.

After our conversations with Katie Carson of Royalty Soaps, we're still talking about what it was like meeting someone we've admired for years—and why treating fellow makers with kindness matters more than you might think.

Shauna shares what she learned from her FIRST craft fair, including which products sold, which ones didn't, how weather affected the event, and what she'd change next time. We also get into booth visibility, payment options, and why you should vet your markets before signing up for every event that comes along.

Then things get real.

💰 Are you charging enough for your handmade products? We discuss the guilt makers feel about making a profit, rising supply costs, and why your prices need to account for more than ingredients.

🙄 Do you owe every potential customer an hour of your time? What happens when someone asks endless questions, negotiates a discount, gets free shipping—and then disappears?

🤝 Can we disagree without tearing each other down? We talk about supporting new makers, handling criticism, responding to unhappy customers, and knowing the difference between legitimate feedback and internet pile-ons.

And, of course, there's our Word of the Week, Jessie's Southern word of the week, plenty of Heifer shenanigans, and a few rabbit trails we absolutely did not plan.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Our Katie Carson interview takeaways
• Shauna's first craft fair: what worked and what didn't
• Craft fair display, signage, and payment lessons
• Handmade soap pricing and making a profit
• Difficult customers, discounts, and protecting your time
• Supporting fellow makers instead of gatekeeping
• Customer complaints, online criticism, and good manufacturing practices
• The importance of community in the handmade business world

🐄 Join the Herd!

New episodes drop every Thursday.

Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers Email: [email protected]

Find your favorite Heifers: Margaret – Warm & Fuzzy Soapery: https://www.youtube.com/@warmandfuzzysoapery Jessie – Country Lather Soap Works: https://www.youtube.com/@countrylathersoapworks Shauna – Bawauna Bath & Body: https://www.youtube.com/@Bawauna

Have you done your first craft fair? Have you ever struggled to charge what your handmade products are worth? Or has another maker helped you when you needed it most? Tell us your story in the comments!

If you enjoy honest conversations about soap making, small-business struggles, and the wonderfully weird people who make up this industry, hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and join the herd.

Stay Dirty Heifers! 🐄

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

What mistakes do new soap makers make—and what advice could save them time, money, and frustration? 🧼

In Part 3 of our conversation with Katie Carson of Royalty Soaps, we're talking soap-making mistakes, ingredient trends, safety, building a sustainable business, and what keeps an experienced soap maker excited about creating.

Katie gets candid about why beginners shouldn't feel pressured to use every trending ingredient, why soap-making safety matters more than looking picture-perfect on camera, and why you don't have to chase every trend to build a business that works for you.

And naturally, the conversation takes a few Dirty Heifers detours along the way. 😂

🧼 IN THIS EPISODE:

• Common mistakes new soap makers should avoid
• Choosing soap ingredients without chasing every trend
• Why beginners should start simple with their recipes
• Soap-making safety and protective equipment
• The changing popularity of vegan soap and beef tallow
• Why your business doesn't have to grow endlessly to be successful
• What keeps Katie excited about making soap
• Advice for soap suppliers on working with content creators
• Preparing for craft fairs and dealing with the fear of rejection
• What's next for Royalty Soaps

Whether you're learning cold process soap making, growing a handmade business, selling at craft fairs, or simply trying to figure out what kind of business you want to build, there's plenty here to think about.

💬 LET'S TALK! What's the best piece of advice you've received as a soap maker—or what do you wish someone had told you when you started? Tell us in the comments!

🐄 ABOUT THE DIRTY HEIFERS

We're three soap makers having honest conversations about soap making, small business, the maker community, and everything in between. Expect practical advice, a little sass, and plenty of rabbit trails.

🎙️ Find Katie Carson: Royalty Soaps

🐄 JOIN THE HERD Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

Margaret — Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie — Country Lather Soap Works Shauna — Bawauna Bath & Body

New episodes drop Thursdays!

Stay Dirty Heifers. 🐄🧼

#KatieCarson #RoyaltySoaps #SoapMaking #SoapMaker #SoapBusiness #HandmadeBusiness #ColdProcessSoap #DirtyHeifers

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

What does it REALLY take to build a successful soap business while creating content for millions of viewers? Katie Carson of Royalty Soaps gets real with The Dirty Heifers about the business behind the videos, social media pressure, mental health, and what happens when your family is also your team.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Katie Carson, we get into the realities that viewers don't always see behind a successful YouTube channel and handmade soap business.

🧼 IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why YouTube views aren't the same as business success
• How Royalty Soaps makes money beyond video views
• The pressure of creating content while running a soap business
• Social media comparison and the impact on mental health
• Why taking a break from scrolling can matter
• What happens when family members work together
• How a family business can challenge relationships — and strengthen them
• Plenty of honest conversation and Dirty Heifers rabbit trails!

Katie shares an honest look at the difference between building an audience and building a sustainable business — and why success doesn't have to look the same for everyone.

Whether you're a new soap maker, a handmade business owner, a content creator, or someone trying to grow a business without losing yourself in the process, this conversation is for you.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Have you ever caught yourself comparing your business to what you see on social media? Tell us in the comments. Let's talk about it honestly.

🎧 Listen, laugh, and join the herd!

Find our guest: Katie Carson — Royalty Soaps

Find The Dirty Heifers: Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

New episodes drop Thursdays!

Margaret — Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie — Country Lather Soap Works Shauna — Bawauna Bath & Body

#KatieCarson #RoyaltySoaps #SoapMaking #SmallBusiness #YouTubeCreator #HandmadeBusiness #SocialMedia #DirtyHeifers

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

Katie Carson built Royalty Soaps from a teenage soap-making obsession into one of the most recognizable names in handmade soap—but the story didn't go the way you might expect.

In Part One of our conversation with Katie Carson, we go all the way back to the beginning: a homeschool soap-making class, a dad who eventually told her to turn it into a business or stop making so much soap, a $500 loan, Etsy, farmers markets, YouTube, and the viral soap video that changed everything.

Then things got BIG.

Royalty Soaps reached a point where Katie had 15 employees, viral videos were bringing massive attention, and opportunities were coming from every direction—including television and a book deal.

And then Katie made a decision that might surprise you:

She intentionally stepped back.

We talk about why she turned down bigger opportunities, what happened when business growth started taking over her life, why she fired her YouTube management team, and what success actually looks like to her now.

This is not a “how I built a million-dollar business” story.

It's a conversation about soap making, entrepreneurship, family, creativity, social media, growth, burnout, and deciding what kind of business—and life—you actually want.

And yes… there are several Heifer tangents along the way. 😂

This is Part One of our three-part conversation with Katie Carson.

Part Two gets into YouTube, content creation, social media, family business, and what people don't see behind the scenes.

🎙️ THE DIRTY HEIFERS PODCAST

New episodes drop Thursdays.

Join the Herd!

Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

Margaret – Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie – Country Lather Soap Works Shauna – Bawauna Bath & Body

#KatieCarson #RoyaltySoaps #SoapMaking #SoapMaker #SoapBusiness #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneur #HandmadeSoap #YouTubeCreator #DirtyHeifers

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

We went to SoapCon in Kentucky—and came home realizing this industry is about WAY more than making soap. 🧼🐄

In this Dirty Heifers SoapCon special, Margaret takes you behind the scenes of our trip: Jessie getting ready to speak, Shauna and July surprising Jessie, meeting soap makers from all over, learning about labeling, cure time, scaling and social media, and why networking can matter even when you’re a small business owner who is terrible at networking. 😂

Plus… Shauna asked soap makers FIVE questions, and we met a 12-year-old soap maker who might just be the next generation of the industry.

If you've ever wondered whether an industry conference is actually worth the time, money, and social anxiety… come along with us.

🐄 New Episodes Drop Thursdays 🐄 Join the Herd Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

#SoapCon #SoapMaking #SoapBusiness #SmallBusiness #SoapMaker #DirtyHeifers #HandmadeSoap #SoapCommunity #SoapConference

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

Are you wearing enough PPE when you make soap? 👀

Tonight, the Dirty Heifers are putting on the safety goggles and talking about something every soap maker needs to think about: PPE and lye safety.

But first, we're doing a good old-fashioned Heifer Huddle—wins, woes, what's warshin', business headaches, markets, websites, expensive lessons, and plenty of rabbit trails along the way.

We talk about:

🐄 What PPE soap makers should have on hand 🥽 Safety glasses vs. goggles 🧤 Gloves, aprons, closed-toe shoes, sleeves & ventilation ⚠️ Why lye deserves respect without turning soapmaking into a hazmat operation 💦 What to do when lye gets on your skin 👁️ Why eye protection is NON-negotiable 🧪 Handling larger quantities of lye 💻 Margaret's website disaster and the day she had AI talking to her web host 💸 Jessie's expensive lesson with a web company 🛍️ Shauna's first big market prep 😂 And, naturally, approximately 17 rabbit trails

We're not pretending we're perfect. In fact, you'll hear us admit that sometimes we don't even follow our own advice.

Because that's small-business life.

And sometimes the best business advice comes from three soap makers sitting around talking honestly about what is actually happening behind the scenes.

If you're a new soap maker, a small-business owner, or you've ever found yourself wondering whether everybody else has their business figured out except you—come hang out in the pasture with us.

💬 QUESTION FOR YOU: What's one piece of soapmaking safety equipment you absolutely will not work without?

👇 Tell us in the comments!

And if you enjoy the conversation, subscribe to The Dirty Heifers and join the herd. New episodes drop Thursdays!

New Episodes Drop Thursdays Join the Herd Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

Margaret – Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie – Country Lather Soap Works Shauna – Bawauna Bath & Body

Stay Dirty Heifers. 🐄🧼

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

Your soap can be amazing… but if your booth looks like a rummage sale, customers may never stop long enough to find out.

In this episode of The Dirty Heifers, we’re talking vendor booth design, merchandising, retail psychology, and what actually makes shoppers stop, look, and BUY.

We’re joined by Jessi from Create Along with Jessie, who brings nearly 20 years of vendor-show experience plus a background in interior design. She breaks down what makers are getting wrong—and what you can change without spending thousands of dollars on a fancy booth.

We talk about:

🐄 Why having a handmade product is no longer enough to make your booth stand out 🐄 The 3-second first impression at a vendor show 🐄 Why your booth needs a focal point 🐄 Displaying products vs. actually merchandising them 🐄 How much empty space you REALLY need 🐄 Why clutter can make your products feel cheaper 🐄 How to make a booth look more expensive without spending a fortune 🐄 What should be at eye level 🐄 How to create collections that make sense to shoppers 🐄 Why your booth layout isn't the first thing you should figure out 🐄 How to choose the right booth layout for your products 🐄 What to do when you're stuck in a terrible booth location 🐄 Why the type of vendor show—and the audience—matters so much 🐄 How to know whether a show is actually worth your time and money 🐄 What new vendors should—and should NOT—spend money on 🐄 The importance of pricing your handmade products for your time 🐄 What to keep in your vendor show emergency kit 🐄 And, of course, the story of the woman who apparently thought Jessi's free samples were an all-you-can-eat buffet. 😂

And if you've ever wondered whether your booth is too cluttered, too empty, too boring, or just not converting browsers into buyers, this one is for you.

The biggest takeaway? Your booth isn't just decoration. It's part of the shopping experience.

If you're getting ready for a craft fair, farmers market, soap show, or vendor event, send this episode to another maker who needs to hear it!

👇 Tell us in the comments: What's the biggest vendor booth mistake you've made—or seen?

And if you're a soap maker or handmade business owner who loves the messy, honest side of running a creative business, subscribe to The Dirty Heifers and join the herd.

New Episodes Drop Thursdays Join the Herd Facebook: The Dirty Heifers Instagram & TikTok: @thedirtyheifers YouTube: Dirty Heifers

Margaret – Warm & Fuzzy Soapery Jessie – Country Lather Soap Works Shauna – Bawauna Bath & Body

Stay Dirty Heifers! 🐄

#DirtyHeifers #VendorBooth #CraftShowTips #SoapMakingBusiness #SoapMaker #VendorShowTips #HandmadeBusiness #CraftFairTips #SmallBusinessTips #SoapBusiness

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

We thought we knew what it took to run a successful soap business.

Turns out… we were wrong. 😂

After spending three episodes talking with Joanna Couch about scaling a soap business, manufacturing, equipment, batching, private label, hiring, consistency, and growing from a tiny 10x10 shed into a massive operation, we started questioning some of the things WE thought we knew.

And this episode is basically one giant Dirty Heifer confession session.

We talk about the soap business mistakes and misconceptions we had along the way—including:

🧼 Why having MORE products doesn't necessarily mean more sales 💰 Why making more sales doesn't always mean you're making more money 🏭 The equipment we bought because we were convinced we needed it 💼 Whether you really need to quit your day job to have a “real” soap business 🔥 How busy can actually become a recipe for burnout 📋 Why systems, consistency, and processes matter more than we realized 🤝 Learning when it's time to delegate 🏷️ The difference between private label and white label 💸 Some of our biggest financial mistakes 📦 What customers actually care about—and what they absolutely don't 😂 And, of course, some questionable decisions and plenty of Heifer-level nonsense along the way.

One of the biggest takeaways? There isn't one definition of a successful soap business. Maybe you want a huge manufacturing operation. Maybe you want a tiny studio. Maybe you want to sell at markets, do wholesale, or make soap a few days a week.

Your business gets to work for YOU.

If you're a new soap maker, small business owner, or you've ever wondered whether you're doing this whole business thing “right,” you're going to want to hear this conversation.

👇 WHAT WERE YOU TOTALLY WRONG ABOUT?

Tell us in the comments: What did you believe about running a soap business when you started that turned out to be completely wrong?

👍 Like the video 🔔 Subscribe to The Dirty Heifers 💬 Tell us your biggest soap business misconception 📤 Share this episode with another maker who has made at least ONE questionable business decision.

Because apparently… we're all confessing today.

Stay Dirty Heifers. 🐄🧼

🐄 Got something to tell the Heifers? Call the HEIFER HOTLINE! Leave us a question, story, confession, or soapmaking disaster!

What if getting bigger isn't actually the goal?

After two episodes of talking about massive production, scaling, private label, and what it takes to build a huge soap business, we're ending our three-part conversation with Joanna Couch—the Soap Gal—with a question that might surprise you:

Do you actually need to scale?

In the final episode of our conversation with Joanna Couch of The Soap Gal and Makers Haven, we're talking about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough in the handmade business world: what success actually means—and whether bigger is always better.

Joanna has built an enormous soap manufacturing business, worked with major brands, taught makers how to scale, and spent years learning what it takes to turn a handmade business into something much bigger.

But her advice might surprise you.

She tells us about the person who watched her videos because they wanted to scale bigger and bigger… only to realize they were actually happy exactly where they were.

And Joanna says that's okay.

We talk about:

🧼 Makers Haven and why Joanna created it 🤝 Why collaboration matters more than competition 💰 Group buying and making supplies more accessible 🏭 How preparation and systems help makers avoid burnout 📦 Soap kits, bases, master batching and cash flow 📱 Social media, consistency and the future of handmade businesses ❤️ Why community is so important to makers 🚫 Why beginners should stop worrying about competition 💻 What every soap maker should automate 💸 Joanna's biggest business mistakes and wastes of money 🏖️ How she actually takes a vacation with 40+ employees 👩‍💼 Why hiring employees can be a gift—not just an expense 🎯 Why entrepreneurs need to think five and ten years ahead 🙏 Joanna's philosophy on goals, faith and purpose ✨ Why not everyone needs to scale 🎨 Why the tiny, incredibly detailed soap can be just as valuable as millions of bars 🚀 And the advice Joanna gives to anyone who has a dream but doesn't think they're big enough to make it happen

There is also a very important conversation about burnout.

Joanna talks about how easy it is to get caught up in the pressure to constantly grow—and why makers need to stop, breathe, and ask themselves what they actually want.

And then there's one of my favorite moments of the entire three-part interview:

“Just do it.”

Not because everyone needs to build a million-dollar company.

Not because everyone needs a 40,000-square-foot facility.

But because you are allowed to pursue the version of success that actually makes you happy.

Whether you're a brand-new soap maker trying to figure out where to start, an established maker wondering whether it's time to scale, or a small-business owner who's completely exhausted from trying to do everything…

this one is for you.

And if you've watched all three parts of our conversation with Joanna, THANK YOU for hanging out with us through the whole thing. We could genuinely have talked to her for another six hours. 😂

🐄 Join the Heifer Herd!

If this episode helped you, subscribe to The Dirty Heifers, give the episode a thumbs-up, and share it with another maker who needs to hear it.

And tell us in the comments:

Do you want to scale your soap business—or are you actually happy keeping it small?

Because there is no wrong answer.

Stay Dirty Heifers.

#TheDirtyHeifers #SoapMaking #SoapBusiness #SoapMaker #MakersHaven #SmallBusiness #HandmadeBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SoapIndustry #HandmadeSoap