Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Breanne Zaremba. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Breanne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
My soap making journey started after the birth of my third child. After he was born, everything from certain brands of diapers to baby wash seemed to irritate his skin. I brought it up to his doctor, and when their only answer was to prescribe steroid creams, I knew I had to figure something else out. After lots of research, and realizing all of the irritating ingredients used to make so many products for babies, I decided to start making my own products, and replacing the items I used to buy in the store. Handmade soap, lip balm, and lotion bars were the first products I made.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My husband and I started our farm just before we were married in 2006. While pregnant with our first child, I really wanted to take control of what foods we used to feed our family. Over the years we have raised beef cattle, chickens, pigs, turkeys, and sheep, along with planting a garden and more recently adding beehives. We have always focused on keeping things simple and knowing what goes into the food we eat. This transferred over to bath and body products when our son started having skin issues. I wanted to know what I was putting on our bodies just as much as what went into them. Over time, I started making more than what my family could use, and I was encouraged to start selling in 2018, through consignment at a small shop in my hometown. In 2019 I started attending craft shows, and I have slowly been able to build something that allows me to stay at home on the farm, take care of kids and animals, and bring in a small income all at the same time.
The products I currently have available for sale, that I make all by hand, are handmade soap, lotion bars, lip balms, lip scrubs, hand & body lotion, shampoo & conditioner bars, foaming sugar scrub, solid dish soap, magnesium sprays, whipped body butter (in cooler months to prevent melting), bath bombs, and shower steamers. In the fall, I make sure to stock a variety of gift sets because customers love to use the products I make for gift giving.
The thing that I am most proud about is that I have created this business all by myself. I have struggled my whole life with knowing what my purpose in life was, and finding something that makes me feel useful and happy. I am always amazed how I can spend an entire day in my workshop, with no conversation, no radio, no noise, and be completely content and calm knowing I am doing something to support my family and the animals I have brought home to our farm.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think the biggest thing that helped me build a reputation was sharing my story and being relatable to potential customers. By sharing the story of how I started creating my products, it has really helped show people why I make the products I make, why I stand behind them, and why my family and I use them every day. There is a purpose behind creating the products, and other people may have struggled with the same issues we did.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I think the best strategy for growing my clientele has been to just talk to people. Growing up, I was a very shy child, so coming out of my shell has taken some time. But customers want to know all about what you are selling. Sitting back and waiting for people to come to you does not work. Selling at craft shows has done wonders because I can share my story with the public. I can give people instructions, tell them how I use the products, how I make the products. They can try testers, smell the different fragrances, and ask me anything they want. Word of mouth then does its job, because those people who decide to try my products because of my story then tell their friends. It always puts a smile on my face when I hear someone tell me they heard about me from a friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopbtfarms.com
- Instagram: @btfarmshandmade
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BandTFarmsHandmade?mibextid=LQQJ4d
